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#12, The Message in the Hollow Oak
According to Wikipedia, the revised edition of this book that I read is very different from the original, which found Nancy leaving the US for the first time. Maybe my reading challenge for next year will be reading the original 35 editions to see how they compare.
This revised edition was kind of boring. We have what I think is the first mention of Nancy’s magnifying glass, which I’ve always associated with her character (“reached into a pocket of her jeans for a magnifying glass”).
A few honorable mentions for Phrase of the Book:
“Folks is funny. They make such a to-do about takin’ care o’ cemeteries but they sure ain’t got no respect for the skeletons o’ folks that lived around here three or four hundred years ago.”
“Now there you may have a squirrel in the tree, young lady.”
“Hypers!” George exclaimed.
Phrase of the Book
“Oh, my diet!” moaned Bess.
Foods Mentioned
- “forkful of roast beef”
- cookies
- “broiled, freshly caught fish topped with buttered almonds”
- “My wife Hortense,” he said, “makes the best beaten biscuits you ever ate. Then she opens ‘em and puts a little fishball inside. I brought along some of ’em.”
- hot rolls
- cake and fruit
- chocolate bar
- “some apples and that bag o’ doughnuts”
- “I had such a skimpy sandwich for lunch!”
- “extra big helpings of strawberry shortcake.”
- “her second apple”
- sandwiches, fruit, cake, and bottles of soda
- “luscious raspberries. Streamers of watercress were trailing from their pockets.”
- “ham patties, macaroni and cheese, and banana ice cream topped with cherries and ground walnuts”
Outfits
- casual summer dresses
- smart beige suit
- battered straw hat
- pink housedress
- pants suit
- clean pants outfit
Nancy’s Memento
At the end of the book, Nancy is made an honorary member of the New York Detective Club and has the honor of the first dig at the archaeological site.
“Nancy, after a meeting with my friends, we voted unanimously to make you an honorary member of our club!”
“Nancy, I want you to have the honor of digging the first shovelful of dirt.”
Koffee & Kpop 
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