The Clue of the Dancing Puppet

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #39

by Carolyn Keene

When the eerie performances of a life-size puppet begin to haunt the old Van Pelt estate, where an amateur acting group – The Footlighters – have their theater, Nancy Drew is called upon to unravel the baffling mystery. From the moment the detective and her friends Bess and George arrive at the mansion, the dancing puppet puzzle is further complicated by Tammi Whitlock, the Footlighters’ temperamental leading lady, and Emmet Calhoun, a Shakespearean actor.

Nancy’s search of the mansion’s dark, musty attic for clues to the weird mystery starts a frightening chain reaction. A phone call from a stranger with a witchlike, cackling voice warns her to “Get out!” Next an encounter with two jewel theft suspects adds another perplexing angle to the puzzle. When Nancy finally sees the life-size puppet flitting across the moonlit lawn and chases it, she learns that someone with a sinister motive is determined to keep her form solving the case. Is it one of the Footlighters? Or is it an outsider?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Classics, Mystery Thriller

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1962

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

HAS THERE EVER BEEN A CREEPIER COVER THAN THIS?!

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy D's #39 gives her a big acting break! Not only does she pinch-hit on the lead's role on opening night (and is a Star), she has a full blown mystery with 4 (count 'em) life-size tin puppets that tend to wander and scare the straw out of people. Fancy necklaces are saved for their owners, and poor Ned has to watch Nancy get kissed by her leading male co-actor. Jaw clenching is involved, but he seems to survive and get her back easily enough.

Moving on to #40. . . . .

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually taking my time instead of speed-reading gives the twists and turns of a book like this more impact. Tammi reminded me of the character Victoria Justice played in Spectacular!, ironically with the same name (down to the distinct spelling). This one was enjoyable indeed.

[Leeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was pretty cool. I love the more spooky vibe it has and I love the mystery its self as well. This was a great read and I love the plot as well.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars & 6/10 hearts. Mm...guys, I LOVED this story. First off, the whole acting thing was a super fun addition. The puppets were too! I loved the plot and the mysteries, and I really liked the characters. I also was right about some parts of the mysteries, so #epicness. It was funny, intriguing, and well done. Another of my top favourite Nancy Drews!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was cleaning and I stumbled upon a bunch of these Nancy Drew books. My mom and grandma used to buy them for me each trip to Half Price way back in the day and I remember being super obessed with this series. Unfortunately, I had to throw like half of the ones I found away because they were mildewy. NEVER LEAVE BOOKS IN A CRAWLSPACE FOR 8+ YEARS! It's not a good idea!! The Clue of the Dancing Puppet was a fun read. I don't think it was the best Nancy Drew book I've ever read, but it wasn't horrible. The way the puppet was described was creepy and I wish there had been more of the actual puppet doing stuff. There was so much focus on millions of other things happening that I wondered how all these events were going to factor into the main mystery. The ending itself was alright and everything came together, but I'm still sort of confused as to what was done by who.

This was actually for the most part unintentionally hilarious. Since this was written in the 60's, it's a bit dated in certain ways. I also found myself cracking up at the constant 'knocking out' of Nancy throughout the series. One of Mr. Drew's clients has a mystery for Nancy to solve and so she and Bess and George head out to the Van Pelt estate. Nancy is seriously only in the house all of three minutes and she's cannon ball bludgeoned by some unseen person and then literally ten pages later there's another scene where she's rendered unconcious again. Nancy could probably be considered a Mary Sue nowadays, but I didn't care or get as annoyed as I should have gotten. Nancy is pretty much the best at everything. She's the prettiest, smartest, etc. She also possesses a wealth of acting talent and I wouldn't be surprised if one of the mysteries take her to a haunting at an old steel plant and she ends up being an amazing engineer as well.

[Lyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une nouvelle enquête pour la meilleure des détectives. Le mystère est tellement épais que même le lecteur sait qui sont les coupables mais nul n'arrive à deviner pourquoi ils agissent.

[Kavita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more fun than I expected. Carson Drew has another case for his daughter - this time, she gets to meet an actor running a theatre group and solve a mystery related to a puppet randomly dancing around at nights. Once there, Nancy and her friends get involved in a convoluted mystery that has some bizarre characters, and Nancy, of course, ends up as an actress to save the day.

There was an absurdly violent young woman, Tammi, who was the lead actress for the Footlighters, the theatre group. There is an old Shakespearean actor trying to court her, which upped my ick antenna. Then there are random robberies taking place in a random restaurant and I still don't understand why or how these are connected with the main story. In the end, I am not sure what the mystery was about actually. There were some stolen jewels and a rogue actress in a theatre group.

But in spite of the lack of coherent plotting, it was fun to read. I always enjoy the trio and for me, the enjoyment is in the chase and their interactions with the local community, as well as the old-fashioned atmosphere (I stopped reading NDs when mobile phones started appearing!). The mysteries are just the background. In The Clue of the Dancing Puppet, the theatre and the puppets take centre stage and that's the fun part as both Bess and Nancy bag parts in the play.

Worth a read, but not my favourite.

[Alexis Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going through some of things when I discovered this worn out book that I read when I was in 3'rd grade. I skimmed through it and remembered it immediately. A clear thing I remember about this is that I remember my copy was from a library, but I lost it and was so freaked out. Turns out the librarian didn't even care for this book (Can you believe it?) and just ignored that I lost it, and went on with her life. Some book lover.

On to the point, I also remember this book a lot. The plot, characters, everything. It was creepier than other Nancy Drew books and I loved every moment of it. From then on I told myself I was going to read every Nancy Drew book, but turns out I only read five. Um. Fail, much? So now I'll be taking up my time to try and read this whole series, because they're still very good, a classic, and who doesn't love them? I'll be recording my process on Goodreads obviously so I can keep track of them. The five books I already read don't count. I just bought three books to add to my collection because they were all on sell today. And thus my Nancy Drew journey begins! ;)

If you'd like to keep up with my Nancy Drew reviews, just visit my page.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery! It was pretty well rounded, and things weren't quite as heavily loaded to the back half of the book as in previous installments which I really liked. It was a lot of fun, and it made me look forward to the next mystery in the series!

I recommend to fans of Nancy Drew, or those looking to get into the series, this is a solid entry!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading novels, it was the mystery novels I adored the most, especially Nancy Drew.

For some reason, the eeriness of this book stood out in my memory, and I found myself in the bookstore buying a copy of it recently.... and I still enjoyed it!

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another excellent addition to the Nancy Drew mystery book series.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Nancy Drew's. The mystery is nice and well paced. And I love how Nancy always acts with kindess. She's awesome. It was fun to read one while the same age as her. =)

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can feel free to criticize this Nancy adventure. The whole plot is centered around white bread and vanilla type things: summer stock theater, costumes, puppets, etc.

It is so fun how Nancy always gets into these mysteries intending to be "under the radar," or "Behind the scenes," but inevitably she lands herself the lead part in a play, and everyone thinks she's better than the professionally trained starlet who unfortunately lost her voice during the very same week that Nancy is in residence. Hmmm... not suspicious at all.

And it is sweet how Nancy's friend Bess, who is the one who actually WANTED to be in the theater group, is very glad for Nancy, even though it seems like Bess herself did not get a big part in the play. Bess has been "stage struck" all summer, and she has been "reducing" to fit herself into sample size costumes, I guess? No luck for Bess, but you know what, Bess keeps her envy to herself. She really does not want to get all the attention that Nancy gets, as Nancy gets attacked by giant puppets and a cannon ball is mysteriously dropped on her head.

Mechanical things, stolen jewelry, and mean people from California round out this caper!

[Merin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Putting aside the fact that a clunk on the head and a car crash happen within the first three chapters, and Nancy saves the day by taking over the role of the leading lady in a play despite zero practice and only a few hours' memorization of lines, this was a fun mystery that kept me guessing. I was perhaps a bit nonsensical in how it all came together, but I still really enjoyed my time with it. I think this might be my second-favorite of all of the books thus far.

[Jessica Petrovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one really made the theatre kid in me smile. Loved the Shakespearean actor and all the general actor drama, extremely accurate ☠️

Would have been five stars if the mystery was a little more ~~*~*dangerous*~*~ than mechanical puppets.

[ava estelle]

this book made me spiral in third grade then i wasn't allowed to read nancy drew for two years because i got so freaked out🧍🧍

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot didnt make sense and the way women were described made me feel weird :(

[Alanna Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

no notes, it's Nancy Drew

[Janet Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I wish I had a few more Nancy Drew on my book shelf ! It's so fun to read the old classic ones.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh!! I love these books!

[Linda Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so fun going back to read a book from my childhood. Nancy Drew inspired my love of mysteries.

[Gracee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Nancy Drew I've read. a little slow in the middle but good resolve.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The word "reducing" appears somewhere that the word "auditioning" or "rehearsing" should appear, like "been reducing to get a part in a play." However, it's in reference to Bess, so maybe "reducing" is the correct word. (There is some hideous fat-shaming in this book; Bess watches TV in order to skip dessert, once a dessert is substituted with a healthier one, and at another time she reaches into the fridge and grabs a jar of mayonnaise, to the immediate derision of George and Nancy.)

There's very little plot and it's all in the last two chapters. Apparently some random guys are looking for a lost puppet because it contains "a secret that will make the finder wealthy," which is, as always, a Lost Textile Process (in this instance, aluminum fuel cell technology). We also find that Nancy is a skilled actress, and the troupe she's performing with is called the Footlighters, but every time I see it I think Foo Fighters.

Nancy loses consciousness when an unknown assailant throws a cannonball at her head. Nancy, Bess, and George lose consciousness when someone rams their parked car.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently came into possession of a box of old books, most of them Nancy Drew mysteries! I have been reading them sequentially, as much as possible! While reading this volume, I noticed something I hadn't really paid attention to before! The author(s) end most of their chapters with exclamation points! I'm all for enthusiasm, but after a while, it gets really annoying!

Seriously, folks ... is there anything 18-year-old Nancy can't do? In this volume, she's not only a sleuth, but in her spare time, she becomes the lead actress of a local theater group, replacing the erstwhile star on a moment's notice.

[Alex Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shhh... Not too old to read this... It's another lovely gentle old fashioned mystery where nobody gets hurt (too badly), and it does exactly what you think it will. In some ways, it's a bit like Scooby Doo without Shaggy & Scooby and where Fred is a girl - the same wholesome image with the assurance that the baddies will be caught. One small clue - it's not Old Man Withers...

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up wanting a cute, light read that I knew I would enjoy. I've read it three or four times before, so there wasn't many surprises, but its always fun for me to re-read old favorites. Nancy Drew never fails to entertain me, and make me love her more.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Lighter on action and weirdness than most of Nancy's adventures, but offering more in the way of interpersonal drama. Not a standout, but solidly enjoyable.

[Jaksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me crazy, but I'm going to give this four stars - which is very generous of me.

A few years back I started re-reading my old Nancy Drew books. Some are original, first editions - no they're not worth very much cuz so many of the darn things were sold! - but I liked the atmosphere, the environment of those real old books. Some are going on 100 years now, written in the 1930's. There's no electricity in many of the homes. Telephones are kind of new for some people. Cars are all coupes and girls wear pumps. Yes, we still use those words but they're not really 'every day' words. In this time period, girls needed to be chaperoned, even when in their late teens or twenties. (Remember, Nancy is an upper middle-class girl; her dad Carson is a lawyer; and they have a housekeeper, Hannah Gruen.) All the stories revolve around Nancy and her two friends, Bess - who's 'plump' - and George - who's a tomboy. Nancy drives a convertible and has a boyfriend who plays a sometimes - and sometimes-not -crucial role.

In this one, he's going to arrive in an airplane at a nearby airport on a moment's notice! And just to see a play Nancy is starring in - and then he's just gonna go! Like, nice job, Nancy, and goodbye! All too often Ned Nickerson is a prop, a guy who's there when you need him but sometimes you don't need him, so goodbye, Ned!

