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Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #53
The Sky Phantom
Nancy goes to the Excello Flying School in the Midwest to take lessons, while her friends Bess and George perfect their horseback riding. At once the young sleuth is confronted with the mystery of a hijacked plane and a missing pilot. Then the rancher's prize pony, Major, is stolen. Nancy becomes a detective in a plane and on horseback to track down the elusive sky phantom and the horse thief. A lucky find - a medal with a message to be deciphered on it - furnishes a worthwhile clue. Romance is added to mystery when Bess becomes interested in a handsome cowboy. Readers will spur Nancy on as she investigates a strange magnetic cloud, hunts for the horse thief, and finally arrives at a surprising solution.
180 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
79 people are currently reading
2325 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
985 books3,861 followersCarolyn 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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
April 6, 2016
I seem to be the only reader on Goodreads who thinks that this is a one-star read, but I really feel that The Sky Phantom is quite possibly the worst of the Nancy Drew yellow spine (the original series) novels. Usually the story centers around one premise - Nancy and her friends visiting a horse ranch, or Nancy taking flying lessons, for example. Instead, The Sky Phantom has Nancy taking flying lessons at the same time that she and her friends are vacationing at a horse ranch, and the attempt to include events at both the ranch and the flying school, not to mention details about oil prospecting, made everything feel rushed and jumbled. Characters popped in and out of the story even more quickly than usual, so their actions sometimes didn't make a whole lot of sense. Most of the time, Nancy's hunches had absolutely no basis in external clues whatsoever - usually she will have some cursory reason for her hunches. Yet her hunches always turned out to be correct. It seemed like the story itself was willed into being whatever Nancy wanted it to be. And no one seems overly concerned for the safety of the kidnapping victim, just mildly concerned that something is amiss. Not that I expect my Nancy Drew novels to be overly realistic or well written, but usually the plot and the characters make more sense then they do in The Sky Phantom.
Another Goodreads reviewer pointed out that in The Sky Phantom, Bess shows more maturity than the other girls, as she is confronted with a marriage proposal and forced to make a choice between her "friend" Dave whom she regularly dates and the young cowboy who asks for her hand. The same Goodreads reviewer also points out that this situation leads Nancy to show more empathy toward her friend than normal. But I disagree with the reviewer's overall assessment of this situation, which I think actually just adds even more noise to the already overflowing novel, as opposed to depth. Said reviewer feels that "Nancy almost shows some compassion for once." Nancy actually shows compassion fairly often, although more so for the victims of crimes, particularly elderly women and young children. In fact, while her actions in The Sky Phantom are often empathetic toward Bess while her friend is sitting in front of her weeping, Nancy doesn't give a single thought to Bess's emotional well being when she is off doing other things. I can say that Nancy gives some decent advice to Bess, showing a bit more insight into serious relationships than she does in other novels. And to her credit, Bess's cousin George actually refrains from teasing Bess about being fat while she's in the middle of her emotional crisis. But both Nancy and George display an out of sight, out of mind attitude towards Bess's very serious emotional situation. In contrast, in other novels, Nancy often considers the plight of elderly women, young children and young mothers that she has resolved to help, even when she is not in their presence. She often goes and gets groceries, helps cook meals, and does other things to assist these people, even while she is also actively trying to solve the mystery and find a longer term solution to their problems.
Nancy also usually tends to have/express more concern for the overall well-being of other people, whereas like I said earlier, in The Sky Phantom, no one seems all that concerned about the fate of the kidnapping victim, including our heroine. The pervading attitude is more like, "Oh dear, Roger has disappeared and no one has heard from him for weeks. He is such a nice young man, I hope nothing bad has happened to him. I think we should make a search for him, because we're all somewhat curious as to why he might have disappeared. It's a mystery!" So in this novel, Nancy's compassion and empathy actually seem more confined/limited to me than in most of the novels.
Because of the lack of any sort of useful clues to support most of Nancy's hunches, the jumbled and overflowing plot that tries to cram in details about both the horse ranch and the flying school, and the lack of any realistic sense of compassion or pressing anxiety for the kidnapping victim in the story, I just don't feel that The Sky Phantom matches up to mist of the rest of the yellow spine Nancy Drew novels. But hey, I learned a little bit more about flying an airplane, and now I can say that I have reread all 56 volumes of the original series as an adult. And The Sky Phantom is no worse than many of the Hardy Boys novels...
Another Goodreads reviewer pointed out that in The Sky Phantom, Bess shows more maturity than the other girls, as she is confronted with a marriage proposal and forced to make a choice between her "friend" Dave whom she regularly dates and the young cowboy who asks for her hand. The same Goodreads reviewer also points out that this situation leads Nancy to show more empathy toward her friend than normal. But I disagree with the reviewer's overall assessment of this situation, which I think actually just adds even more noise to the already overflowing novel, as opposed to depth. Said reviewer feels that "Nancy almost shows some compassion for once." Nancy actually shows compassion fairly often, although more so for the victims of crimes, particularly elderly women and young children. In fact, while her actions in The Sky Phantom are often empathetic toward Bess while her friend is sitting in front of her weeping, Nancy doesn't give a single thought to Bess's emotional well being when she is off doing other things. I can say that Nancy gives some decent advice to Bess, showing a bit more insight into serious relationships than she does in other novels. And to her credit, Bess's cousin George actually refrains from teasing Bess about being fat while she's in the middle of her emotional crisis. But both Nancy and George display an out of sight, out of mind attitude towards Bess's very serious emotional situation. In contrast, in other novels, Nancy often considers the plight of elderly women, young children and young mothers that she has resolved to help, even when she is not in their presence. She often goes and gets groceries, helps cook meals, and does other things to assist these people, even while she is also actively trying to solve the mystery and find a longer term solution to their problems.
Nancy also usually tends to have/express more concern for the overall well-being of other people, whereas like I said earlier, in The Sky Phantom, no one seems all that concerned about the fate of the kidnapping victim, including our heroine. The pervading attitude is more like, "Oh dear, Roger has disappeared and no one has heard from him for weeks. He is such a nice young man, I hope nothing bad has happened to him. I think we should make a search for him, because we're all somewhat curious as to why he might have disappeared. It's a mystery!" So in this novel, Nancy's compassion and empathy actually seem more confined/limited to me than in most of the novels.
Because of the lack of any sort of useful clues to support most of Nancy's hunches, the jumbled and overflowing plot that tries to cram in details about both the horse ranch and the flying school, and the lack of any realistic sense of compassion or pressing anxiety for the kidnapping victim in the story, I just don't feel that The Sky Phantom matches up to mist of the rest of the yellow spine Nancy Drew novels. But hey, I learned a little bit more about flying an airplane, and now I can say that I have reread all 56 volumes of the original series as an adult. And The Sky Phantom is no worse than many of the Hardy Boys novels...
October 16, 2021
Nancy's #53 adventure has both her and Ned piloting aircraft (equally well, mind you), Bess gets proposed to (and not by Dave!), everyone rides horses, and this is the first time I can remember any acknowledgement of outside world events being given a nod in the books. . . the Cold War is one of the ultimate reasons for the nefarious efforts of the bad guys.
It all happens in the Midwest, at Hamilton Ranch, where there seems to be airplanes aplenty . . .at one point, posse-like there are 7 planes surrounding the bad guy's non-communicating plane in the sky. Sounds dangerous to me. . . .
On to #54 - set to finish this series before the year's out!
It all happens in the Midwest, at Hamilton Ranch, where there seems to be airplanes aplenty . . .at one point, posse-like there are 7 planes surrounding the bad guy's non-communicating plane in the sky. Sounds dangerous to me. . . .
On to #54 - set to finish this series before the year's out!
March 14, 2024
I've read and reviewed so many of these, I don't know what I can say that I haven't already said.
Content Concerns: The usual: mild violence, scenes of peril.
Content Concerns: The usual: mild violence, scenes of peril.
February 28, 2021
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I loved the pilot/planes aspect to this!! I also really enjoyed the cowboy addition and the characters. The only thing I disliked was Bess’s silly and dramatic vacillating between Chris and Dave. I enjoyed the kidnapping angle and the whole mystery, actually.
October 25, 2020
Read The Shadow Ranch instead, because this this one is ri-donk-ulous. Nancy, Bess, and George are somewhere in the midwest... where there are mountains large enough to create a cloud... a cloud that stays in place! It NEVER moves.
Nancy is taking flying lessons while staying at this ranch where Bess and George are taking riding lessons (don't they already know how to ride?). Bess has fallen deeply in love with a cowboy who has asked her to marry him! And she's torn because she still likes Dave.
Anyway... blah blah blah... tears... guess who Bess picks.
This story kills off a horse! A poor horse! So random and sad.
Anyway, the plot is that a pilot named Roger Paine disappeared in his plane before Nancy got there. Also Major, the prize horse at the ranch, has been stolen. I don't care. I've never met the horse or the pilot. (Major is not the horse killed).
Turns out that one of the cowboys on the ranch has stolen Major and delivered him to local revolutionaries (revolutionaries in the 1970s?) so they can use Major to transport bombs and rifles to bury under the cloud. This cloud that everyone can see and is being studied by scientists!
Turns out the villain, whose name I cannot remember (you literally learn his name in the last chapter), has the initials RP, so he decides to kidnap Roger and his plane because he has Roger's initials and... you can only fly planes if you have the same initials as the pilot?
So your plan is to use the plan of kidnapped pilot that EVERYONE is looking for and a prize-winning horse owned by the local lawman to transport your secret weapons. Of course, no one is able to find Major or Roger Paine until Nancy shows up to learn flying. From a school full of pilots and planes and RADAR. She find Major fairly early in the story.
There was also something about the bad guy putting magnetic something in the cloud to fool the scientists. And then he puts something else in it so it's not magnetic. I was so confused. Also, Nancy flies into the cloud and sees images. And RP was able to do that, somehow. Because SCIENCE!
Nancy also randomly finds a cave in a hill that is covered in oil? And mice live there too. Because it would make sense for mice to live in a cave that randomly rains oil.
Of course, Ned shows up with Dave and Burt in tow. The old Ned is back, learning to fly so that Nancy isn't better at something. Yay, Ned.
But my favorite part is the end. Only Nancy can come up with the plan to use all the dang planes from the flying school to surround the cloud and force the pilot to land. They catch him... this R.P. and he refuses to talk! Luckily Ned gets into the stolen plane and find a convenient notebook FULL of ALL the details! I laughed out loud at that part. This notebook has names, dates, all the missing plot details such as who stole Major. I honestly can't remember why they're revolutionaries, that part of the plot felt way off kilter. Like it was ripped out of 1870s Texas. I think the notebook says why.
