What do you think?
Rate this book
Nancy Drew: Notebooks #39
The Chinese New Year Mystery
WHAT'S CHINESE NEW YEAR WITHOUT A DRAGON?
The third-grade classes at Nancy's school are learning about Chinese culture, and they'll celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special parade. The highlight of the parade will be a dragon costume. Nancy's class is making it out of feathers, sequins, gold tassels, and red silk. But right before the big day, the dragon disappears!
Nancy, Bess, and George are in the New Year's spirit. They've enjoyed a delicious feast at the home of their classmate Mari Cheng. She's even lent the girls special Chinese outfits to wear. But without the dragon, there will be no parade. And that makes Nancy roaring mad!
The third-grade classes at Nancy's school are learning about Chinese culture, and they'll celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special parade. The highlight of the parade will be a dragon costume. Nancy's class is making it out of feathers, sequins, gold tassels, and red silk. But right before the big day, the dragon disappears!
Nancy, Bess, and George are in the New Year's spirit. They've enjoyed a delicious feast at the home of their classmate Mari Cheng. She's even lent the girls special Chinese outfits to wear. But without the dragon, there will be no parade. And that makes Nancy roaring mad!
80 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
6 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,073 books3,937 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 14, 2024
It was so much fun to dive into a Nancy Drew after AGES. Best hour spent this weekend.
So nice to see that a book involving Chinese culture was tastefully done and hasn't aged badly.
So nice to see that a book involving Chinese culture was tastefully done and hasn't aged badly.
June 4, 2017
WHAT'S CHINESE NEW YEAR WITHOUT A DRAGON?
The third-grade classes at Nancy's school are learning about Chinese culture, and they'll celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special parade. The highlight of the parade will be a dragon costume. Nancy's class is making it out of feathers, sequins, gold tassels, and red silk. But right before the big day, the dragon disappears!
Nancy, Bess, and George are in the New Year's spirit. They've enjoyed a delicious feast at the home of their classmate Mari Cheng. She's even lent the girls special Chinese outfits to wear. But without the dragon, there will be no parade. And that makes Nancy roaring mad!
The third-grade classes at Nancy's school are learning about Chinese culture, and they'll celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special parade. The highlight of the parade will be a dragon costume. Nancy's class is making it out of feathers, sequins, gold tassels, and red silk. But right before the big day, the dragon disappears!
Nancy, Bess, and George are in the New Year's spirit. They've enjoyed a delicious feast at the home of their classmate Mari Cheng. She's even lent the girls special Chinese outfits to wear. But without the dragon, there will be no parade. And that makes Nancy roaring mad!
March 17, 2026
3.5 stars. This was a fun read, especially after reading so many of the young Nancy Drew books. This one is about a Chinese New Year celebration in school. The girls' class was responsible for creating the dragon and then it goes missing. We try to figure out whodunnit and why and then it all works out. Sweet, quick story.
August 26, 2020
It's a book for third graders, it what it is. Enjoyable!
January 18, 2016
This is the 39th book in the Nancy Drew Notebooks series. Nancy is 8 and is in the third grade along with George and Bess. There are also a couple of Oriental students in the class, one of whom is Mari Cheng. The class has been studying Chinese culture for a month and they are going to have a parade using a student-made dragon.
The class Nancy is in makes a dragon's head for the costume and, in true mystery fashion, the head disappears. There are a number of suspects including a student that is made since he wasn't chosen to carry the head in the parade, a girl that says the Chinese New Year concept is stupid, and some girls from another class that are angry since their class didn't get to make the dragon head.
Nancy visits the homes of the suspects and the homes of the two Orientals in class. One of the families has a very nasty cousin named Vincent who is a total obnoxious brat.
'Pudding Pie' is Mr. Drew's special name for Nancy.
Nancy, George and Bess gather clues to the disappearance and are able to solve the crime and the entire school enjoys the parade.
It's a pretty good book for younger readers although, in this day and age with proficiency tests going to all levels of schools, I don't see where an elementary school could devote a full month to the study of anyone's culture.
The class Nancy is in makes a dragon's head for the costume and, in true mystery fashion, the head disappears. There are a number of suspects including a student that is made since he wasn't chosen to carry the head in the parade, a girl that says the Chinese New Year concept is stupid, and some girls from another class that are angry since their class didn't get to make the dragon head.
Nancy visits the homes of the suspects and the homes of the two Orientals in class. One of the families has a very nasty cousin named Vincent who is a total obnoxious brat.
'Pudding Pie' is Mr. Drew's special name for Nancy.
Nancy, George and Bess gather clues to the disappearance and are able to solve the crime and the entire school enjoys the parade.
It's a pretty good book for younger readers although, in this day and age with proficiency tests going to all levels of schools, I don't see where an elementary school could devote a full month to the study of anyone's culture.
April 5, 2011
Nothing can be as bad as this. Oops! My fault, I forgot about Circus scare and Fashion Disaster (Nancy Drew Clue crew)
March 17, 2013
cool dragon
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews