Thanksgiving Thief

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew #16

by Carolyn Keene, Macky Pamintuan (Illustrator)

Wild turkeys are running loose in River Heights! Can the Clue Crew round them up before they ruin the Thanksgiving feast?

River Heights Elementary School is having a Thanksgiving pageant, and Nancy, Bess, and George want to dress up as Native Americans! But when the town starts preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, the girls end up smelling a mystery instead of turkey. As Thanksgiving food around town starts to disappear, the Clue Crew realizes that someone is trying to destroy the holiday! Can the Crew catch these birdbrained bandits? Or will Thanksgiving dinner be a recipe for disaster?

Genres: Mystery, Thanksgiving, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Novels

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

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 In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.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

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute Clue Crew mystery this time with absurdly silly culprits. The girls work hard to solve the mystery of the Thanksgiving Thief to avert the holiday being ruined in River Heights. There was a warm and kind relationship between the girls, Nancy, Bess, George, and Mary. And, our Clue Crew learn a bit about Native American culture and wildlife conservation. Overall, a cute mystery story accompanied with illustrations (even with the ebook) and a delightful craft project.

[Cosette · Rating 3 out of 5]

...interesting take on thanksgiving traditions

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great, if you like cultural appropriation. I know this is from more than 10 years ago, but yeesh...there's even a red flag in the summary on the back, the first sentence!: "River Heights Elementary School is having a Thanskgiving pageant, and Nancy, Bess, and George want to dress up as Native Americans!" Then, as another reviewer mentioned, the author tries to make it ok by writing that the girls' teacher asked their Native American friend and classmate to be a Native American princess in the play, and to choose three other classmates to do so, too.

Text goes on to include mention of headbands that "were worn by real Native American princesses in a tribal ceremony in Oklahoma last year" (p. 4) While I'm not American Indian, a quick Google search reveals that "Native American princesses" might not even be a thing - just "princess" titles gained by young American Indian women through tribe-specific pageants from which they become representatives and ambassadors for their tribe. So unless this is a reference to a gathering and ceremony of several of these tribal princesses, I'm not sure about it's validity. The character Mary White Cloud does mention her mother was in several Native American pageants across the country, but it's still unclear. What is cringeworthy is that Mary says her mom can help the girls with their pageant lines as Native Americans because of this experience - "She knows how we should act" (p. 24). This really seems to reject how American Indian is a culturual identity/state of being, not something that can be acted out.

Lastly, not that there isn't even more to say, as the girls finish donning their "costumes" (another note here about culture not being a costume) before going on stage, Mary says "I am now going to peform the feather ritual. I will put one feather at the back of each headband" (p. 79). Nothing additional is explained after that, but what a way to reduce the sacredness of such ritual, if it exists. Then, the book ends with "Then, on cue, the four Native American princesses walked out onto the stage, where they were welcomed by the Pilgrims" (p. 80). *Insert facepalm here for whitewashed history*

[Brina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight year old Nancy Drew and her friends Bess and George are back in another clue crew case. We even meet nine year old Ned, noting that Nancy and Ned have pretty much known each other for their entire lives. The River Heights Thanksgiving Pageant is in danger because someone keeps stealing all the food to be used at the feast, including the pumpkin purée that half of River Heights uses to make their pumpkin pies. Pumpkin pie is my favorite part of the thanksgiving feast, too, so this thief has got to be stopped, and the clue crew is on it. The case wraps up neatly in eighty pages, including illustrations, so there are about seventy pages of reading, perfect for younger readers just starting to read chapter books. Nancy Drew had to have gotten her start somewhere, and so do her readers, so this series is a perfect edition to start them young. I will read every thanksgiving book out there, but these books featuring a young Nancy Drew and friends are just not for me. Maybe I would use it for a second or third grade class to see if the kids could figure out who the thief is. Besides being able to use Nancy Drew in the classroom, we need to stop whoever is taking ingredients for pumpkin pie and stuffing before there is no thanksgiving food left for our feasts.

3.5 stars

[Shaalini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a book called Thanksgiving Thief(Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew) by Carolyn Kenne. This book is about an Elementary school having a Thanksgiving peagent. So Nancy and her two little friends Bess and George felt dressing up in a costume as Native Americans. Well as the town preparing for Thanksgiving dinner Nancy and her friends Bess and George end up in trying to smell a mystery instead of turkey also they start realizing that someone is trying to destroy thanksgiving holiday. So could Nancy and her friends Bess and George
able to catch those people who were clever or would the Thanksgiving holiday gets destroyed?. Although I've liked reading this book because I liked the character Nancy her friends Bess and George who all has positive thoughts of find mystery clues since they have full of knowledge. Well I liked reading these types of books because I liked how it was msysteryand interesting story. However, I would like to recommend this book to an six years old childrens those who like to hear about interesting story.
By: Shaalini Gogineni

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how inclusive Nancy and her friends are! They invite the girls around them to join in on solving the mystery. This is a great role model for young readers to imitate!

I also appreciate that when the girls do not obey, there are consequences. My only concern would be, are their parents concerned about them traipsing around the neighborhood alone? Generally, Keene does well with this (including the parents’ involvement), but this one felt a bit different.

Things to be aware of in “Thanksgiving Thief”

Language:
- 2 “Oh my gosh”
- 1 “darn”

Additional Notes:
- There is a mention of feathers giving positive or negative connotations/vibes.


Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Amber]

This is a cute book but it lacked any sort of depth or understanding surrounding Thanksgiving. My first grader solved the mystery in the first chapter and the actual storyline really wasn't plausible or that entertaining once the mystery was revealed. I would be fine with my kids continuing to read Nancy Drew books because the content is wholesome; however, I doubt I will use the books as read alouds or school material moving forward given the basic writing style.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Keene, Carolyn
TITLE Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew Thanksgiving Thief
DATE READ 11/15/21
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE “Those poor turkeys,” eight-year old Nancy Drew said.
GENRE/PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH YA Mystery/2008/pb/80 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE #16 Nancy Drew and the Crew Clue
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2021 Reading Goal 97/120
GROUP READ ND
TIME/PLACE
CHARACTERS Nancy Drew, Bess and George
COMMENTS A cute story w/ a nice message .

[Jan Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

Between cultural appropriation and lack of any knowledge of wild turkeys, this book left a lot to be desired.
Chicks are not hatched in November, males do not help raise young, the young follow the mothers around and eat with them. I am not positive, but I would be willing to bet, turkeys cannot open industrial refrigerators. I does require a bit of pressure.
No kittens killed, so I did not give it one star.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a Thanksgiving play/celebration that is getting ruined. Someone has taken all the pumpkin puree and green beans and has made a mess of the kitchen. The thief leaves a signature mark and the clue crew is on the case! I loved how, not only was this not someone they could've blamed and been ugly to, but it also gave a good message about animal rights and preserving land.

[10TX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previewed for my child. Found nothing offensive. The writing isn't great. Quick read.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my 7 year olds first intro to Nancy Drew and they loved it

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute as always!

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleh. I’ve read better copy on the back of cereal boxes. Nancy and her BFFs have to figure out who is trying to sabotage their Thanksgiving feast at school. D

[Kelly Choy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that great in general. Plot is quite boring.

[Rachael Vanderhoof · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about the detective-like Nancy Drew and her clue crew, as they embark on solving the Thanksgiving thief mystery. Foods that have been prepared for the Thanksgiving pageant have been mysteriously destroyed, and only a single feather has been left behind at each of the crime scenes. Nancy and her friends diligently do detective work, and eventually solve the mystery. Two wild turkeys are the culprits. As a young reader, I was a huge fan of the Nancy Drew series. When I checked this book out at the library, I was very excited to read it and, I must say, that I had high expectations. I was, unfortunately, let down. The story started out as interesting and fast-paced, but the conclusion was both unrealistic and anticlimactic. The illustrations were dull and uncreative. This is a book that I would not directly incorporate in a lesson, but I might suggest it to a student who is interested in Nancy Drew. This book is for grades 2-3.

[Dolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

We've been reading through this series fairly steadily. We skipped ahead a bit to read this one fairly close to Thanksgiving (although we ended up not reading it until three weeks later...oh well). And now we'll go back and pick up the series where we left off.

This story was good, but a bit disjointed. The mystery was easy to solve, but not all that plausible. And the not-too-subtle environmental message just seemed awkward in this story. Overall, we've really enjoyed this series, but this story wasn't our favorite.

[J.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute mystery but sometimes found myself thinking this books it too politically correct and stereotypical at the same time. Not all Oklahoman's that are Native American's make fry bread and know how to teach Native American dancing.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Azturpealean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it but it could have been a bit more secretive. I figured out who destroyed all the things for thanksgiving towards the very begining of the book. A good book for ages 8-10

[Yasuko · Rating 2 out of 5]

201:.5.4 9129words

[Kaetlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like when they find out its 2 wild turkeys. I also like when thanksgiving food is missing. And its thanksgiving book.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

Decent, but still not the famed sleuth as I've come to expect her.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one. I would give it 3 or 4 stars.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK
Simple short!