Anyway. It's weird. Go read "The Secret of Shadow Ranch" which is much, much better and actually makes sense.
Nancy is taking flying lessons while staying at this ranch where Bess and George are taking riding lessons (don't they already know how to ride?). Bess has fallen deeply in love with a cowboy who has asked her to marry him! And she's torn because she still likes Dave.
Anyway... blah blah blah... tears... guess who Bess picks.
This story kills off a horse! A poor horse! So random and sad.
Anyway, the plot is that a pilot named Roger Paine disappeared in his plane before Nancy got there. Also Major, the prize horse at the ranch, has been stolen. I don't care. I've never met the horse or the pilot. (Major is not the horse killed).
Turns out that one of the cowboys on the ranch has stolen Major and delivered him to local revolutionaries (revolutionaries in the 1970s?) so they can use Major to transport bombs and rifles to bury under the cloud. This cloud that everyone can see and is being studied by scientists!
Turns out the villain, whose name I cannot remember (you literally learn his name in the last chapter), has the initials RP, so he decides to kidnap Roger and his plane because he has Roger's initials and... you can only fly planes if you have the same initials as the pilot?
So your plan is to use the plan of kidnapped pilot that EVERYONE is looking for and a prize-winning horse owned by the local lawman to transport your secret weapons. Of course, no one is able to find Major or Roger Paine until Nancy shows up to learn flying. From a school full of pilots and planes and RADAR. She find Major fairly early in the story.
There was also something about the bad guy putting magnetic something in the cloud to fool the scientists. And then he puts something else in it so it's not magnetic. I was so confused. Also, Nancy flies into the cloud and sees images. And RP was able to do that, somehow. Because SCIENCE!
Nancy also randomly finds a cave in a hill that is covered in oil? And mice live there too. Because it would make sense for mice to live in a cave that randomly rains oil.
Of course, Ned shows up with Dave and Burt in tow. The old Ned is back, learning to fly so that Nancy isn't better at something. Yay, Ned.
But my favorite part is the end. Only Nancy can come up with the plan to use all the dang planes from the flying school to surround the cloud and force the pilot to land. They catch him... this R.P. and he refuses to talk! Luckily Ned gets into the stolen plane and find a convenient notebook FULL of ALL the details! I laughed out loud at that part. This notebook has names, dates, all the missing plot details such as who stole Major. I honestly can't remember why they're revolutionaries, that part of the plot felt way off kilter. Like it was ripped out of 1870s Texas. I think the notebook says why.
Anyway. It's weird. Go read "The Secret of Shadow Ranch" which is much, much better and actually makes sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2021
I usually really enjoy a good, nostalgic Nancy Drew mystery. I have most of the earlier volumes in the series and have read them, but I also had this one on my shelves, which I had never read before. I decided to try it out.
I don't expect anything fabulous from the series, but I expect a mystery that makes sense and has some cohesion. This book was just all over the place. You weren't even able to solve the mystery yourself with clues. The culprit at the end of the book was someone we had never met before. The writing was awkward and stilted. It felt like the author had never written a book before.
Overall, it was entertaining but just an objectively bad book. Unfortunately, it was probably one of the worst Nancy Drew books I have read. 1/5 stars.
I don't expect anything fabulous from the series, but I expect a mystery that makes sense and has some cohesion. This book was just all over the place. You weren't even able to solve the mystery yourself with clues. The culprit at the end of the book was someone we had never met before. The writing was awkward and stilted. It felt like the author had never written a book before.
Overall, it was entertaining but just an objectively bad book. Unfortunately, it was probably one of the worst Nancy Drew books I have read. 1/5 stars.
September 11, 2020
Love a book that has a dozen red herrings and the villain turns out to be... absolutely none of them. It's some random dude. Hi, random dude, thanks for popping up in literally the last chapter, if it weren't for you, something interesting may have happened.
November 19, 2014
Ranchers (though not as sexy as in book five) and piloting (Nancy is a skilled pilot, of course). A Bermuda Triangle cloud (seeded with experimental magnetic dust by some bad guys).
The mystery is all but non-existent. Some guy goes missing, and Nancy finds a trinket with a coded message on it that hints of a coming revolution. Aviation hijinks ensue (turns out Ned is as skilled a pilot as Nancy). The ending is really abrupt. Almost all the action of the whole story happens in the last chapter. It's as if the ghostwriter drug out the story until she realized "oh crap, it's chapter 20, gotta end this thing!"
A completely recycled vignette from Book 5 where an enemy puts a bur under Nancy's saddle and causes her horse to buck while she's riding it.
The first instance I've never seen where the author refers to an earlier book's events. She mentions how Nancy is wary at masquerades because she got kidnapped at an earlier one (in reference to The Clue of the Velvet Mask). Except I think it's incorrect, and it was actually George who got kidnapped while pretending to be Nancy, but who remembers pesky details, like whether Ned is selling insurance or working at a summer camp or at Emerson?
A death! Someone shoots a horse and wounds it so the rancher has to put it down. Surprising it's taken fifty-three books to get to our first murder.
A love triangle! Bess, Dave, and a hot new cowboy beau who proposes to her. Bess stays with Dave, of course.
Nobody loses consciousness, but Nancy and Ned have to gnaw their way out of burlap sacks.
The mystery is all but non-existent. Some guy goes missing, and Nancy finds a trinket with a coded message on it that hints of a coming revolution. Aviation hijinks ensue (turns out Ned is as skilled a pilot as Nancy). The ending is really abrupt. Almost all the action of the whole story happens in the last chapter. It's as if the ghostwriter drug out the story until she realized "oh crap, it's chapter 20, gotta end this thing!"
A completely recycled vignette from Book 5 where an enemy puts a bur under Nancy's saddle and causes her horse to buck while she's riding it.
The first instance I've never seen where the author refers to an earlier book's events. She mentions how Nancy is wary at masquerades because she got kidnapped at an earlier one (in reference to The Clue of the Velvet Mask). Except I think it's incorrect, and it was actually George who got kidnapped while pretending to be Nancy, but who remembers pesky details, like whether Ned is selling insurance or working at a summer camp or at Emerson?
A death! Someone shoots a horse and wounds it so the rancher has to put it down. Surprising it's taken fifty-three books to get to our first murder.
A love triangle! Bess, Dave, and a hot new cowboy beau who proposes to her. Bess stays with Dave, of course.
Nobody loses consciousness, but Nancy and Ned have to gnaw their way out of burlap sacks.
July 13, 2017
So like, this book was pretty much nonsense. I read it aloud to my daughter and she enjoyed it well enough, though she also enjoyed laughing at some of the more...stilted, archaic phrasings and assumptions - but dang. I loved Nancy Drew as a kid, and I'd like to revisit some others, because I suspect this one is just kind of wacky. But it's pretty much not really a mystery in any traditional sense, just a sort of flailing about while decoding secret messages and musing calmly as to where the kidnapping victim could be and then oh hey suddenly it's over! I appreciated the degree to which Nancy is just automatically the best at everything - no really, I know that's silly but for the target demo I think it's fine. It's not every day that we meet a series willing to assume the female protagonist is just super ultra capable and great at whatever she sets out to do. In this one, she is an excellent pilot and an experienced horseback rider, because of course she is. She's also super chill about all her near-death experiences and pretty much relaxed about her friend's relationship crisis. I don't know, I have feelings. I don't regret reading this, it was just so super weird.
September 30, 2011
Great Nancy Drew story as she hunts down hijackers... or rather skyjackers!
December 31, 2022
I enjoyed both nancy drew #52 and this one as quick, fun reads. But I did notice how often the word 'fortunately' could have been used as the plot continued. shrug.
April 21, 2023
What in the world was that?! Nancy is taking flying lessons while staying with George and Bess on some kind of dude ranch “in the Midwest.” The owner of the ranch can’t figure out how to search for his beloved stolen horse but 2/3 of the way through the book it is revealed he is also the deputy sheriff? Nancy discovers oil, but that has NOTHING to do with the plot, which centers on some kind of seeded magnetic cloud that never moves and is used as a hide out by a guy who can afford enough munitions to blow up a small country but not prop plane to deliver them to (checks notes) some holes he has dug under the cloud. The villain kidnaps a guy and steals his plane, and assumes no one will notice because they HAVE THE SAME INITIALS. Again, I ask, what the heck did I just read?!? Another review said it seemed like the author had never written a book before, but I question whether or not the author has ever READ a book before. One star for the added melodrama of Bess trying to decide if she wants to stay on the ranch to marry a cowboy she has just met or keep going steady with “her friend Dave”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2020
A lot goes on in this 1970s Nancy book. She is taking flying lessons. Also, she and her friends are living nearby at a horse ranch. Readers get to experience a horse/airplane related death-defying mystery.
Well, unfortunately, not everyone defies death. The ranchers need to put a wounded horse named Speed Boy out of his misery, because an enemy shoots him in the leg. Nancy and her friends Bess and George attempt to catch the culprits, when Bess isn't busy screaming. But since it happens in the night, the villain escapes, and the set of two young men ranchers have the job of saying bye to Speed Boy, and then burying him. How they manage to create a hole in rocky soil, big enough for a full-sized horse, in the middle of the night, is not disclosed in the plot.
Bess has a big personal problem. She has a "cowboy friend" named Chuck, who asks her to marry him. She bursts into tears on multiple occasions, because she does not want her "favorite date," named Dave, to discover her mixed feelings.
George, Bess's cousin, and by the way, George is a GIRL, which is clearly stated in each and every novel, is predictably heartless about Bess's upset. But hey, on the bright side of Bess's day, at least George is criticizing Bess for her indecision about men, rather than her usual criticism of the things that Bess is eating. What a way to be, George!
Lighthearted moments in the plot include a funny video of Nancy driving a plane in reverse on the runway, and also a costume party at the ranch.
The MYSTERY is a large cloud that is in the sky every single day, and also the cloud can change shape, to appear like animals in threatening stances. Nancy flies her plane through the cloud and almost crashes.
A weird perhaps drug-inspired moment, endured by whatever person was working on the story, occurs when Nancy explores a cave, gets trampled by mice, and then she gets soaked in crude oil and barely slides her way out of the cave alive! It's just a random part of the plot. It has nothing to do with the big MYSTERY of the cloud.
And for some reason, when Nancy gets the idea to check out the acreage of ground beneath the cloud, she is the first person to do this. What she finds is a large box clearly labeled, with proper punctuation: BOMBS!
