The Scarytales Sleepover

Nancy Drew: Notebooks #50

by Carolyn Keene, Jan Naimo Jones (Illustrator)

THRILLS AND CHILLS -- THIS IS GOING TO BE THE COOLEST BIRTHDAY EVER! Adventure is brewing at Scarytales, a creepy old house where story, book villains like the Big Bad Wolf, Captain Hook, and the mean stepsisters from "Cinderella" come to life. So when Nancy, Bess, George, Katie Zaleski, and her parrot, Lester, go to their friend Amara's Scarytales sleepover party, they're sure to have a great time. But the fun really turns scary when strange things start to happen and Lester disappears from his cage. Even the villains of Scarytales are spooked! Could the troublemaker be Amara's pesky little cousin Ernest, the grouchy troll with a plan tip his sleeve, or the wicked witch who threatens to pop Lester into her bubbling brew? Can Nancy solve this creepy case before Amara's birthday is ruined?

Genres: Mystery, Childrens

80 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS GOING TO BE THE
COOLEST BIRTHDAY EVER! Adventure is brewing at Scarytales, a creepy old house where story, book villains like the Big Bad Wolf, Captain Hook, and the mean stepsisters from "Cinderella" come to life. So when Nancy, Bess, George, Katie Zaleski, and her parrot, Lester, go to their friend Amara's Scarytales sleepover party, they're sure to have a great time.

But the fun really turns scary when strange things start to happen and Lester disappears from his cage. Even the villains of Scarytales are spooked! Could the troublemaker be Amara's pesky little cousin Ernest, the grouchy troll with a plan tip his sleeve, or the wicked witch who threatens to pop Lester into her bubbling brew? Can Nancy solve this creepy case before Amara's birthday is ruined?

[Jan Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a banger sleep over. Quite an expensive outlay for an entire Cadre of fairy tale villains on staff.

[Seema M. Fazil · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Nancy Drew Notebook, loved it!
Kept me guessing till the end.
:)