The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain

Dana Girls Mystery #26

by Carolyn Keene

When Professor Crandall receives a warning note to abandon a valuable fountain he has recently purchased, the Dana sisters decide to help him

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade

173 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Arie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came across my 2003 school reading log, so figured I should enter these books in too. In the words of my ten-year-old self, this book was: "ex!" (I'll assume this means "excellent", I seem to remember really liking this).

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore]

I was quite thrilled to find one of these again- the first time I'm reading this probably after middle school. Of course, one tends to look at things- plots and characters differently than one did back then but still it was fun to read.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story but a sort of poor man's Nancy Drew.
Not as well crafted or well rounded a story.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but has few plotholes.

[Rex Libris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dana girls find missing jewels and put their arch-nemesis in her place in this adventure.

[Star · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this for 50cents at a salvo with the hope if it was good enough I'd hand it off to my oldest niece to read. That will not be happening ever. This is one of the worst books I've ever read. I DNFd it at page 126. I would not let any children read this. It's so unrealistic in the expectations it sets I would be at fault should I let a child believe that the world could work this way. Even with it written in 1964 some of the things the book suggests as how things work are just wrong. It is never okay for any person in a position of power especially school admin to ask students to go investigate crime. Just file a police report, or hire a PI, don't cheap out and ask underage students to do this. It's illegal. At one point a girl gets knocked unconscious by a rock in a snowball and everything is perfectly fine with no emergency warranted. We don't even get to see the girl wake up, just an assumption it's happening elsewhere. Later a girl injures her ankle and what amounts to an on-call at home visit by a doctor is arranged. Police just conveniently are around every time they're needed except for the one thing they're asked to do and that's watch the fountain. Despite being short staffed, the police manage to show up within minutes to almost everything else that you'd want the police involved in. They weren't even asked to investigate the problem with the fountain and they're everywhere everytime. The cross-dressing villain is where I decided to quit. I will probably use this book as kindling for the next bonfire I have to build a fire for. That's how bad I think this story is.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every now and again I have to read one of these. I generally love the old-fashioned stories, but this one was pretty silly, especially considering it was written in the 60s, which is not that long ago to me! :) The sisters' boyfriends come to visit for a special event, and one of them exclaims, "This week end is going to be neat!" And the cops are especially incompetent, praising the girls for their sleuthing when they were just stating common sense facts. I'll stick with the Nancy Drews from the 1930s. :)

I did find it interesting that the two cops who rode together were McGuire and Kane. Was someone a fan of the New Christy Minstrels? :D

[Becca Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean, entertaining middle grade fun. I thought book 1 was a bit better. The relationship between the protagonists and their friends & adults is good. They're pretty kind to the schoolmate who is unkind to them. The plot is interesting enough even if it's a bit unrealistic. . . Some of the language gives such a 60's vibe which did make me laugh. I like that the boyfriend/girlfriend relationships seem to be based on genuine friendships... They're not trying to make these mysteries about romance.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute middle grade mystery from the early 1970s. The Dana sisters, Dana and Louise, are high school students at Starhurst, a boarding school. The book never gives an idea of the location. The headmistress' husband has bought a fountain sitting on a long-abandoned property, but someone is trying to keep the fountain from being moved to the Starhurst grounds. It's up to the Danas to discover who wants the fountain unmoved and why. A fun, simple story, full of high jinks and even an ice skating competition!