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Dana Girls Mystery #15
The Secret of the Jade Ring
Fleurette Garnier, a new student to Starhurst, puzzles Jean and Louise. The new French girl is reclusive and reluctant to join the new archery team, even though she is an expert archer. The mystery surrounding Fleurette deepens when Fleurette briefly disappears, and her room is ransacked.
Jean's jade ring, a precious heirloom, is stolen shortly before Fleurette arrives at the school and appears later at a pawn shop. The school's museum houses an imitation of a valuable jade ring which is also stolen. Fleurette becomes flustered whenever these incidents are discussed, drawing suspicion to her.
Although Jean and Louise believe that Fleurette may know something, they feel that the girl is honest. Fleurette refuses to talk, and the Danas hope that they can solve the mystery before something terrible happens to Fleurette.
Jean's jade ring, a precious heirloom, is stolen shortly before Fleurette arrives at the school and appears later at a pawn shop. The school's museum houses an imitation of a valuable jade ring which is also stolen. Fleurette becomes flustered whenever these incidents are discussed, drawing suspicion to her.
Although Jean and Louise believe that Fleurette may know something, they feel that the girl is honest. Fleurette refuses to talk, and the Danas hope that they can solve the mystery before something terrible happens to Fleurette.
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1953
2 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,031 books3,877 followersCarolyn 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 19, 2013
Always fun to pick up a book from one of my childhood favourite series. I don't think I read this one when I was a kid.
I always thought the twins lived with their aunt, Harriet, and uncle, Ned, (though the uncle travelled a lot) but this book spelled it out more that they lived with their Aunt Harriet and just that Uncle Ned was coming for a visit? May have to go reread other books that I own to verify. ;) Tough work.
Usual Dana Girl plot, mysterious new arrival at school, valuable heirloom, bad guy (or gal), Lettie and Ina interfere, blah blah blah. Still fun!
I always thought the twins lived with their aunt, Harriet, and uncle, Ned, (though the uncle travelled a lot) but this book spelled it out more that they lived with their Aunt Harriet and just that Uncle Ned was coming for a visit? May have to go reread other books that I own to verify. ;) Tough work.
Usual Dana Girl plot, mysterious new arrival at school, valuable heirloom, bad guy (or gal), Lettie and Ina interfere, blah blah blah. Still fun!
August 15, 2025
hehe moi et les vieux livres français (mêmes traduit) ça fait 1.
idek what language to review this in because it’s og in english but i read it in french?
ces vieux livres que je lis en ce moment font partie de la bibliothèque de ma mère quand elle était petite, et c un rituel quand j’arrive en france de TOUS les lire.
celui est tout sympa: facile à s’y mettre, et rappelle les années d’avant (je veut pas savoir ce que letty ferait si elle avait un tel).
bon les persos étaient tous sympa sauf un *ahm* letty barclay *ahm*. je veut capitaine parker comme oncle s’il vous plaît.
ALSO: how on earth did they get Liz and Ann from Louise and Jean? Did they get lost in translation (😏)??
en bref: je me suis encore plongée dans un livre d’enfance, et c’était super.
idek what language to review this in because it’s og in english but i read it in french?
ces vieux livres que je lis en ce moment font partie de la bibliothèque de ma mère quand elle était petite, et c un rituel quand j’arrive en france de TOUS les lire.
celui est tout sympa: facile à s’y mettre, et rappelle les années d’avant (je veut pas savoir ce que letty ferait si elle avait un tel).
bon les persos étaient tous sympa sauf un *ahm* letty barclay *ahm*. je veut capitaine parker comme oncle s’il vous plaît.
ALSO: how on earth did they get Liz and Ann from Louise and Jean? Did they get lost in translation (😏)??
en bref: je me suis encore plongée dans un livre d’enfance, et c’était super.
June 30, 2018
Really this book is the same old same old as the other books in the series. Lettie is antagonizing, Jean and Louise have astounding capabilities in skills that they just picked up, but this time they gained another friend! Exciting.
The only thing that I found interesting about this book was that it mentioned Jean and Louise's dead parents. (Why mention the parents if it's never said how they died? Kinda weird in my opinion.)
The only thing that I found interesting about this book was that it mentioned Jean and Louise's dead parents. (Why mention the parents if it's never said how they died? Kinda weird in my opinion.)
March 21, 2013
I loved this series of books that I read back in junior high. They are from the same syndicate that wrote the Nancy Drew books and the Hardy Boys, but I much preferred the Dana Girls.
January 18, 2014
Very beautiful childhood story, I recieved it in my birthday :)
November 13, 2018
I picked this vintage book up at our local library book sale. I thought it was a Nancy Drew mystery, but turned out it was from the Dana Girls series also "by" "Carolyn Keene." In any case, it was everything you'd expect (that is, you'd expect very little). It is so very amusing to realize what a life of privilege the stories in these books represent. Reading about the exclusive girls school the Dana Girls attend is eye opening in so many ways. Not much representation of reality here: it's like watching one of those glamorous old Fred Astaire movies that supposedly were balm to the masses during the Depression. Did anybody ever really live like that? My brief nostalgic yearning for the stories of my youth is now forever sated.
July 10, 2021
A bit slow compared to previous stories
July 11, 2021
This series is like a bad Nancy Drew do-over. There are two sisters Louise and Jean who attend a boarding school together and solve mysteries on the side. This book was less suspenseful than Nancy Drew which made it same boring. It could have used more editing to eliminate odd sidestories that didn't come to fruition (eg. one sister received an invitation to a prom by a boy but the prom never happened in this book, nor was the boy introduced prior or after this event). The catfights between the sisters and the school bully are petty. The poor attempts at stretching a short mystery into a longer novel through these conflicts made me not want to read any more Dana books. I have a few more I picked up at a thrift store together with this one, so I might give the series another shot, but I would definitely not recommend this series or buy any more of the books.
If you're looking for a tamer version of Nancy Drew, I would recommend Bobbsey Twins or Happy Hollisters.
If you're looking for a tamer version of Nancy Drew, I would recommend Bobbsey Twins or Happy Hollisters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews