Nancy Drew Challenge: #1, The Secret of the Old Clock

In 1930, an author was paid $125 (roughly $2,355 in 2026) to write a book. After writing the book, all rights to the material were forfeited and they could not identify themselves as the author of said work. This was the job of the ghostwriter, a profession that has been around for centuries.

This was not a one-off book. It was not a juicy celebrity memoir. It was a book that shaped the young adult genre in the mid 20th century and inspired young girls around the world. The pseudonym would go on to author 175 books in addition to hundreds of other spin-off books in the series. There’d be comics, a movie, video games in which you play as the titular character. There’s no official word on how many authors wrote (and continue writing) under the pseudonym, but it is likely to continue so long as young readers crave mysteries with a teenage girl detective to solve them.

That “author” was Carolyn Keene. And the teenage girl detective? None other than Nancy Drew.

An author by the name of Mildred Benson wrote 23 out of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. Other authors would follow, each maintaining confidentiality as the books became best-sellers. (Hopefully the pay increased as the years progressed.)

My mother read Nancy Drew as a child, and I read her copies of Nancy Drew when I was a child. I don’t remember anything about the books other than the covers of that particular print edition, illustrated by Bill Gillies, which remain classic. They were a pale orange color, textured, and had been printed between the years of 1950 and 1961.

I also had books printed directly after, illustrated by Rudy Nappi. These books were smooth to the touch, with brighter colors and a more updated style of artwork. (Information on the covers found here.)

After re-reading the original 62 Goosebumps books two years ago, a challenge I thoroughly enjoyed, I decided I wanted to do a similar challenge this year. I thought about reading all of Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes… but I settled on Nancy Drew, books I read in my childhood. Specifically, the original 56 books. Would I remember any of them, as I had some of the Goosebumps books? Will I be able to find all of the original Nancy Drew Mystery books, and for free, thanks to the library? How are the books going to stand up against the passage of time–almost a hundred years’ worth?

Even though most, if not all, of the Nancy Drew Mysteries books are standalone novels, I decided to start with the first novel and try to go in order. I’m assuming I won’t get very far in this endeavor as I’m relying on the library and the wait for the first novel was a few weeks. This was surprising, considering the first novel was written nearly 100 years ago.

I’m going to choose one word or one phrase from each book that I think we should bring into the 2020s, and because the authors spend a lot of time describing the food Nancy eats, I’m going to list all of it. Prepare yourself for gelatin, folks, and lots of it.

Nancy sits in a field wearing a green dress, holding a mantel clock with its glass open, as well as a screwdriver; illu. Rudy Nappi

#1, The Secret of the Old Clock

We meet Nancy Drew as she’s driving her dark blue convertible down the road. She’s a perfectly blonde, blue-eyed 16- or 18-year-old, depending on the book. (Usually 18 in the latter books.) After a child nearly gets hit by a passing car, Nancy rescues her from where she fell off of a wall. She learns that the child is being taken care of by her great-aunts who are not well off. A family friend had promised to bequeath some money from his will for the girl and her great-aunts, but after falling ill and being taken in by some well-off relatives, he left his entire estate to them. Nancy has a tip that the will bequeathing all his estate to the well-off family isn’t the final will, so with clues in hand, she goes on the hunt to find it and hopefully help out the families he promised money to.

This was a rough start. The language used was very old-fashioned, obviously, and the book plodded along. It took sheer determination to get through it, and I just kept reminding myself that I had 55 more books to go after this so I needed to finish it sooner rather than later.

Word of the Book

“hornswoggled,” to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax

Foods Mentioned

“delicious apple pudding”
“golden-brown (birthday) cake”/”chocolate frosting”
“chicken sandwich, some cocoa… cut a large slice of cinnamon cake over which she poured hot applesauce”
“crisp, golden waffles… dish of strawberries”