Lights! Camera! Clues!

Nancy Drew: Notebooks #29

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew and her friends are excited about being selected as extras for the movie starring nine-year-old actress Lucy Webb that is being filmed in River Heights, until they find themselves turning sleuth to investigate the kidnapping of Lucy's pet turtle, Harry. Original.

Genres: Childrens, Mystery

80 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Ananya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating-3.5
I liked this a lot as well. I think her writing is better with each book. However the story felt kind of weird. Like this one didn't feel as solid of a mystery like others.
I liked the setting and the basic idea the most.

[Viola Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute and light and fun! No extreme scenarios or scary situations. Perfect for my 8-year-old to try out the mystery genre.

Full Review: https://momsmusings.substack.com/p/mg...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a detective,not an actor, so who would think I'd be involved in a crime both offscreen and on? A producer has come to River Heights to film a reenactment of the heist that gave our town it's name, and he thinks I'm perfect for the part of Esther, the sister of the thieving Rackham boys. So I figure, why not give it a try? But once the cameras start rolling, the trouble begins. Food poisoning. Broken generators. And worse! If I don't sniff out some suspects soon, this might be my final act.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title can catch all the kids out there who are movie fans. If the title can't do the job, the cover page surely can attract all little girls over there. If these won't help, the mystery inside it surely can!

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 43738 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.8 - AR Pts: 1.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP