Nancy Drew

I remember the first time I pick up a Nancy Drew book. I though it was amazing a girl could do so much! Of course I was about 11 at the time, and had been reading the Hardy Boys. Most of the neighborhood I lived in had boys my age the girls were 4-5 years younger then I was.

Nancy Drew 56: The Thirteenth Pearl: The Thirteenth Pearl

Nancy is asked to locate a stolen necklace of unusual value, Nancy soon discovers that strange and dangerous people are responsible for the theft.

Pearl necklaces are beautiful and having one of value was out of my realm of understanding, but encountering a thief had me looking under my bed as I read. My grandparents never locked the doors of their home. After reading this book I asked them to start locking their doors. It took a week to find the key and by then I was not so spooked when I stayed with them.

Nancy Drew 04: The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew Mystery)

Nancy finds herself in danger when she tries to solve the mystery of the old inn, believed to be jinxed.

I always liked the name of the inn, is sounded much more romantic than the Buckeye Hotel my great aunt used to own. Imagine being able to explore the Inn, I was never allowed out of the common areas until we spent the night. Then I was put in the room under the staircase. The twin bed was tucked under the stairs and had a bookshelf against the wall. I discovered Agatha Christie that night!

Nancy Drew 02: The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew Mystery)

Teenage detective Nancy Drew uses her courage and powers of deduction to solve the mysterious happenings in an old stone mansion.
Here the idea of a stone Mansion with a hidden staircase intrigued me. Most of the homes I saw at the time were brick or wood frame and much to small to be considered mansions. Most of the homes did good to have one tiny bathroom. Ours you could wash your hands while sitting on the commode, just think a staircase bigger than our bathroom.