The Girl Sleuth: On the Trail of Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, and Cherry Ames

by Bobbie Ann Mason

The Girl Sleuth is a book for anyone who fondly recalls her late-night adventures inside a bedspread cave with a flashlight, a handful of snitched cookies, and a savvy heroine who has just two chapters left in which to decode the message, find the jewels, unmask the impostor, and then catch the next express to the big city.

In this long-out-of-print work, which was first published in 1975, Bobbie Ann Mason examines the girl detective in her various guises through a combination of childhood reminiscences and insights as a fiction writer and observer of American popular culture. Mason ranges in her coverage from the Bobbsey Twins to the glamorous career-girl detectives Vicki Barr, Cherry Ames, and Beverly Gray to her own adolescent favorites―Judy Bolton, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden, a farm girl like herself. Mason's personal recollections of a rural youth spent longing for mysteries to solve represent a quintessential American girlhood experience.

Mason reveals Nancy Drew ("as cool as Mata Hari and as sweet as Betty Crocker") to be a paradoxical on the one hand a model of independence and courage; on the other, a lady, eternally feminine and firmly devoted to the preservation of middle-class values. The girl sleuths "thrilled us and contented us at the same time," the author writes. Holding up Nancy Drew as a model of "the conventional and the revolutionary in one compact package," Mason shows how the series heroines encouraged young readers to "dream big" and stay open to life's possibilities, dished up antidotes to spoon-fed notions of traditional femininity, and amiably subverted the literary snobbery of child experts, librarians, and book reviewers.

Everyone who grew up reading mystery books will enjoy Bobbie Ann Mason's witty, sometimes nostalgic, observations on popular culture, childhood, and the pleasures of reading and writing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Mystery, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Bobbie Ann Mason has won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her books include In Country and Feather Crowns. She lives in Kentucky.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1975 this slim and readable book is a good, albeit limited, introduction to the most popular American girls' series books of the first half of the 20th century. Various chapters focus on the Honey Bunch series, Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, and Trixie Beldon. A few others including Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, Beverly Grey are lumped together in one chapter. Even though the focus here is on mysteries, which are not my cup of tea, I am fond of this book because it was one of the first I read that showed me that books like these could be examined in a meaningful way, and because Mason (now much better known as a novelist) writes engagingly about how much the books meant to her as a child.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobbie Ann Mason's book on Girl Sleuths crystallized for me why I loved Trixie Belden and why Nancy Drew left me kind of cold. Any girl that grew up on these series books will find a lot to love and relate to in this volume. As well as very illuminating, it is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny. You will find yourself cringing and shaking your head in wonder at some of the excerpts from the unrevised versions of the stories from the '30s and '40s. If only I had been introduced to Judy Bolton instead of Nancy Drew! Where was she? Did my library even have her? Did I just overlook her? It's a mystery, but I am sad for my younger self for being deprived of her adventures when I really would have just gobbled them up and waited in suspense for the next one. Well, this book has made me think maybe it's not too late...I'm bidding on a lot offered on eBay today!

https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pointed out some aspects of Nancy Drew I would never have thought of (the connection between sex and mysteries, mostly). Interesting but short.

[LuAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does the author like these books? It's hard to tell because she deprecates so much about them. I realize that she can like them as a child and see all the flaws as an adult, but I didn't enjoy her contemptuous tone relieved only occasionally with notes of fondness. There are valid criticisms of the racism, sexism and privilege present in the series covered, but I think some reads too much into them and the rather Freudian reading of Nancy Drew is more reflective of the decade when this was written than of the series themselves.

The author fails to recognize that Nancy Drew pursuing both adventure and domesticity is not only not contradictory (p 60) but is actually a bedrock element of the most popular detective series in the world--Sherlock Holmes! I posit that the contrast between the domestic atmosphere of Holmes' and Watson's 221B lodgings, mainly their sitting room, and the foggy streets and back alleys of London and those remote country estates that Holmes finds even more conducive to danger, is a large part of the appeal, a view also held by many Sherlockians. Like Nancy, and other detectives, the dangers without 221B sometimes intrude on the domesticity within. Also like Nancy and chums, meals and trips to concerts often provide a break from detecting or a venue for meditation on Holmes' part.

While Judy Bolton (I read as an adult) may have more elements of realism, as I often note in my reviews of those mysteries, the gaps in the flow of conversations, events and Judy's logic are jarring and the mysteries tend to be more mundane than I think I would have liked as a kid. Trixie Belden (which I read as a child) also contains more realism, like Trixie's whining, was irritating to me both then and now and the repetitive emphasis on wealth and lack thereof is also tedious.

I haven't read the other series she covers other than one Cherry Ames and a few Connie Blair, so I don't have specific comments about those sections except to say that the original texts of the Bobbsey Twins seem to contain many troubling elements. I enjoyed the author's recounting of her experiences of the mysteries as a child and the summaries of the mysteries she wrote then.

While not high literature (whatever that encompasses), series like these are an smooth gateway to a lifetime of reading and a fun gateway to nostalgia.

[DocNora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nostalgia driven impulse buy off ebay.. Stuck at home with a nasty cold which left me without a voice, I read this as soon as unpacked and finished in a late night setting and early Sunday morning session. I don't do reviews with spoilers and the awarding of stars is rather arbitrary and very subjective... For me, tentatively a 3.5 rather than a 4, because sex shouldn't come into a children's book, time enough for that.
I grew up reading Nancy drew (all time favourite) in the 1980's, a few Hardy boys, some Bobbsey twins( few because they were hard to get hold of in Sri Lanka, even in my Aladdin 's cave of a second hand book store which was packed to the rafters with all kinds of vintage books).
Also read Enid Blyton's famous five, Mallory Towers, Naughtiest girl and other school stories. At first I bought new updated for the 80's Nancy's & famous fives from high Street book sellers before stumbling on a vintage blue Nancy hardback & Red Ff hardbacks in granny's modest library, which made me long for the 1930's versions!
Agreed with author 's assessment of the insidious racism and misogyny in the ND and Bobbsey books but aged 10-15 I was also reading Shakespeare's plays (starting with Lamb's tales for children which made me want to tackle the 'complete works ', which I did almost finish. The merchant of Venice left a deep impression with the 'quality of mercy 'speech still resonating in the back of my mind to this day. That was my first real induction to any cultural, racial, socio economic prejudices that might exist in this world. I also read Chesterfield 's letters to his son, which encouraged kindness and consideration for all. Also my parents never turned away anyone who begged for for food or money at our door or on the streets(this was Ceylon after all). They always gave generously and I never heard them criticise these poor unfortunate beings.

Perhaps because I read so many different genres, although I longed to be like Nancy ( even used Nancy as my middle name for a number of years) my overall impression of her was that she was kind, cosmopolitan, intelligent, a force for good and managed to get in and out of scrapes while looking put together (something my granny and mother always were) elegant and charming( hubby once said everyone at Cambridge was actually the full package :Good looks coupled with brains, so it's not some phantom ideal).
So while I identified also with George of the Famous Five( probably more than Nancy), in school I went onto be junior Prefect and head Girl later possibly because of what I read?? I tried to be considerate of others and 'look after' people.
Everyone commented on how I was a 'little lady' and often asked if we had just come down from England! I think it was the unconscious influence of kind, responsible well behaved kids in my books.

As to the authors perception that these books limited their female protagonists to traditionally feminine professions like nursing, stewarding etc.. My perceptions were very different!
I felt Nancy respected, appreciated and valued diversity and from wanting to be a private detective I ended up studying medicine and very soon found a berth in Emergency medicine, a field that makes one feel Holmesian, like a sort of medical detective. Reflecting on my tenacity as an investigator and diagnostician I now think the seeds were sown in my childhood, with a generous helping of House MD ofcourse !

Anyway, came the era of eBay and a permanent home in the UK and I quickly built up my own library bursting at the seams, and yes like the author I have a special wall of shelves ( not a secret shelf like the author)dedicated to a complete collection of the Vintage Chalet school books, Enid Blytons, vintage puffins(a wonderful series of children's books with character and depth,different to Stratemeyer's formulaic approach to publishing) Vintage Famous five(only the original 21 books), Just william books, Cynthia Harnett, Green Knowe series, Mary Poppins( aware getting the genres all mixed up but as I said, I read a wide variety), Noel Streatfeild, Anne of Green Gables series, Betsey Tacey books, the whole Lm Alcott series including lesser known books by her, Else J Oxenham ( with vintage slip covers, oh the joy!), Jane Shaw books, A few Vicki Barrs, Cherry Ameses, 6 vintage Bobbsey twins I could get hold of in England ( postage is so punitive from the US!)and ofcourse the yellow penguin Putnam Nancy Drew's and a few vintage blue hardbacks, all of which fill me with a sense of softness and security; a sort of ever present hey day of childhood; a rather happy place to live.

