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Penny Parker Mystery Stories #4
Behind the Green Door
Penny visits a ski resort and stumbles upon several mysteries. Unknown enemies are trying to force the resort to close, and during her investigations, Penny discovers a mysterious green door in the resort that leads to a room that can only be entered by invitation. Meanwhile, a new acquaintance offers to sell Penny a fur coat inexpensively. Penny investigates, solving all of the mysteries, scoops a rival reporter, and is rewarded with a new car.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Mildred A. Wirt
99 books63 followersMildred Augustine Wirt Benson (aka: Mildred Benson)
Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name Carolyn Keene from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries. She was one of 28 individuals who helped produce the Syndicate's Nancy Drew mystery books from 1929 to 1984.
Edward Stratemeyer hired Benson in 1926. She was paid a flat fee of $125 for the first Nancy Drew book written using an outline provided by the syndicate.
Other pseudonyms: Frank Bell, Joan Clark, Julia K. Duncan, Alice B. Emerson, Frances K. Judd, Don Palmer, Helen Louise Thorndyke, Dorothy West, Ann Wirt
Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name Carolyn Keene from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries. She was one of 28 individuals who helped produce the Syndicate's Nancy Drew mystery books from 1929 to 1984.
Edward Stratemeyer hired Benson in 1926. She was paid a flat fee of $125 for the first Nancy Drew book written using an outline provided by the syndicate.
Other pseudonyms: Frank Bell, Joan Clark, Julia K. Duncan, Alice B. Emerson, Frances K. Judd, Don Palmer, Helen Louise Thorndyke, Dorothy West, Ann Wirt
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 19, 2024
Standing on My Tippy Toes.
This book makes me feel like I am standing on my toes while reading it. At times, I felt like I can’t breathe.
I am just sitting here reading and enjoying this book that makes me stand on my tippy toes. And thinking about how much I love this book.
Penny Parker is a great mystery solver. She is at the Pine Top resort for winter fun.
She runs into the same man who is suing her father. Harvey Maxwell is an entrepreneur who has been working with the owner of the Pine Top hotel.
She knows that Maxwell and the owner are both up to something, but she doesn’t know what it is. If only she could find out what the secret is.
This book gets four stars. 💫💫💫💫
This book makes me feel like I am standing on my toes while reading it. At times, I felt like I can’t breathe.
I am just sitting here reading and enjoying this book that makes me stand on my tippy toes. And thinking about how much I love this book.
Penny Parker is a great mystery solver. She is at the Pine Top resort for winter fun.
She runs into the same man who is suing her father. Harvey Maxwell is an entrepreneur who has been working with the owner of the Pine Top hotel.
She knows that Maxwell and the owner are both up to something, but she doesn’t know what it is. If only she could find out what the secret is.
This book gets four stars. 💫💫💫💫
May 28, 2024
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰
This is a free kindle e-book novella series from Amazon
Penny Parker is off on a ski 🎿 vacation at a family friends resort. She finds out that funny stuff is going on. She finds a friend in a girl 👧 her age. Then the fun begins leading to a happy ending.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of family and friends relationships adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
This is a free kindle e-book novella series from Amazon
Penny Parker is off on a ski 🎿 vacation at a family friends resort. She finds out that funny stuff is going on. She finds a friend in a girl 👧 her age. Then the fun begins leading to a happy ending.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of family and friends relationships adventure mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024
December 16, 2022
3.5 stars
I actually liked this more than I expected to! I was looking for a Nancy Drew audiobook and found this one instead, written by the author of the original Nancy Drew books. I feel like I liked it more than the Nancy Drew books I've read because instead of this one trying to be all "spooky and mysterious" and kind of failing (like a lot of Nancy Drew books I've read) this one was more just fun and exciting.
While the main character Penny Parker seems to have no flaw, she didn't get on my nerves as much as Nancy Drew does for some reason.
While simple, the story was interesting and I enjoyed the characters and the town of Pine Top. I've also been trying to find a Christmas book to read, and while this one is set a little before Christmas, I was happy to finally find at least a winter story!! 🥳
I actually liked this more than I expected to! I was looking for a Nancy Drew audiobook and found this one instead, written by the author of the original Nancy Drew books. I feel like I liked it more than the Nancy Drew books I've read because instead of this one trying to be all "spooky and mysterious" and kind of failing (like a lot of Nancy Drew books I've read) this one was more just fun and exciting.
While the main character Penny Parker seems to have no flaw, she didn't get on my nerves as much as Nancy Drew does for some reason.
While simple, the story was interesting and I enjoyed the characters and the town of Pine Top. I've also been trying to find a Christmas book to read, and while this one is set a little before Christmas, I was happy to finally find at least a winter story!! 🥳
September 30, 2015
This is a fast paced mystery with plenty of action. The plot is a bit simple, as you would expect for a book geared for young adults, but Penny Parker is a charming character. Mildred Wirt wrote the Nancy Drew books using the Carolyn Keene pseudonym. Unlike Nancy, Penny is more assertive and doesn't mind breaking rules (too much) to solve her mysteries. I enjoyed that Penny wasn't mooning over boys; her goal was to solve the mystery and save her new friends (and maybe wheedle a new car from her father for Christmas). And, there was no racism that many books from that era had. This is a delightful book, one that can still be enjoyed in the 21st Century.
July 4, 2016
No, this isn’t the 1972 porno movie — the exact opposite, in fact. Behind the Green Door is Mildred A. Wirt’s fourth novel in her wholesome girl detective series featuring the curious and daring Penny Parker.
Penny Parker leaves her home in Riverview to fly out to a rustic ski resort in Pine Top that’s owned by family friend Mrs. Downey. An unscrupulous hotelier named Harvey Maxwell is trying, by hook or crook, to force Mrs. Downey out of business and have all of the tourist business to himself. This same Maxwell has sued Penny’s father, the owner and editor of the Riverview Star, for libel. Penny hopes that she can kill two birds with one stone: expose Maxwell as corrupt, thereby killing the case for libel action, and save Mrs. Downey’s hotel.
The novel contains both action and a great plot, and Penny really makes some daring — nay, reckless — steps. Also, the rivalry between Penny and the conceited and scheming Francine Sellberg of the Riverview Record as the two young women both vie to get the goods on Mr. Maxwell rises to high comedy. This fourth entry in the series definitely ranks as the best so far.
Penny Parker leaves her home in Riverview to fly out to a rustic ski resort in Pine Top that’s owned by family friend Mrs. Downey. An unscrupulous hotelier named Harvey Maxwell is trying, by hook or crook, to force Mrs. Downey out of business and have all of the tourist business to himself. This same Maxwell has sued Penny’s father, the owner and editor of the Riverview Star, for libel. Penny hopes that she can kill two birds with one stone: expose Maxwell as corrupt, thereby killing the case for libel action, and save Mrs. Downey’s hotel.
The novel contains both action and a great plot, and Penny really makes some daring — nay, reckless — steps. Also, the rivalry between Penny and the conceited and scheming Francine Sellberg of the Riverview Record as the two young women both vie to get the goods on Mr. Maxwell rises to high comedy. This fourth entry in the series definitely ranks as the best so far.
February 26, 2021
Notes while reading:
Fellow Vintage Children's Series lovers in our Facebook group have long praised Mildred A. Wirt's Penny Parker series. In some cases, folks have said they're better than Nancy Drew. So, when our local community book sale had several of the books on offer (in really good condition!) I snapped them up. I'm just now sitting down to read my first one and I have to say...I find Penny annoying. The book starts with her hotdogging in her new snowsuit ("skiing" on an area rug in the hall) and wanting the Parker's housekeeper/cook Mrs. Weems to tell her how cute she looks in it. Then when her dad has to cancel his plans to join her on a skiing vacation because his newspaper is being sued for libel does she (as Nancy would) immediately decide to investigate on her own and dig up the truth to support the news story that has caused so much trouble for Mr. Parker.? No. Her first thought is that the vacation is being messed up. And then when she learns that the trial won't take place for a month, she's all "Don't you think you could take two weeks off anyhow, Dad?" [Like he shouldn't use all the time between now and the trial to dig up corroborating evidence that the story was true?] So, I'm afraid Penny and I haven't gotten off on the best of starts....
Okay, after the bumpy introduction, Penny and I got along better. Once she actually started investigating things up at the lodge (and how about that coincidence where the evil man suing her dad is also doing bad things up on the mountain where she's spending her vacation), I enjoyed the story a lot more. Very Nancy Drew-like--but given that Wirt wrote a great many of the ND stories, that's not surprising. I can't say that I liked it as much as I like Nancy, but it was an enjoyable afternoon's read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Fellow Vintage Children's Series lovers in our Facebook group have long praised Mildred A. Wirt's Penny Parker series. In some cases, folks have said they're better than Nancy Drew. So, when our local community book sale had several of the books on offer (in really good condition!) I snapped them up. I'm just now sitting down to read my first one and I have to say...I find Penny annoying. The book starts with her hotdogging in her new snowsuit ("skiing" on an area rug in the hall) and wanting the Parker's housekeeper/cook Mrs. Weems to tell her how cute she looks in it. Then when her dad has to cancel his plans to join her on a skiing vacation because his newspaper is being sued for libel does she (as Nancy would) immediately decide to investigate on her own and dig up the truth to support the news story that has caused so much trouble for Mr. Parker.? No. Her first thought is that the vacation is being messed up. And then when she learns that the trial won't take place for a month, she's all "Don't you think you could take two weeks off anyhow, Dad?" [Like he shouldn't use all the time between now and the trial to dig up corroborating evidence that the story was true?] So, I'm afraid Penny and I haven't gotten off on the best of starts....
Okay, after the bumpy introduction, Penny and I got along better. Once she actually started investigating things up at the lodge (and how about that coincidence where the evil man suing her dad is also doing bad things up on the mountain where she's spending her vacation), I enjoyed the story a lot more. Very Nancy Drew-like--but given that Wirt wrote a great many of the ND stories, that's not surprising. I can't say that I liked it as much as I like Nancy, but it was an enjoyable afternoon's read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
April 19, 2025
Good book from a good series. I really like Penny Parker, the main character, as she navigates life and solves the mystery. Fun and entertaining read that I would have loved as a kid.
May 30, 2018
When Mildred Wirt, prolific writer of mid twentieth century YA mystery stories, was asked which of the characters she created was her favorite, she responded that it was Penny Parker. This from the woman who wrote the first 23 Nancy Drew novels. In this story (1940) Penny and her Dad plan a vacation skiing, which falls apart when her newspaper owning father is sued by a wealthy business man. Penny goes by herself, and falls into a number of mysteries. She deals with a number of colorful characters. An actress. A wizened old man. A girl her age kept "prisoner". Another female reporter from a competing paper. And the mysteries? What is the guy suing her Dad doing running a large hotel? Why is there a mystery room at this hotel? Where are those under priced fur coats coming from? Why is the hotel where Penny is staying having a hard time staying in business? Who cut the brakes on the bobsled that Penny and her friends were riding? This is a quick fun read from another era. Mildred A. Wirt may have been a prolific writer, but she never failed to deliver!
May 7, 2022
Behind the Green Door is book number 4 of the Penny Parker mystery series. I’d never read a Penny Parker book—they’re not as easy to find as some series books—especially the old ones with dust jackets and some really fantastic cover art. I believe what I read was the revised version, rather than the 1940 original. I wasn’t expecting much, but I had to find out what this “green door” was all about—a speakeasy? A sex club? Penny is so brave—you might call her reckless—she’s nearly killed at couple of times, and she gets so beat up (mostly from skiing and sledding accidents) that it’s kind of comical. She makes a new friend, a daredevil skier named Sara, who is practically her match, for daring. The bad guys in this story, despite their wealth, power, and ruthlessness, never really have a chance—but the story is no less suspenseful, knowing that. I’ve read several different series book episodes written by Mildred Wirt, and this is my favorite, so far. I may well read more Penny Parker. The adventure takes place during winter holidays at a very snowy, mountainous ski resort, so this is particularly good one to read around Christmas, or maybe in the summer if you want to cool down with a little time traveling.
October 19, 2017
Colossally, hilariously bad. Wirt never missed an opportunity for including an adverb, and the clues to the mystery were very over-emphasized and over-explained. It was fun seeing the slice of life from long ago, and you can see parallels to Wirt's Nancy Drew books. I hadn't looked to see what the original publication date was, and I had difficulty pinning it down, but the emphasis on cutting-edge technology was entertaining, and seeing the freedoms that young women had (or could have in fiction) was balm for the soul; too often, we forget the forms of empowerment that (some) women had in the first part of the 20th century.
The one difficult question that remains for me is whether "plucky" or "spunky" is the better adjective for Penny. (I'm leaning towards "plucky.")
The one difficult question that remains for me is whether "plucky" or "spunky" is the better adjective for Penny. (I'm leaning towards "plucky.")
July 31, 2020
This is the second audio book with the teen "detective", Penny Parker that I've read and I liked this one even better than "The Wishing Well". Like in "The Wishing Well", Penny helps another teenage girl, Sara, she meets while staying at a ski resort. It had some daring acts by Penny that included winter sports and taking suspenseful chances in searching for clues to help her father's newspaper. There is a bit of humor in Penny's dealings with a rival reporter who is a young woman that treats Penny in a condescending manner. Two other characters, a striving actress and also the skier-hating grandfather of Sara are entertaining characters that Penny becomes involved with. The audio (on the app, Free Books) was excellently read for both books.
November 10, 2017
Out of the ones I read so far I liked this one best.
The mystery, the question what's going on behind the eponymous green door, is build up in an engaging way. There's lots of adventure and dangers for our daring young reporter and she's not going through it all unscathed.
Sure, it's not great literature, but it's nigh perfect entertainment with a heroine who does act a bit young for her age but is inspiringly independent minded no less.
Easily recommendable not only for girl readers.
The mystery, the question what's going on behind the eponymous green door, is build up in an engaging way. There's lots of adventure and dangers for our daring young reporter and she's not going through it all unscathed.
Sure, it's not great literature, but it's nigh perfect entertainment with a heroine who does act a bit young for her age but is inspiringly independent minded no less.
Easily recommendable not only for girl readers.
February 14, 2018
Penny Parker is a character Nancy Drew writer, Carolyn Keene wrote under her real name, Mildred A. Wirt. She created Penny Parker when she was told by her publishers that Nancy Drew was too feisty and independent. The Penny Parker is a lot like Nancy Drew. She's feisty and independent. I enjoyed this book greatly. Will be going back to read more Penny Parker mystery books.
December 31, 2018
Like a mystery, why this book has become "invisible" over the decades puzzles us. The free audio book, read by a fine reader, is available thru the Internet Archive. Download it!
Please consider it for a fun, entertaining book. Some of the Penny Parker series haven't aged as well. This one and a couple others are 4 star editions!
Please consider it for a fun, entertaining book. Some of the Penny Parker series haven't aged as well. This one and a couple others are 4 star editions!
April 26, 2022
This Penny Parker mystery is much like the others in the series: a thinly setup detective framework with adventure setup for young adult readers. Penny once more stumbles upon the solution and no one believes her despite her proven track record.
March 15, 2025
I've enjoyed reading the Penny Parker series and so far this has been my favorite! These books are a fun way to read cozy mysteries that are fairly short. If you enjoy Nancy Drew this is a great fit - the same author for both!
October 5, 2018
By the real author of the original Nancy Drew books, this is a great YA mystery novel. As Wirt Benson said herself later, "I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is."
May 19, 2023
Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbPe5...
April 10, 2024
This is another Penny Parker mystery enjoyed by both my grandsons. Good mystery, plot, and characters (except for the bad guys). Cheryl Adams (Librivox) did an amazing job of reading the novel.
January 19, 2026
3.5
Penny is still great and reckless and the amount of injuries she just walks off without even proper rest is wild!! The story was pretty exciting and although the events at the end were a little too fortuitous the ending itself was very satisfying.
Penny is still great and reckless and the amount of injuries she just walks off without even proper rest is wild!! The story was pretty exciting and although the events at the end were a little too fortuitous the ending itself was very satisfying.
December 30, 2020
Love the Penny Parker Series by long-time Nancy Drew writer Mildred Wirt!
February 20, 2017
This is my favorite Penny Parker story so far. A fun cast of characters, more of Penny's zany ideas and escapades, and a good mystery (though Penny was a bit slow on one aspect of the mystery). And no early-20th-century racism!
I just love Penny Parker! I even like her better than Nancy Drew, which I felt slightly traitorous about until I read that Millie (Mildred Wirt, the author of both) liked her better too. She's got more sass and she's not without fault (Nancy is a bit too perfect). (Nancy Drew will always be a special friend to me though, since I grew up with her.)
Read this one with my mom while home on vacation. :)
I just love Penny Parker! I even like her better than Nancy Drew, which I felt slightly traitorous about until I read that Millie (Mildred Wirt, the author of both) liked her better too. She's got more sass and she's not without fault (Nancy is a bit too perfect). (Nancy Drew will always be a special friend to me though, since I grew up with her.)
Read this one with my mom while home on vacation. :)
October 11, 2015
Sleuthing Doesn't Get Any Better!!!!
What an interesting ending. Especially...behind the Green Door!
Penny Parker mysteries are the best. My Autumn 2015 Reading Program. I love these mysteries. I'm ready for the next one!
What an interesting ending. Especially...behind the Green Door!
Penny Parker mysteries are the best. My Autumn 2015 Reading Program. I love these mysteries. I'm ready for the next one!
October 6, 2016
Short and sweet Nancy-Drew-type mystery (naturally, since the author penned several under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym), with a plucky, likable, independent heroine. Very enjoyable! I listened to a Librivox recording of this, and looked forward to each next installment on my commutes this week.
January 29, 2013
A simple reading regarding a mysterious green room in a hotel.
More here:
http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2013/0...
More here:
http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2013/0...
June 30, 2014
Okay, now this is my new favorite Penny Parker. Penny is at a ski resort for Christmas vacation on her own as her father can't leave work because he is being sued for libel.
August 7, 2015
Really liked this entry in the series. The setting is terrific and the mystery pretty decent (if not a wee bit obvious in some aspects).
November 17, 2013
Another quick easy read with a glimpse of late 1930s Americana.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews