Deprivation House

Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers #22

by Franklin W. Dixon

ATAC Briefing for Agents Frank and Joe Hardy

MISSION: To join the cast of a new reality show called Deprivation House - featuring a group of teens competing to see who can survive the longest without modern luxuries - and to determine who's behind the death threats received by other contestants.

LOCATION: A huge villa in Beverly Hills, CA.

POTENTIAL VICTIMS: All the contestants and crew of the show.

SUSPECTS: The show's million-dollar prize offers strong motivation to each contestant, and some members of the crew are hiding big secrets.

Genres: Mystery, Detective, Childrens, Young Adult, Adventure, Middle Grade, Mystery Thriller

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library)]

What a fun read! I'm excitedly looking forward to the next book!

[Kathy]

This was fun and I'm looking forward to the next book. Glad they brought the Hardy Boys into current times.

[Prerna]

I like how they've made Hardy Boys a lot more sophisticated. They resemble teenagers of the present day, and the surrounding characters complement their personality. Loved Kit's breakdown over coffee-deprivation--hilarious.

[Akash Kumar]

only read

[Aj]

As usual, i was kept on my toes. The threats i found to be a bit childish despite their fears of them actually really then happening. It was too too toooooo obvious that Mitch was the bad guy. I mean, he set up the sauna for Bobby T, meaning that he knew Bobby would be there, hence an opportunity for an attack. He was the one who told Olivier about the medical room having no surveillance at that particular time, so he could have secretly been listening in on their conversations. Veronica's level of 'cruelty' was a bit alarming,,,yeah, i understand these are teens and they have to suffer but what in the world? I was annoyed by Joe's affection towards Brynn who i am considering as a suspect. Have you ever wondered why she's always so random? isn't she hiding something. Perhaps she was in cahoots with Mitch, who knows? Kit was pathetic. I was relieved to know that she lost the competition. No one forced her to love coffee or acting anyway. Then there's Ripley...she's quite the angry one. I don't blame the press for her bad publicity. She brought it upon herself. Then again, she's trying to be nice,,,only problem is, she's trying to be nice in front of the camera....it's a possibility that she added peanut oil to Bobby's toothpaste, then again, she doesn't seem that smart. After all she has maids and menservants doing all the dirty work for her. I don't believe that Olivier's story about Ripley is legit. She seems to have a lot against the rich girl. Could she really be responsible for everything else Mitch didn't do? She seems to have quite the dark side. Mr Planet L-62. He's just odd. James, quite irritating and could possibly do anything in order to win. Oh well, i'll leave it at that. Read for yourself and find out more

[The Curious Reader]

When I first read Hardy Boys, I think I was in class 5, I had such a crush on Frank Hardy. I liked the brainy one over the brawny one and that sums up my first impression of Hardy Boys.
In their late teens, Frank and Joe Hardy take after their detective father Fenton Hardy. Frank is the older of the two and has more breakthroughs in the cases because he is the brainy one. Joe is the younger brother who more often than not is useful when things get hot and they need to fight their way out.
Like Nancy Drew, the books in the The Hardy Boys series re written by ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. And yes, the earlier books were better than the latter ones.

[Rob]

Trying to update the franchise to modern times, the writing suffers. Lots of mid-to-late-teenage themes and language for books that should be aimed at the pre-teen crowd. Reading it to my 6-year old grandson, but sometimes we gloss over certain parts because it's just not right for his age group yet. I liked the older versions better.

[Sarah]

I read these books as a kid and really liked them. I like ATAC a lot and Joe Hardy is hilarious. I also like the camaraderie the brothers have. However, this is really basic writing. It’s not excellent. These are fun, fluffy books that you can read with little effort.

[sanchit varma]

Gen Z Hardy Boys infiltrate a teen reality show. It's as ridiculous as it sounds but fun enough for a lazy sunday.

But not a patch on the classic Hardy Boys. The writing quality surely has gone down.