From time to time I will reread these and If I seldom feel stressed at work I attribute that not just to experience which brings some security, although one can never be sure what comes through the doors at any given moment, especially in a major trauma centre....but to what I am reading at home providing a rosy backdrop and enveloping us in a bubble into which the outside world never quite encroaches.

In answer to the author 's claims that the Bobbseys and ND are over sanitised, I say you can't have too much of a good thing, especially when nearly every TV program features sex, violence and worse profanity .. also I'm unpleasantly impressed by the number of kids with a knowledge of swear words (I still don't know the meaning of some, and refuse to my fill my brain with garbage linguistic or otherwise) on the few shifts I cover in the children's Emergency Department.

I remember starting a Nancy drew society at school with my best friends and I don't ever remember anyone swearing or having tantrums. We weren't all goody two shoes and we did get into innocent scrapes and prank people etc..i remember cutting home science classes and telling the teacher later that I didn't need to learn to cook because I wasn't going to marry or 'settle down'.
I was 36 when I met my hubby and warned him I wasn't a 'conventional woman'( happily he was in my line of work, happily also unconventional and very kind) despite appearances and a liking for dainty sandwiches, afternoon tea and picnics ( which is what we have in lieu of a meal whenever we do go out) and by then I had realised the single life-king-of-my-castle thing was over rated. Weekend walks in country houses was much nicer hand in hand...everything became more cosy...

And I have been learning to cook now for years.

Coming back to the book,a fundamental innocence has been lost which we need to regain. One needs an emotional fortress in these uncertain times. A steady diet of these books may just be the answer.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, some Trixie Belden love! Everybody talks about Nancy Drew, Nancy Drew, Nancy Drew, and although I read my fair share of Nancys, I vastly preferred Trix. Nancy never seemed human to me in the least. This book is an overview of the books the author grew up with, some of them, like Honey Bunch and Judy Bolton, I had never read. Or heard of. (Imagine my surprise when I, in cleaning out the garage, discovered this book in a box of unread books, along with....a Judy Bolton book I had bought at an antique mall that closed probably 15 years ago! I had no idea I had it!) It was very interesting to read the excerpts of original versions of Nancy Drew and The Bobbsey Twins, which I read when I was very young, and see the bizarre racism in them. I have some original 1920s Bobbsey books, I'm curious to read them now. But then I just reread a couple of my Trixie Beldens written in the early 60s and I was a little startled at how dated (mildly racist, very sexist) they were....

And sorry, but I could never do Cherry Ames. My mother bought me the first two books of the series and I tried and failed many times to get through them. She didn't mention Cherry enough to make me want to revisit her.

[eRin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason discusses girl detective serials and how they affected her as well as reflect society's views in Girl Sleuth. Delving into Nancy Drew (the most famous of all girl detectives), the Bobbsey Twins, Judy Bolton, Honey Bunch, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, and others; Mason observes the good and the bad of these young heroines. She examines the snobbery and racism that frequently appear in the books, the fear of the young women, their bravery and fearlessness, as well as the feminism displayed throughout.

I liked this one. Easy-to-read theory is always good in my book, and this topic really interested me. Mason introduced me to many girl detectives I didn't know existed previously. I've always been a big fan of Nancy Drew, and still love to read those books today as they, in their predictable format, are so comforting. Even though I'm now an adult, I look forward to reading about the adventures of other girl detectives, especially Judy Bolton.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Nancy Drew -- or any of the girl detectives -- you can skip this one. I cannot understand why the author spent so much time on something she regards with almost utter contempt.

This book is little more than a laundry list of everything that was wrong with Nancy Drew and her contemporaries. Yes, when viewed in today's light, these stories are sexist and racist. Like today's literature, they are a product of their times.

But if a young girl found a few hours of escape with Nancy Drew during the Depression, isn't that worth something? Ms. Mason looks only through the lens of early 1970s overt feminism -- of course Nancy Drew is going to come up short. But that's not the only way to view these stories.

We all want a little escape every once in a while. And not every story needs to contain perfect female role models. Sometimes a story is just a story.

