The Make-Believe Mystery

Nancy Drew: Notebooks #36

by Carolyn Keene

Nancy and her friends put their best work into writing a mystery for a class project, and when someone steals their notebook, Nancy is determined to solve the case.

Genres: Mystery

80 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for what it was, but not quite the famed sleuth as I've come to expect her.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Nancy, Bess, George, and classmate Phoebe Archer team up to write a mystery for class assignment, they decide to write about the ghost of Carl Sandburg. Each member of the team must write a section in a special notebook. But when it's Phoebe's turn to write the ending, the notebook disappears from her book bag.

[Dominique Aguilera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the only Nancy Drew book I've ever read, and this was back in elementary school!
Nevertheless, I loved it. The story's simple, suspenseful, and the ending with the reveal left me wide-eyed.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for kids. I read this book when I was young and I loved it a lot then! :)