In this particular book Nancy takes on an investigative role at a manor house which belongs to some distant cousin (or whatever) of Bess. It does seem that a large 'dancing puppet' appears from time to time on the property and boy, does this spook the current renters of the property: owners and performers in an acting troupe know as the Footlighters. They're amateurs, but pretty good.

So Nancy and Bess and George move in! Right off the bat Nancy's in trouble. She decides to scout out the place - the house, the outer buildings, including the barn which has been renovated into a kind of theater. And almost by page ten or so she's sneaking around the attic where - whoops! - a cannon ball falls on her head. (Or did someone throw it, drop it, what?) Now in a normal, non-Nancy Drew world we'd have her checked out at the local hospital, x-rays etc., but nope, she's just fine. Gets a quick check from a doctor who makes a housecall - and I remember those cuz I'm old - and she's A-OK.

This starts a series of mishaps involving other large puppets and a girl who's a snob and hates Nancy - probably cuz Nancy's smart, good-looking and has money. There's also creepy phone calls, and all kinds of secret latched doors and hidden doors and hay lofts where exciting 'clues' are found. What is going on here? Why the dancing puppet? Trying to scare people away? Or is this something more nefarious cuz we've also got a series of jewel thefts going on nearby. Also, Nancy gets in a car crash - a deliberate crash! With the other car speeding away! Wow, when Nancy finds trouble, she FINDS trouble. But there is some up-to-date forensics here and instead of the police chief telling Nancy to stay out of trouble, he starts looking for reports about other damaged cars at local garages and there's talk of paint chips and so on. (And that's a big change-up from earlier stories.)

But get a load of this: Nancy and her friends can't eat at the local posh restaurant unless they have escorts! What the heck? This story is a 'newer one,' first published in 1962, and I do not recall this kind of rule. However, I always feel that Nancy lives in the midwest, or maybe southern part of the US, and they might have had stricter rules about this in the past. (And btw, Nancy and her friends are all eighteen!)

But I like to accept the time period in which a story is written - especially if its set in that period and following all its customs even if I think they're quirky. So I give that last paragraph a hard pass. So what if she needs an escort! Anyhow, when Nancy fills in for the lead in a dramatic play - because the lead has laryngitis - you just know things are going to get wild! (The lead is the girl who doesn't like Nancy!)

But I really did enjoy this one. I know I make fun of parts, but it was a nice read. I also like to recall my ten or eleven-year old self first reading this book. It was a big deal to get a Nancy Drew book for my birthday and/or Christmas. I own about a dozen or more so there are plenty I've never read.

So for this one: four dancing stars.

[Anjali Uthpala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Drew and a mysterious puppet? That alone is enough to spark curiosity.
In The Clue of the Dancing Puppet, Nancy Drew finds herself drawn into a strange and slightly eerie mystery involving a beautiful dancing puppet, a suspicious inheritance, and secrets hidden behind smiles and performances. What begins as a simple curiosity soon turns into a dangerous puzzle where nothing is quite what it seems.
One of the strongest aspects of this book is its unique atmosphere. The puppet theme adds a creepy yet fascinating twist to the story, making this mystery stand out from many other Nancy Drew adventures. The setting feels lively, but there’s always an undercurrent of tension that keeps the reader alert.
Nancy, as always, is confident, intelligent, and fearless. She follows clues carefully, asks the right questions, and refuses to back down—even when the mystery becomes risky. Her calm thinking and sharp observation skills once again prove why she is such a timeless detective.
The pacing of the story is smooth and engaging. The mystery unfolds gradually, with enough twists to keep readers guessing without becoming confusing. Each clue feels meaningful, and the final reveal is both satisfying and clever.
Overall, The Clue of the Dancing Puppet is an enjoyable and memorable installment in the Nancy Drew series. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy classic mysteries with a touch of suspense and unusual themes. Whether you’re a longtime Nancy Drew fan or new to the series, this book offers a fun and intriguing reading experience.