Generations of Mystery

You’ll see a new face behind the desk when you stop at the library of a weekday evening (mine!) and I’ve been given the opportunity to share a little about my love of reading with you all today. I got to help refresh the puzzle selection last week and in conversation about puzzles shared that I have some sentimental puzzles in my collection — one of them made up of the covers from Nancy Drew books. And then I went on a tangent about Nancy Drew!

I received my first Nancy Drew book in 1992. Yes, I know that for sure, because my great-grandma (Granny) gifted it to me on my birthday, with the dedication inside the cover to prove it. I didn’t know it then, but Granny would influence my future with “The Secret of the Old Clock.” (Not today’s story, but my original career path was into the world of forensic science). What I also didn’t realize was that this was A THING for her. Years down the road, as we were packing up my grandma’s belongings to downsize her home, I found Nancy Drew books in her collection. They didn’t look like my books — they had faded blue covers with no picture, and if you were to compare the story itself, they wouldn’t be exactly the same, as the original books were modified years later to be accurate to the current time period. But one of Grandma’s books had a dedication from Granny as well, and as we dug further, we found books that Granny had gifted to Mom and my aunt with similar dedications. My mom has gifted both of my daughters Nancy Drew books to carry on the custom.

Now, all of these books grace the shelves in my home as a symbol of family and tradition. And good old-fashioned mystery!

Fun facts about Nancy Drew

— Over 600 Nancy Drew books have been published over the years! The first 3 were published in April of 1930.

— All Nancy Drew books are “authored” by Carolyn Keene, which is a pseudonym. At least 30 authors have penned under this name.

— The original author, Mildred Augustine, has Iowa roots! She was from Ladora and attended the State University of Iowa, where she was the first woman to graduate from the school of journalism and the first person to receive a master’s in journalism from there.

— The original series was aimed at readers aged 8 — 11, but there have been many, MANY other Nancy Drew series extending the range to ages 5 — 14. But let’s be honest … you are never too old for a good mystery with Nan and her crew!

— My absolute favorite subseries is the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys SUPERMYSTERIES.

— WPL has the classics on the shelves, plus some of the more modern tomes. There’s also a really interesting biography of Nancy Drew that you should check out (I got some of my facts from this very book).