[Shubh]

veryy fun read! cant wait to read the other two

[DaShannon]

Someone donated this series to my classroom last year. I enjoyed this one- #1 in The Murder House Trilogy #22 in the Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers. The brothers, Frank and Joe of the American Teens Against Crime, crack one crime early then start on another on a reality show where someone is taking the competition deadly serious. For ages as young as eight but I know some of my students will enjoy too.

[Amy]

Hey, Mrs. Minnich! I thought of you while I was reading this book! And I would recommend it for you too! :)

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about:

My English teacher gave us a week-long challenge during the school year, called "No-Tech Week." If we accepted her challenge, we had to write down a list of modern luxuries that we would try to go without for the next week, such as the internet, cell phones, microwave, etc. and then actually attempt to do without them. I'm not ashamed to admit that I chickened out and didn't try it, but I noticed that many of those who did try it didn't do too well, and eventually gave up. Understandable. That's why I didn't try in the first place. However, it was an interesting experiment to observe.

That's basically the main idea behind the reality show that Frank and Joe are undercover on in this book: each day, the contestants are "deprived" of at least one modern luxury for the rest of the show, whether it's the swimming pool, the television, junk food, whatever. Hence the show's (and the book's) name: Deprivation House. Of course, there are competitions too, and the winner of each gets to choose the next luxury to be taken away.

Anyhow, what a way to end the book:

IT'S NOT OVER.

I'll say! Quick! On to book two! :)

[Katherine]

Deprivation House is a reality TV/game show where the contestants are deprived of their most-used 'necessities'. The contestants also compete to stay on the show through contests. The contestants can also leave the show if they can't stand facing deprivation anymore. At first, it seems all fun until people begin to get injured or killed. This is where the Hardy boys step in. ATAC sends the Hardy boys undercover as contestants on the show to get to the bottom of who and why these events are happening, leading to a shocking conclusion that no one expects.

This book was thrilling and absolutely amazing. I'm a fan of Hardy Boy books because they are quick to read and are packed full of action.

[David]

In 'Deprivation House', book one of the Murder House Trilogy, ATAC sends Frank and Joe undercover on a reality tv show. This is the second time the Undercover Brothers infiltrate trouble on a reality tv show. This time, the cast are all teens who must live together on the set of a fabulous Beverly Hills mansion. At first, it isn't obvious what the reality tv show is about. But as the host of the show begins to deprive the teens of various luxuries, Deprivation House becomes all to real. The tension builds as other weirdness happens, and then a production assistant dies. Frank and Joe figure it all out but not without a lot of action happening first. Good story.

[Joshua Parry]

162 pages When ATAC invites frank and joe to take a mission on the show: Deprivation House, the brothers are thrilled. 2 or more months of vacation from school, and 1 million dollars. but as soon as they arrive, strange occurrences begin to happen: PAs killed, Cast threatened, and sabotage. whodunnit theories are numerous in: Deprivation House

[Tiffany]

I love this series... i am not sure if this is the 1st of the 3 book series. but it is sooo actionyyyyy.lol!!! you would never really guess who it was. but it did seem to make sense in the end cause of all that happened. it might seem kinda creepy but you will like it.

[BigBrother]

The Hardy Boys was good. The main characters were Frank and Joe. The problem is people are dying. They didn't solve the problem. I think they are going to solve the problem in the next book. I learned that tv shows have tests or money.

[Shireen Zehra]

it really suspenseful,and is definitley a good read for a mystery lover...and dont forget to read the other two books in the deprivation house sequel.

[Nicole]

Yeah, whatever, it's just a Hardy Boys book. Small. Quick read.

[Jebin]

Loved it.

[Julian]

perfect
excelrarando
valamisimo

[Jess]

this really creeped me out... but still a great book

[Tyro]

this book was full of bloody moments so be ready for some death

[Meg]

oh my god this was one of my favourite books ever as a kid!!!

[Anu]

Very funny and very interesting too. Thrilling and captivating

[Tawanda Kanyere]

it is going to be awesome