[Joan Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which has a new foreward, was written while Mason worked on her dissertation. She remembers being influenced by the series books such as The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and her numerous successors, Judy Bolton, who Mason admired more than others, Cherry Ames, Beverly Gray et al. The series books were sexist and racist reflecting the 20’s and 30’s in which they originated. Most of the Nancy Drews, which still survive as a series, have been revised to eliminate those aspects and to modernize others such as substituting plane travel for trains and convertibles for roadsters. As a child who read Nancy Drew, I liked the settings more than the characters. The settings were mostly exotic with hidden jewels, dolls that had the secret of youth, treasure maps and whispering statues. Judy Bolton seemed ordinary in comparison and none of the others gripped my imagination. I was more a devotee of the Collie books of Alfred Payson Terhune and the Black Stallion series.
Mason correctly spots the sexist orientation of the girl detective series—while the girls were given plenty of independence, they were reliant on helpful dads and boyfriends to rescue them. Mothers were invisible or dead. Servants were dreadful stereotypes of the Aunt Jemima variety. Criminals were swarthy gypsies or clairvoyant con artists. The page-turning writing style devised by the syndicate owner Stratemeyer was successful in selling thousands, if not millions, of the latest Nancy Drew to eager pre-teens.

[Karry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine little book that brought back memories of my early days of reading when I doted on Nancy Drew and other such books. It is non-fiction but not heavy reading, and it is meant for those of us who read these books when they were pretty young, but that set us up to read mysteries and thrillers in our later years. I enjoyed it.

[Tallulah Bankhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful and funny book for anyone who ever read has ever indulged in Nancy Drew stories. Make sure you read the first edition though. Some brute went over the second edition and edited away loads of the funniest pieces.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mason has been on my radar since In Country, so I was excited to see that she had opined on a most-worthy topic, Nancy Drew. However, it is her published thesis and as such, reads as an academic paper. There were interesting points, but it never overcame its origins.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bobbie Ann Mason’s The Girl Sleuth accurately compiles the vim and vigor of what attracted so many adolescent girls to reach for dreams of mystery, adventure, and mostly-acceptable rebellion through the consumption of detective-series books. Following all the major players – Honey Bunch, The Bobbsey Twins, Judy Bolton, Trixie Belden, Beverly Gray, Cherry Ames, Vicki Barr, Connie Blair, The Danas, and, of course, Nancy Drew - through the rise and descent of popularity allows the reader to set sleuth next to glamour girl and ponder the original messages many of these “career” women projected onto a – still - stilted landscape. Mason’s assertion that feminism and psychological impact go hand in hand for any young girl who pored her youth between series pages isn’t fully realized, though would certainly make for an interesting next volume, focused less on the rolls of the characters and more on the specific echo created in the lives of their followers.

[Hannah]

Grawr! Goodreads deleted my original review. I'll see if I can recreate it.

This was a great read. It's academic without being overwrought or having twice as many pages as it needs, and it also acknowledges the slight irony of writing such a text on topic so outside of academia. Given that it was written at the height of second wave feminism, it doesn't take an essentialist view, which I appreciated. It does point out relevant issues of race and class when appropriate. In addition to just being a fun and thought provoking read, I think this would make an excellent example of how reader response is not just a valid area of literary criticism, but also how it works as a strong frame for using other lenses, like Marxist and feminist analysis.

[Sarah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of an extended essay/meditation on girl detective books and the experience of the author having read them as a child. Mason does a good job of teasing out the subtext of these books and what messages they may contain for readers about roles for women in society. (I read many Nancy Drew books as a child, but I most definitely did not engage with them on the level that Mason did, since I can't remember a single one.)

[Carolyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love those old ghost-written mysteries. I remember at a summer camp, reorganizing their "library" and finding Cherry Ames! There were a lot of those old books, and I was so sad I had to spend time going places instead of staying and reading. This is a great book about the authors behind the works.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way the book, itself, was written did not impress me as I felt the writer jumped from one topic to the next; the writing style just left me bewildered half the time. However, I definitely liked the context of the book.

[jen8998 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judging books from the 30s and 40s by modern standards doesn't seem quite fair but this author does it anyway. Still, she really likes Trixie Belden (one of my favorites) so it's all forgiven.

[Sherah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is slightly dated having been written from a 1970s feminist perspective, but there is so little critical material on girls' series books that it remains an important text.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved girl detectives, you will like this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and nostalgic.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I've re read it several times. She clearly has fond memories but does an honest review of the books.

[Beth Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because a)Bobbie Ann Mason and b)she talks about Trixie Belden, my absolute favorite girl sleuth.

[Jasmin Chua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explicated beautifully, but it seems like the author has only just skimmed the surface.