Nancy’s puppy finds an old key in Bess’s backyard, and after Bess puts the key in the house, it disappears! Who took it? What’s the big secret? Nancy’s asking the questions, and the answer could be a real surprise.
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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
3 star. My first Nancy Drew and although i am not totally disappointed, I am not pleased as well.
Nancy and her friends work on solving the case of a missing/stolen key which nacny's dog had recently found. Halloween backdrop helps the suspects. A good quick read.
This is another of the Nancy and her friends in elementary school stories. This one involves Nancy's dog finding a key in the yard. It also involves a mysterious box in their attic that the key just might fit. But the key goes missing, for Nancy and the others set out to solve the mystery of who took the key. Sometimes, though, such answers might be totally unexpected and a lot closer to home than expected.