I don't think anyone actually finds out what's in the box. I'm not joking.
Well, unfortunately, not everyone defies death. The ranchers need to put a wounded horse named Speed Boy out of his misery, because an enemy shoots him in the leg. Nancy and her friends Bess and George attempt to catch the culprits, when Bess isn't busy screaming. But since it happens in the night, the villain escapes, and the set of two young men ranchers have the job of saying bye to Speed Boy, and then burying him. How they manage to create a hole in rocky soil, big enough for a full-sized horse, in the middle of the night, is not disclosed in the plot.
Bess has a big personal problem. She has a "cowboy friend" named Chuck, who asks her to marry him. She bursts into tears on multiple occasions, because she does not want her "favorite date," named Dave, to discover her mixed feelings.
George, Bess's cousin, and by the way, George is a GIRL, which is clearly stated in each and every novel, is predictably heartless about Bess's upset. But hey, on the bright side of Bess's day, at least George is criticizing Bess for her indecision about men, rather than her usual criticism of the things that Bess is eating. What a way to be, George!
Lighthearted moments in the plot include a funny video of Nancy driving a plane in reverse on the runway, and also a costume party at the ranch.
The MYSTERY is a large cloud that is in the sky every single day, and also the cloud can change shape, to appear like animals in threatening stances. Nancy flies her plane through the cloud and almost crashes.
A weird perhaps drug-inspired moment, endured by whatever person was working on the story, occurs when Nancy explores a cave, gets trampled by mice, and then she gets soaked in crude oil and barely slides her way out of the cave alive! It's just a random part of the plot. It has nothing to do with the big MYSTERY of the cloud.
And for some reason, when Nancy gets the idea to check out the acreage of ground beneath the cloud, she is the first person to do this. What she finds is a large box clearly labeled, with proper punctuation: BOMBS!
I don't think anyone actually finds out what's in the box. I'm not joking.
October 30, 2024
SO CLOSE TO FIVE STARS 4.75 💫💫💫 If not for the super rushed ending, would have been five stars 🥲
An unexpected PLEASURE to read this one. The cover looks SO stupid, and I judged! Shame on me!
There was actual peril in this story (poor Speed Boy the horse 😭). The multiple plot lines all connected beautifully until the very end when the rush-writing-job seems to have kicked in.
Best part of this mystery was Bess’ dilemma between hot cowboy Chuck and her beloved Dave. Honestly, I was rooting for Chuck 😂.
Nancy also recalled details from her experiences in a previous mystery in order to keep herself safe, which has absolutely NEVER happened before in this entire series. That small moment really made me wish there was way more continuity between books in the series. Over arching plot lines… character development… what could have been! It would have been so cool to have a super villain that would show up in multiple books, like a Moriarty character.
And he could have been played by Andrew Scott in my fan-cast 🤴🏼
An unexpected PLEASURE to read this one. The cover looks SO stupid, and I judged! Shame on me!
There was actual peril in this story (poor Speed Boy the horse 😭). The multiple plot lines all connected beautifully until the very end when the rush-writing-job seems to have kicked in.
Best part of this mystery was Bess’ dilemma between hot cowboy Chuck and her beloved Dave. Honestly, I was rooting for Chuck 😂.
Nancy also recalled details from her experiences in a previous mystery in order to keep herself safe, which has absolutely NEVER happened before in this entire series. That small moment really made me wish there was way more continuity between books in the series. Over arching plot lines… character development… what could have been! It would have been so cool to have a super villain that would show up in multiple books, like a Moriarty character.
And he could have been played by Andrew Scott in my fan-cast 🤴🏼
May 11, 2022
This book was ridiculous in all the best ways. Once again, Ned and the boys just take off from school to fly to Nancy for one day, and Bess contemplates accepting a marriage proposal from some random dude she just met!
March 11, 2023
that was wack.
dave’s review: disjointed and uninteresting
dave’s review: disjointed and uninteresting
May 23, 2023
Wow not a very good Nancy Drew. Nothing tied together, and the bad guy was someone they had never seen before. It was so weird. Someone asks Bess to marry him and she ditches him.
October 28, 2022
I liked it because it kept me interested and it was suspenseful. For the most part it was really exciting, but the parts I didn't like were when it got a bit boring or a bit sad. However the book was still really good. Overall, I would say you should try it.
August 14, 2017
Another fun Nancy Drew mystery. This time Nancy is taking flying lessons when she discovers something wonky is going on. Nancy and friends solve another mystery, but this one isn't as good as many of the others.
December 29, 2018
Nancy, Bess and George are vacationing on a ranch in the midwest. While Bess and George aim to improve their horseback riding, Nancy is attending a nearby flight school. During one of her lessons, she and her instructor encounter a mysterious plane. When they investigate, they discover the plane belongs to a pilot that has been missing for some time. Of course, Nancy quickly begins to hunt for clues.
This was a strange one. It was oddly political. In the sense that revolutionaries are planning some kind of attack. What kind of revolutionaries? I have absolutely zero clue. All I know, Nancy and Ned uncovered a cache of bombs and guns. I’m honestly scratching my head over this mystery.
Anyway, there were two moments that made my jaw drop to the floor. The first being super depressing. One of the criminals shoots a pony in the leg. The ranch manager gives a eulogy for the pony, before putting it out of its misery. Bess was too overcome and walked away mid-eulogy. But Nancy and George, with tears streaming down their faces, watched the horse die. One of the most depressing things to happen in a Nancy Drew story.
The second moment was much more drama-filled. Bess became close to Chuck, one of the ranchers. When Ned, Burt and Dave call to tell the girls they’re planning to visit them soon, Bess panics. When George teases her, Bess inadvertently tells her and Nancy that Chuck has proposed to her (!) and wants her to stay on the ranch with him!! Well, color me shocked! Many books ago, Bess accidentally told Nancy that she doesn’t plan to marry Dave until after he graduates from Emerson. Now, she’s over here contemplating playing cowgirl to some cowboy for as long as they both shall live. The boys arrive and it’s all pretty tense. But Bess manages to get her feelings sorted out and hooray for Dave. The poor sap will never know how Bess did him dirty.
So… this book. To be honest, I was more invested in Bess’s love life than the mystery. A missing persons case becomes a weird political plot and the mastermind behind it all doesn’t appear until he’s captured. I have no idea who the guy was. He really only popped up for 2 seconds. Dude who are you??
This was a strange one. It was oddly political. In the sense that revolutionaries are planning some kind of attack. What kind of revolutionaries? I have absolutely zero clue. All I know, Nancy and Ned uncovered a cache of bombs and guns. I’m honestly scratching my head over this mystery.
Anyway, there were two moments that made my jaw drop to the floor. The first being super depressing. One of the criminals shoots a pony in the leg. The ranch manager gives a eulogy for the pony, before putting it out of its misery. Bess was too overcome and walked away mid-eulogy. But Nancy and George, with tears streaming down their faces, watched the horse die. One of the most depressing things to happen in a Nancy Drew story.
The second moment was much more drama-filled. Bess became close to Chuck, one of the ranchers. When Ned, Burt and Dave call to tell the girls they’re planning to visit them soon, Bess panics. When George teases her, Bess inadvertently tells her and Nancy that Chuck has proposed to her (!) and wants her to stay on the ranch with him!! Well, color me shocked! Many books ago, Bess accidentally told Nancy that she doesn’t plan to marry Dave until after he graduates from Emerson. Now, she’s over here contemplating playing cowgirl to some cowboy for as long as they both shall live. The boys arrive and it’s all pretty tense. But Bess manages to get her feelings sorted out and hooray for Dave. The poor sap will never know how Bess did him dirty.
So… this book. To be honest, I was more invested in Bess’s love life than the mystery. A missing persons case becomes a weird political plot and the mastermind behind it all doesn’t appear until he’s captured. I have no idea who the guy was. He really only popped up for 2 seconds. Dude who are you??
March 10, 2017
Man, I loved Nancy Drew books when I was younger, but this was not one I read back then, so I didn't even have nostalgia to really help me through it. I bought this one from a used book store a while back, unable to resist the call of the yellow cover. But this book was extremely jumbled and disorganized. The only fun part was reading out particularly stilted bits of dialogue to Micah. I kinda wanna go back and read some of the other books now, I am 99℅ sure they were better than this one...
March 19, 2014
Ok...maybe this one was better than so-so. Nancy almost showed some human compassion instead of focusing solely on solving the mystery.
For a while I thought we might lose Bess to a cowboy. Bess is probably the most mature of the girls. She is thinking about getting married, but this time it wasn't to Dave, but a cowboy she meets. Dave hasn't asked her to marry him yet;
The mystery is pretty weak. And of course Ned and the fellows have to make an appearance and ruin the girls' fun. George is also seeing a cowboy. They show up at the end so they can protect the girls and help solve the mystery. I find their appearance inconsequential except to tell girls of the day that they need a man to finish anything.
I do like reading these to see if I can figure out if it's a different writer and so I can watch the characters develop. Ned and Nancy seem to be a bit closer in this book and they actually kiss. Ned is a bit concerned about Dave possibly getting hurt if Bess dumps him. Ah the blissful youth of the early 60s.
For a while I thought we might lose Bess to a cowboy. Bess is probably the most mature of the girls. She is thinking about getting married, but this time it wasn't to Dave, but a cowboy she meets. Dave hasn't asked her to marry him yet;
The mystery is pretty weak. And of course Ned and the fellows have to make an appearance and ruin the girls' fun. George is also seeing a cowboy. They show up at the end so they can protect the girls and help solve the mystery. I find their appearance inconsequential except to tell girls of the day that they need a man to finish anything.
I do like reading these to see if I can figure out if it's a different writer and so I can watch the characters develop. Ned and Nancy seem to be a bit closer in this book and they actually kiss. Ned is a bit concerned about Dave possibly getting hurt if Bess dumps him. Ah the blissful youth of the early 60s.
December 28, 2018
As other reviews have noted, this mystery is haphazard and stretched beyond rational understanding. At most the story deserves 2 stars, BUT I was so impressed in how many different, random things the author shoed in that I had to award an additional star. Flying lessons, cowboy ranching, oil prospecting, unexpected marriage proposals, revolutionaries, cloud climatology, and run-ins with the FBI would be a hard sell in the best of circumstances. In the confines of a Nancy Drew children's mystery, it's a hopeless, unintentionally hilarious jumble.
November 23, 2021
Well.
This...
Had really no plot. This book was Nancy goes on vacation and flies planes and goes horseback riding and kinda solves a mystery but it was really lacking in a mystery.
A missing pilot, but why is he missing? Who knows?
An angry cowboy, but why is he angry? Because he's a jerk.
Bess has boy problems?
Oh, and they have to put down a horse. Yeah. RIP Speedy Boy. Yes, that is literally the horse's name.
Best line, though: George, reading an envelope: " 'To whom it concerns'. We're concerned." *proceeds to open the envelope*
This...
Had really no plot. This book was Nancy goes on vacation and flies planes and goes horseback riding and kinda solves a mystery but it was really lacking in a mystery.
A missing pilot, but why is he missing? Who knows?
An angry cowboy, but why is he angry? Because he's a jerk.
Bess has boy problems?
Oh, and they have to put down a horse. Yeah. RIP Speedy Boy. Yes, that is literally the horse's name.
Best line, though: George, reading an envelope: " 'To whom it concerns'. We're concerned." *proceeds to open the envelope*
May 24, 2014
This book was good. The flying aspect was fun and it was funny to have Bess get a little crazy when it came to boys, more so than usual. The only reason I gave it only 3 stars is because a horse gets hurt and has to be put down. I felt that that part could have been left out. If I had read this as a child it greatly would have upset me.
February 9, 2014
Nancy could have used a bit of tact when talking about the dead pony.....
I actually liked this book - it was different from the others. Maybe because it never took place in River Heights and her family was never involved. and.... horrors! the marriage word was used! ;-)
I actually liked this book - it was different from the others. Maybe because it never took place in River Heights and her family was never involved. and.... horrors! the marriage word was used! ;-)
September 5, 2024
Book: The Sky Phantom
Author: Carolyn Keene
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars
The Sky Phantom is one of the few Nancy Drew books I didn’t encounter during my childhood, and after reading it as an adult, I found it underwhelming. While Nancy’s adventures are typically engaging and filled with clever twists, this installment didn’t live up to the standards set by earlier entries in the series.
In The Sky Phantom, Nancy Drew heads to the American West to visit a ranch where she and her friends plan to enjoy horseback riding and even take flying lessons. The picturesque setting promises an exciting adventure, but as is often the case with Nancy, the mystery lurks just beneath the surface. Strange occurrences at the ranch quickly capture Nancy’s attention, including the mysterious disappearance of a young pilot and reports of a phantom in the sky. As Nancy digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets involving the ranch’s residents and local lore.
From the outset, the story felt somewhat disjointed, with various elements introduced that didn’t seem to fit together cohesively. For example, the subplot involving the young pilot’s disappearance initially seemed like it would be central to the story. Still, it was overshadowed by other random occurrences that diverted attention away from what could have been a compelling mystery. Characters were introduced with little explanation, and their motivations often remained unclear, making it difficult to feel invested in their roles within the narrative.
One particularly confusing aspect of the story was the big reveal at the end, which is usually a satisfying moment in a Nancy Drew mystery. In this case, however, the reveal felt rushed and poorly explained. For instance, the explanation behind the phantom sightings seemed implausible, and the resolution of the missing pilot subplot didn’t tie into the overall mystery satisfyingly. The storylines that had been introduced with potential for intrigue ended up feeling haphazard and disconnected, leaving me more puzzled than impressed.
One aspect of The Sky Phantom that stood out to me was its attempt to delve into more serious themes, such as the importance of personal responsibility and the consequences of one's actions. There were moments in the story where characters were faced with moral dilemmas, and these could have been explored in a way that added depth to the narrative. However, these themes were not fully developed, and the story instead focused on more superficial elements that didn’t add much to the overall mystery.
For example, a subplot involving the ranch owner’s strained relationships with other characters had the potential to explore issues of trust and redemption, but it was overshadowed by the scattered plotlines involving the phantom and the missing pilot. These deeper themes were introduced but quickly downplayed, resulting in missed opportunities to elevate the story beyond a simple mystery.
The Sky Phantom ultimately fell short of my expectations, especially compared to other books in the Nancy Drew series. The plot felt fragmented, with too many random elements that didn’t come together in a meaningful way. The big reveal, which should have been a moment of clarity and resolution, only added to the confusion. While the book did attempt to tackle more serious life questions, these moments were overshadowed by the disjointed storytelling and lack of character development.
As a result, I found The Sky Phantom to be an uninteresting read that didn’t capture the magic of Nancy Drew’s best adventures. If I had encountered this book as a child, I might have been more forgiving, but reading it as an adult, I couldn’t help but feel that it lacked the substance and coherence that make for a truly engaging mystery. For these reasons, I would rate it three out of five stars.
Author: Carolyn Keene
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars
The Sky Phantom is one of the few Nancy Drew books I didn’t encounter during my childhood, and after reading it as an adult, I found it underwhelming. While Nancy’s adventures are typically engaging and filled with clever twists, this installment didn’t live up to the standards set by earlier entries in the series.
In The Sky Phantom, Nancy Drew heads to the American West to visit a ranch where she and her friends plan to enjoy horseback riding and even take flying lessons. The picturesque setting promises an exciting adventure, but as is often the case with Nancy, the mystery lurks just beneath the surface. Strange occurrences at the ranch quickly capture Nancy’s attention, including the mysterious disappearance of a young pilot and reports of a phantom in the sky. As Nancy digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets involving the ranch’s residents and local lore.
From the outset, the story felt somewhat disjointed, with various elements introduced that didn’t seem to fit together cohesively. For example, the subplot involving the young pilot’s disappearance initially seemed like it would be central to the story. Still, it was overshadowed by other random occurrences that diverted attention away from what could have been a compelling mystery. Characters were introduced with little explanation, and their motivations often remained unclear, making it difficult to feel invested in their roles within the narrative.
One particularly confusing aspect of the story was the big reveal at the end, which is usually a satisfying moment in a Nancy Drew mystery. In this case, however, the reveal felt rushed and poorly explained. For instance, the explanation behind the phantom sightings seemed implausible, and the resolution of the missing pilot subplot didn’t tie into the overall mystery satisfyingly. The storylines that had been introduced with potential for intrigue ended up feeling haphazard and disconnected, leaving me more puzzled than impressed.
One aspect of The Sky Phantom that stood out to me was its attempt to delve into more serious themes, such as the importance of personal responsibility and the consequences of one's actions. There were moments in the story where characters were faced with moral dilemmas, and these could have been explored in a way that added depth to the narrative. However, these themes were not fully developed, and the story instead focused on more superficial elements that didn’t add much to the overall mystery.
For example, a subplot involving the ranch owner’s strained relationships with other characters had the potential to explore issues of trust and redemption, but it was overshadowed by the scattered plotlines involving the phantom and the missing pilot. These deeper themes were introduced but quickly downplayed, resulting in missed opportunities to elevate the story beyond a simple mystery.
The Sky Phantom ultimately fell short of my expectations, especially compared to other books in the Nancy Drew series. The plot felt fragmented, with too many random elements that didn’t come together in a meaningful way. The big reveal, which should have been a moment of clarity and resolution, only added to the confusion. While the book did attempt to tackle more serious life questions, these moments were overshadowed by the disjointed storytelling and lack of character development.
As a result, I found The Sky Phantom to be an uninteresting read that didn’t capture the magic of Nancy Drew’s best adventures. If I had encountered this book as a child, I might have been more forgiving, but reading it as an adult, I couldn’t help but feel that it lacked the substance and coherence that make for a truly engaging mystery. For these reasons, I would rate it three out of five stars.
July 13, 2018
Classic. That's all I have to say. 5/5 stars. This book has been staring at me on my shelf for a while, and I decided it's time to marathon some Nancy Drew books. Although this was not my top/favorite Nancy Drew book ever, the plot was still amazingly solid and the action was incredible! This however is one of the more violent and tragic books from the series, as a horse is shot in the leg and dies, and Nancy is shot at while out riding!
Nancy Drew is taking airplane flying lessons from Excello to improve her piloting skills, and one day notices a cloud that seems to be magnetic! She is staying at Pop Hamilton's ranch, with Bess and George, and hears talented pilot Roger Paine has disappeared! Nancy and her friends search for clues, avoid mean cowboy Ben Rall, go on pony rides with cowboys Range and Chuck, and even uncover a hidden message depicting "Revolutionary Bomb Site, Under Great Cloud!" Turns out, Roger Paine was kidnapped by a gang and his plane was being used to manipulate the magnetic cloud! How dangerous! The villains are captured in the end, and Nancy and her friends are happy to have solved the mystery.
Nancy Drew is taking airplane flying lessons from Excello to improve her piloting skills, and one day notices a cloud that seems to be magnetic! She is staying at Pop Hamilton's ranch, with Bess and George, and hears talented pilot Roger Paine has disappeared! Nancy and her friends search for clues, avoid mean cowboy Ben Rall, go on pony rides with cowboys Range and Chuck, and even uncover a hidden message depicting "Revolutionary Bomb Site, Under Great Cloud!" Turns out, Roger Paine was kidnapped by a gang and his plane was being used to manipulate the magnetic cloud! How dangerous! The villains are captured in the end, and Nancy and her friends are happy to have solved the mystery.
February 16, 2024
I haven't read Nancy Drew yet and my library only had copies that were later on in the series, so i thought i'd try one. The writing is a bit rushed and convoluted, but the character descriptions were great. It seems Carolyn Keene was more focused on the characters and their feelings about different events (learning to fly, reactions to the ponies, Bess' choice between Chuck and Dave) rather than the mystery. The mystery was more intermittently intertwined. The one disappointment is that the culprit turns out to be someone not introduced into the story til he is revealed. I'm not a fan of mysteries like that, but the writing of this book definetly fleshed out the characters well. I'm up for reading the next one, Strange message in the parchment.
March 18, 2025
bess was going THROUGH it in this one. i can’t even be academic right now, i feel very passionate about this so im going to swear violently. WHAT THE FUCK WAS EVERYONE ON IN THIS ONE BRO. nancy was the only one somewhat sane????? bess! george! just say you have fucking boyfriends!! range, chuck! stop flirting with girls who have boyfriends!!! ned why the FUCK did you learn to fly a plane when it was nancy’s big moment. Pop Hamilton, pay attention to your fucking employees?? this wasn’t a drew book it was a damn telenovela. the sky phantom wasn’t even relevant, we only had a couple flying lessons! the bombs were underground!! the villain was some random guy!! this book, despite my statements, was obviously engaging enough for me to go on this rant, so that’s a solid theee stars. i just had the fucking time of my life with this filler episode.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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