One of my reading goals for the New Year is to read more middle grade fiction, with the intent to offer better readers advisory in the children’s library. I figured I’d start with some classic middle grade fiction, books that were released before the term middle grade was even coined. So I dug out my stockpile of Nancy Drew books! My mom gave these to me for Christmas when I was in elementary school, along with several other children’s classics like Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie. I’m slightly ashamed to say I only read one book from the Nancy Drew series, The Secret of the Old Clock. And since I often recommend Nancy Drew to library patrons, I figured I should probably read a few more. Whenever a parent tells me their child enjoys mysteries, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Boxcar Children, and A to Z Mysteries (for something more contemporary) are my go-tos.
Sifting through my Nancy Drew books, I decided on first reading The Mystery at Lilac Inn. This book had me at the ghostly vision of Nancy Drew on the cover. Spooky. This was such a fun read! And actually, not very spooky at all… I laughed out loud numerous times at the outlandish plot, but I guess that’s kind of the point. Trouble seems to follow our “young sleuth” at every turn! At one point she has to impersonate a ghost for goodness’ sake! This series gives a whole new meaning to the term fast-paced! There are new developments on every page. No – more like every paragraph! Also, the very conveniently placed clues and the stilted dialogue are not only comical, but they work quite well. The clues and dialogue give young readers plenty of information to help Nancy solve the mystery at hand, but enough is left up to their imagination to surprise them at times. And although an absurd amount of terrifying things happen to Nancy, the book always keeps things light-hearted. Rather than panicking, Nancy often laughs at her own misfortunes, but then swiftly handles them as she works her way towards solving the case!
I’d recommend Nancy Drew for upper elementary and early middle school children. I think the fact that this series can be credited for sparking so many children’s love for reading (including my mother’s) is a wonderful thing. And it’s inspired a contemporary paperback series, graphic novels, movies, and TV shows. Nancy Drew has certainly withstood the test of time!
Pawsitive Reads 