Nancy Drew 56: The Thirteenth Pearl

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #56

by Carolyn Keene

Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 6/1/1978 Pages: 192 Reading Level: Age 8 and Up

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Classics, Middle Grade, Juvenile

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1978

About the author

Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.

Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.

Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.

Reviews

[Forrest · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. Re-reading this timeless treasure led me to discover that the Nancy Drew mysteries are not the novels of genius I once thought they were. This one had the particular distinction of not only being poorly written, but also containing numerous offensively discussed stereotypes about Japan and Japanese-Americans. People are described as "Oriental" and "Asiatic," and the entire mystery is really just an attempt for Carolyn Keene to describe for impressionable youth the "exotic" customs of the nation of Japan. Despicable.



The mystery is solved at the end through the discovery of some weird cult ritual that comes out of left field and makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, the mystery is never really solved, so much as Carolyn clearly took a hit off the bong, wrote a paragraph, called it a night, and then sent the manuscript off without editing it.



I think what's most displeasing is that Nancy's long-suffering, blue balled boyfriend Ned finally makes an appearance, only to once again be denied any sort of romantic dalliance with super prude Nancy. Jesus, Carolyn, just let them have sex already!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've reviewed so many of these books, I've run out of things to say about them. This is as good as any Nancy Drew novel. Not sure what to say other than that.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy's #56 is almost the end of the road for me . . . .it's taken a year and a half. . .2 left and a bio of "Carolyn Keene" to go. . . this romp takes Nancy to Japan, to find the 13th pearl a thief had taken for surprising reasons. At the end she scampers off with Ned, with Mr. Moto's comment to her dad pulled out as the end of the book:

On the way, the Japanese jeweler said to him, "I think you have the most wonderful daughter in the world!"

He's not wrong, that guy.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the LAST ONE. And there are still unanswered questions, like where is River Heights? (My guess is upstate NY.) What caused Mrs. Drew's death (one book said she died "suddenly" and one other one mentioned "a brief illness" but that's it)? Why didn't Hannah, who was apparently married herself at some point, but has lived with the Drews since Mrs. Drew kicked it, ever get married to Carson? Could you really have a platonic relationship with your live-in housekeeper for fifteen years?

I had this one as a girl, but I don't think I cracked the cover of it. Probably a good thing, because it makes no sense.

Nancy goes on a wild-goose-chase to Japan and disguises herself as a Japanese girl (with blue eyes and titian hair) and none of the Japanese people are any the wiser. I thought "Asiatics" were supposed to be smart. This was one of the few trips she took with her father and no other entourage. Anyway, they eventually return to River Heights where all the bad guys are (jewel thieves and a pearl-worshipping cult.

Nancy and Ned lose consciousness when they're chloroformed at the close of the penultimate chapter. This book could have been not-the-final book if one sentence had been added to the effect of "Little did she know but she was soon to be entangled in the [insert next title here]."

[Bevin]

Picked this up completely randomly when I forgot to bring a book to work and I found it in my car.

I’m not even going to give it a rating because a) it’s Nancy Drew, but mostly b) yikes @ 1950s stereotypical racism. I never read this one as a kid and I’m glad I don’t have positive childhood memories of it for this adult reread to ruin, because I was extremely uncomfortable with the way the Japanese characters were written and how Nancy interacted with them. I don’t have intentions to make my way through the rest of the series but if I did, I’d hope they were at least SOMEWHAT more woke than this one. (Doubtful.)

Also, Benny the Slippery One Capputti is hands down the worst criminal nickname I’ve ever heard.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was...strange. Half of the content of this book was a research paper on Japanese culture and practices, which just added pages to the book and had nothing to do with the mystery. The band of thieves still don't entirely make sense to me, in terms of their cover, and it felt a little WTF when I read.

Overall, this was a somewhat disappointing finale to the Nancy Drew series, and I only recommend to fellow die-hard Nancy fans.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Okay, I liked the mystery all right. And some of the Japanese information was really fun. However, I was a little confused by the fact that all these random Japanese people spoke perfect English and understood it as well. But I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, overall!

[Katie Randolph]

uncomfortable depictions of Japanese culture. 0 stars

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! THE THIRTEENTH PEARL did not age well and re-reading it just confirms that some childhood memories are best left without revisiting.

The book's main problem is that it was poorly edited. Grammar issues that should have been caught were not. A couple examples:

Plurals do not need an apostrophe. An apostrophe either before or after an "s" at the end of a word shows possession. In other words, the Cuttinis would refer to two or more people named Cuttini, and Cuttini's refers to something possessed by Cuttini.

A word showing relationship (mom, dad, aunt, uncle, etc.) is not capitalized when it follows a possessive pronoun (my, our, your, his, her, their). That means it should be "my dad" or "our aunt Gertrude" and not "my Dad" or "our Aunt Gertrude."

However, I think the real reason for the lack of editing and tightening up the story is that the Stratemeyer Syndicate, then the owner of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and many, many more children's series characters, had signed a new publishing contract with Simon & Schuster for new books in various series. Moving to a new publisher would certainly kill any motivation I had to improve an inferior draft, so I don't believe my theory here is too far off. Had the proper editing been completed I don't believe the word "Asiatic" would have been used as Asian was already the more acceptable word choice.

(By the way, the original Nancy Drew series ended at book 175 and there have been various spinoff series throughout the years. As bad as I think THE THIRTEENTH PEARL is, books 57-74 (I think, though it could be book 73) -- also written by Stratemeyer Syndicate authors -- contain some better-written stories than those of the 56 published by Grosset & Dunlap, while featuring the same Nancy Drew as before. Starting with either book 74 or 75, books written by ghostwriters for new owner Simon & Schuster began to be published.)

Enough grammar and history!

There are better Nancy Drew stories than this out there. May I suggest THE CROOKED BANISTER or THE FLYING SAUCER MYSTERY? I suggest reading this one only to be a completist or to learn how pearls are formed when mankind aids in the process or to learn Japanese customs as viewed through a 1970s perspective.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a slog to get through. Which is weird because it has an international ring of jewel thieves, a cult that worships pearls, a kidnapped jeweler and lots of factoids about oyster farming.
Oh my word. So many pages about oyster farming. Nancy goes to Japan and we learn about oyster farming and Japanese wedding customs. And that the Japanese word for present is presento. I call bull. And she dresses up like a Japanese woman. It simply seemed like filler. And Nancy doesn’t investigate. She just happens to be there.
It’s my worst Nancy Drew book.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn't that great. I hate when Nancy goes to another country and everyone happens to speak English and the police are willing to drop everything to help her. Also Nancy seems to run around in circles and take a pointless trip to Japan. Not one of the best but it is the last of the original Nancy Drew series so it's worth a read.
___________________________________________
second time reading:
They really used this book as an excuse to break out every Japanese stereotype.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last Nancy Drew book. I really, REALLY hated to see this come, but I loved the book none the less.

[Jessica Petrovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨✨

Well, this is it. Nearly a year’s worth of Nancy Drew and all her adventures, finally at an end. 🥲🤧 I’m pleased with myself for seeing this self-imposed challenge through to the conclusion.

This book was a super appropriate final one to read; Nancy got to travel across the globe in pursuit of solving the case, there was a sprinkle of cultural appropriation, her and her dad got some one-one-one mystery solving time which hasn’t happened in a while, and her and Ned got to finish things off by being kidnapped one last time!

I loved all the gems and pearls and the evil corporation. I wish more of Nancy’s mysteries had contained her fighting giant, corrupt businesses.

Just above an average read, both in entertainment and quality. The standard Nancy Drew experience.

Shout out to Kayla for supporting me throughout this journey, I appreciate you reading all of these reviews 😂🤍🙏🏻.

Now to go read another series I can insert Pedro Pascal into. 🫡

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Drew is recruited by her father, Carson Drew, to detect a mystery at a local jewelry store. Mr. Moto's beautiful pearl necklace, owned by a local socialite, is stolen, and Nancy needs to secretly find out any information about the culprit and the location of the necklace.
The mystery takes Nancy and Carson to Japan, where they investigate World Wide Gems, where there is some deep seeded thievery. While in Japan, Nancy learns about the culture of pearls and traditional Japanese culture.
After gathering enough evidence, Nancy heads back to River Heights to find out more about the culprits and to catch them before the thieves elude capture.
Overall, this wasn't one of my favorite Nancy Drew books. Ned was a bit of a jerk, and I always enjoy it when George and Bess are more involved in the mysteries. The Japanese culture was not negatively stereotyped, and readers will learn a bit about pearl cultivation.
I recommend this Nancy Drew book to fans of Nancy.

[ilse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found my Nancy Drew collection in my childhood bedroom, so obviously I re-read some of them. Are these books meant for 8 year olds? Yes. However, I still believe they are the prime of entertainment and cozy mysteries. Actually, I owe my bookishness to this series, without it I may have gone years without developing an avid appetite for reading.

[Linnea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neiti Etsivä selvittää kadonneen helmikaulanauhan arvoitusta ja matkustaa sen tiimoilta Japaniin vain palatakseen takaisin River Heightsiin arvoituksen ratkaisua varten. Japani-matkan tarkoituksena vaikutti olevan lähinnä se, että voitiin osoittaa kuinka tässä nyt tutustutaan teeseremoniaan, origamiin ja ikebanaan ilman, että se vaikuttaa juoneen tipan tippaa.

Lisäksi arvoituksen keskiössä oleva helmenpalvontakultti ilmestyi lopussa aivan puskista, mitään ei selitetty. Huokaus.

[Danielle Gaston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Revisiting classics much older than when you first read it can be both humbling and gratifying (my preferences in terms of literature have matured greatly) especially when you once considered these books to be the most compelling.

This is certainly not Keene’s best work. The stereotyping is painful, the story progression is sporadic, and the conversations feel robotic. Hoping the next one I revisit is better.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

the ending not immediately alluding to the next mystery was bittersweet. what an end cap on this series.

warning: the depictions and descriptions of japanese people and culture and some of the stereotypes mentioned are extremely iffy, so keep that in mind.

[Izzy Y · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.75 ⭐️
I was sooo disappointed 😢. I don’t like the cults that are in some Nancy Drew books.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical Nancy Drew story that always has a geographical or educational angle. This time I learned about the pearl industry and a little about Japan!

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, subscribe to my newsletter at www.bargain-sleuth.com

The Thirteenth Pearl is the last of the Grosset & Dunlap Nancy Drew Mysteries before moving over to Simon & Schuster and paperback format. Some fans say that this book is the end of the canon, even though the mystery series went on to #175 in paperback form. If you are one of those that thinks this is the end of the traditional Nancy Drew books, you’ll be disappointed in the last story.

This is another travelogue, this time to Japan, and if you want to know what some parts of Japanese culture were like in the late 1970’s, you’ll enjoy this book. Otherwise, you’ll find the book woefully out of date. In fact, the whole way other cultures are treated by Nancy in the 1960’s and 70’s when travelogue mysteries became the norm is kind of offensive to today’s readers. Broadly painting strokes, calling people Oriental or Asiatic, is problematic. For no good reason, Nancy is invited to a wedding while in Japan to a couple she doesn’t know, is invited to the salon where the bride prepares, and in fact at one point even dresses up as a Japanese woman in disguise. Ugh. While this sort of behavior may have been acceptable in the late 70’s, reading the book now is kind of cringey.

The mystery of the missing pearl necklace is unusual, and this time Nancy has to contend with an international ring of jewel thieves. In the days before the internet and cell phones, I suppose a trip to Japan to investigate the disappearance of her client and hopes to find the missing necklace wasn’t unusual then, but now it’s a bit of a stretch. Having Nancy travel to all these interesting locations was just a way to impart young readers information on different places and cultures, but now it’s unnecessary. Like I said, this book hasn’t aged well.

The worst part of the book is the fact that for the majority of it, Nancy does not have her chums, Bess and George, to rely upon. Only after Nancy returns to River Heights late in the book do the girls play a part, although Nancy did give them some sleuthing to do in her absence. And of course, where there is Bess and George, you know that Ned, Burt and Dave aren’t far behind.

The whole thing about a cult of pearl worshippers was weird and didn’t work for me. As you can tell, most of the book didn’t work for me.

In terms of peril, Nancy and Ned lose consciousness when they’re chloroformed near the end of the book. No one gets a concussive shock to the head, sprains and ankle, or gets in a car accident. Rather dull compared to other Nancy Drew books.

The only reason I’d recommend this book is to complete your Nancy Drew Mysteries collection, whether you collect the original 56 or the complete 175.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, The Thirteenth Pearl didn't fulfill much of its potential. The information on pearls and on Japanese culture was an enjoyable part of the book. But like many of the final books in the original series, there are a lot of things that take you out of the story when you read it as an adult. The pearl-worshipping cult comes out of nowhere and is never fully explained, which is a shame because it could have made the story enjoyably strange. There is also a lot of lackadaisical police work in this book, like letting someone look around the crime scene unsupervised right after a police raid. The weirdest one? The police in Japan having Nancy sit behind a one-way mirror folding screen(just a screen, mind you, not an actual pane of glass in a protective wall) to identify a possible criminal who is made to walk through the room with no police supervision whatsoever, with exactly the results any sane person would expect.

Nostalgia causes me to retain a bit of fondness for Nancy's 56th mystery, but it is objectively a lackluster addition to a series that can do much better.

[Katie Dever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the series continues after 56, but this technically is the last of the originals. I'm kind of sad after finally reading this book many years too late. I used to read these as a 10 year old. In my dark room, I'd get scared of the evil criminals in these tales. I used to fantasize being Nancy Drew.

As a fan of this series, there wasn't many things that bothered me in this book. Just the fact that it is kinda of impossible for an 18 year old to figure all this out within a few weeks/days. None of that mattered to 10 year old me though.I quite enjoyed the travel to Japan and the jewelry theft aspect. I'm feeling very nostalgic after reading this. I might have to dig out the rest of them for a re-read!

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last “original” Nancy Drew book and it’s…. bizarre.

Also, calling people Asiatic and Oriental? Yikes.

I really missed the “Nancy wondered what her next mystery would be” dialogue at the end, which really showed that they thought this would be the last Nancy book ever. Oh, if the publishers only knew…

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Drew works on a jewelry theft case. In this mystery, she travels to Japan with her dad. This was a little different because most stories involve her traveling with her friends, Bess and George.

This is the 56th Nancy Drew mystery. Another fun mystery for Nancy Drew to solve.

[Tiffany Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoyed it! I miss this series. ❤️

[Briella Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this! This mystery book is very thrilling and fun. The author is very clever and creative for making such a great book!

[Opticalillusion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all the Nancy Drew books. Easy reads where you don't need to think too much.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is the BEST Nancy Drew book I've read as of 6/11! It's very addicting, and I couldn't stop reading this until I finished it, like all Nancy Drew books are!

[Ana(stasia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot! It’s my favorite Nancy Drew Mystery so far! It was sort of creep with the pearl cult and everything, but it wasn’t too bad.