Funnily enough, my mother had loved Nancy Drew, so I think she was perplexed by my disinterest! Maybe it will keep flipping back and forth over the generations.
I didn't much like Harriet the Spy, either, who was supposed to be an updated girl sleuth. Part of it, I think, is that I just don't much enjoy mysteries. I can appreciate them, but they aren't usually my cup of tea -- even outstanding, classic mysteries. My daughter loves mystery as much as my mom did, though!
The only mysteries I really enjoyed as a a kid were the Boxcar Children, which was much more about enjoying the concept of kids playing house on their own than about the mysteries for me, I think.
So fascinating. And yes, that would make sense that is was more of the mystery genre you didn’t love—I moved on to Agatha Christie as a teenager and absolutely loved her books.
Same, it was the fascinating setting-up-house in a boxcar as orphans thing. Not the mystery. Interestingly, that’s exactly what fascinates my own children about the series. They’ve transformed our front porch into a boxcar several times and had very long, involved plays at being the Boxcar Children
Boxcar Children is a deep dive into kid-led hygge.
I was so disappointed as a kid that bread and milk didn't actually taste in reality like it sounded like it should taste from the first Boxcar Children book. I tried several times to make myself like it, but I just couldn't...such a fangirl failure.
Growing up in Switzerland, I had never heard of Nancy Drew (although my daughter collected them all!). I did however read Enid Blyton's mysteries which we called "The Fantastic Five" (not sure if they had the same title here). My kids enjoyed these as well and it made for a great read-aloud. And then there was the Anne of Green Gables series of course, which reads much better in English than German :) (By chance I met the German translator in a St.John's cafe who was working on a new and improved edition). When they were younger, my boys collected the "Choose your own adventure" series, although they generally tried to find the quickest way to kill themselves or end the story in disaster. The Redwall series is their absolute favorite - we have all of them, as well as a Redwall map and cookbook! Will be sure to check out your intriguing book review :)
Redwall was one of my brother's favorites! I read the first one aloud to the kids a couple of years ago and we loved it.
I encountered Enid Blyton's books when I lived in Paris as a child. The two English-language bookstores that I could get to were British and so the children's section was full of British kiddie lit. I loved boarding school stories, so I was in heaven. I also read all the "Just William" books thanks to those stores!
Oh, I remember reading a couple of Trixie Beldens as a preteen. I liked them a lot then, but I was very much in a mystery phase then. I actually STILL enjoy mysteries, it's just very difficult to find mysteries for adults that aren't murders or child abductions--neither of which I enjoy reading about.
You might enjoy Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver Mysteries - they're Golden Age Mysteries, so I find them a bit softer and less upsetting than many modern dark plots, or frankly, darker plots from the same era. The crimes vary - some are scarier than others, but as far as I recall, the first book "The Grey Mask" would meet your criteria.
Is anyone familiar with Geronimo Stilton? I was a Stilton-skeptic and trying to redirect my daughter into less-twaddle-like reading but she surprised me by relating the vast number of information she had learned from the prolific mouse and his intrepid sister Thea. Geography, biology, even art, of course cheese varieties. So maybe not so bad after all.
Then there’s Dear America and Dear Canada (historical fiction diaries, very good!).
We are beginning Redwall this fall and also Eragon, coming from 0 experience with either. Exciting times, diving into new and potentially beloved series!
I remember reading Dear America. I haven't read any of them as an adult, though; I wonder what I would make of them (and of the newer ones) as a historian. Maybe I'll get some from the library!
I probably read every Babysitters Club book that was published between when I was 8 and 12. They're definitely not great literature but as a voracious reader I needed a LOT of books and that series delivered! And oh, how I loved the American Girl series! My favorites were Felicity and Samantha. I read some Dear America books too and I remember enjoying them, but I wasn't committed to reading every single one, more that I would pick and choose as the historical events presented piqued my interest.
They were so fun! You would enjoy this book; lots of series I had never heard of that ended up making me think differently about the series I know, as part of a genre built on earlier, lesser-known books.
Sounds like a fascinating book! Thank you for doing a review. I especially enjoy your highlight of women's work. I remember my mom had a lot of books from her childhood that were all career (and romance) driven. She talked about it introducing her to various career fields and still enjoyed reading them even after she married and decided to stay at home while her kids were growing up.
Her mom worked for the IRS in DC during WW2. I've often wondered what her life was like during that decade. Unfortunately, she died when I was 13, before I was aware of this fact.
Oh, I'm sorry, I just realized I wasn't clear with my pronouns. My grandmother died when I was 13, not my mother. Yes, it would have been an immeasurable loss to not have my mother as an adult. I know you've talked about that here. ❤️
I haven't heard of many of these titles, which honestly surprises me in a good way, because I loved mysteries so much as a kid (Bobbsey Twins were a favourite when I was very young). I was a bit sheltered in my reading though, so I wasn't allowed to read Sweet Valley High, much to my 4th grade frustration!
I loved Nancy and dreamed of being the kind of girl whose father bought her a convertible, and trusted her to manage her own life whilst wearing pearls and tootling about town with handsome football player Ned :) The independence was utterly dreamy. She got to live like an adult without the burdens of being one!
It was definitely dreamy! There's an argument in one of the chapters in this volume about the idea of the adult "girl," a transitional figure who is grown up but is not yet married ("woman"). It's super-fascinating. Nancy is definitely a girl in this way. (And I remember the Bobbsey Twins!)
I remember having a friendly argument with some friends in college about whether or not we were "college kids." I objected to framing ourselves as kids. But they saw it as a good thing to be in a transitional phase, and embraced the terminology. (I myself was not actually in as much of a transitional phase, having already been bearing many adult responsibilities for a number of years, so I was a bit different. I hadn't considered myself a "kid" in many years.)
I think this is an important distinction: when the transitioning actually happens. Having lived away from home in high school, I also felt surprised by how some college students were thrilled with the freedoms of, let’s say, going to bed whenever they wanted or doing homework without any urging. And their lack of knowledge about how to do their own laundry :) I had been doing all these things for many years, so it felt strange for me to see it as novel.
Yes, I had the same sort of feeling! And people were often surprised by the things that I handled by myself without thinking twice. At the time, I thought others were just "behind" me, i.e. not acting their age. (I was pretty hard on my friends sometimes, augh!) But as I got older I eventually realized that there's something to this idea of college as transitional, and that handling everything yourself is not always ideal.
This book said it well about college -- it's a place where young people are taking on some of the emotional responsibilities of adulthood, but do not yet have to take on all the practical ones. So first they have to learn to manage themselves and their days in college, and then after college they add on paying the rent, cooking for themselves, holding down a full-time job, etc.
Choose Your Own Adventure books are so fun! And my brother loved Hardy Boys, although as I never really enjoyed mysteries, myself. My kids seem to love mysteries, though!
I enjoyed reading Nancy Drew as a girl, but my own children refused to read her! So funny that you had the opposite situation in your family!
Funnily enough, my mother had loved Nancy Drew, so I think she was perplexed by my disinterest! Maybe it will keep flipping back and forth over the generations.
I didn't much like Harriet the Spy, either, who was supposed to be an updated girl sleuth. Part of it, I think, is that I just don't much enjoy mysteries. I can appreciate them, but they aren't usually my cup of tea -- even outstanding, classic mysteries. My daughter loves mystery as much as my mom did, though!
The only mysteries I really enjoyed as a a kid were the Boxcar Children, which was much more about enjoying the concept of kids playing house on their own than about the mysteries for me, I think.
So fascinating. And yes, that would make sense that is was more of the mystery genre you didn’t love—I moved on to Agatha Christie as a teenager and absolutely loved her books.
Same, it was the fascinating setting-up-house in a boxcar as orphans thing. Not the mystery. Interestingly, that’s exactly what fascinates my own children about the series. They’ve transformed our front porch into a boxcar several times and had very long, involved plays at being the Boxcar Children
Boxcar Children is a deep dive into kid-led hygge.
I was so disappointed as a kid that bread and milk didn't actually taste in reality like it sounded like it should taste from the first Boxcar Children book. I tried several times to make myself like it, but I just couldn't...such a fangirl failure.
hahaha. This was so me!
I knew I liked you!
Growing up in Switzerland, I had never heard of Nancy Drew (although my daughter collected them all!). I did however read Enid Blyton's mysteries which we called "The Fantastic Five" (not sure if they had the same title here). My kids enjoyed these as well and it made for a great read-aloud. And then there was the Anne of Green Gables series of course, which reads much better in English than German :) (By chance I met the German translator in a St.John's cafe who was working on a new and improved edition). When they were younger, my boys collected the "Choose your own adventure" series, although they generally tried to find the quickest way to kill themselves or end the story in disaster. The Redwall series is their absolute favorite - we have all of them, as well as a Redwall map and cookbook! Will be sure to check out your intriguing book review :)
Redwall was one of my brother's favorites! I read the first one aloud to the kids a couple of years ago and we loved it.
I encountered Enid Blyton's books when I lived in Paris as a child. The two English-language bookstores that I could get to were British and so the children's section was full of British kiddie lit. I loved boarding school stories, so I was in heaven. I also read all the "Just William" books thanks to those stores!
And the "Anne" books, of course, will never fade.
Yes, I read the boarding school books too! In German they were called "Hanni und Nanni" but in English I think they were the St.Claire twins.
Did you ever read Trixie Belden? I always associate the two series in my head, although I think Trixie is geared toward slightly younger girls.
I didn't, but I think it is mentioned in the book!
I did get *called* Trixie a lot, though, when people would forget my actual name!
Oh, I remember reading a couple of Trixie Beldens as a preteen. I liked them a lot then, but I was very much in a mystery phase then. I actually STILL enjoy mysteries, it's just very difficult to find mysteries for adults that aren't murders or child abductions--neither of which I enjoy reading about.
We need a gentlemen's (uh, gentlepersons?) agreement to make mysteries less devastating, at lest sometimes!!
You might enjoy Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver Mysteries - they're Golden Age Mysteries, so I find them a bit softer and less upsetting than many modern dark plots, or frankly, darker plots from the same era. The crimes vary - some are scarier than others, but as far as I recall, the first book "The Grey Mask" would meet your criteria.
Thank you! I will check that out! :)
Is anyone familiar with Geronimo Stilton? I was a Stilton-skeptic and trying to redirect my daughter into less-twaddle-like reading but she surprised me by relating the vast number of information she had learned from the prolific mouse and his intrepid sister Thea. Geography, biology, even art, of course cheese varieties. So maybe not so bad after all.
Then there’s Dear America and Dear Canada (historical fiction diaries, very good!).
We are beginning Redwall this fall and also Eragon, coming from 0 experience with either. Exciting times, diving into new and potentially beloved series!
I remember reading Dear America. I haven't read any of them as an adult, though; I wonder what I would make of them (and of the newer ones) as a historian. Maybe I'll get some from the library!
Good point - I should consider which narrative is being promoted in these books!
My mom just picked up a Geronimo Stilton book at a library sale for my daughter last month. She really enjoyed it.
I probably read every Babysitters Club book that was published between when I was 8 and 12. They're definitely not great literature but as a voracious reader I needed a LOT of books and that series delivered! And oh, how I loved the American Girl series! My favorites were Felicity and Samantha. I read some Dear America books too and I remember enjoying them, but I wasn't committed to reading every single one, more that I would pick and choose as the historical events presented piqued my interest.
Oh, Felicity and Samantha...Samantha and the petit fours! And the Christmas decor! And the salted ice cream! Oh, my...just loved those.
I devoured those types of series! Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley Twins, Babysitters Little Sister, Magic Tree House, American Girl . . .
They were so fun! You would enjoy this book; lots of series I had never heard of that ended up making me think differently about the series I know, as part of a genre built on earlier, lesser-known books.
I loved Nancy Drew books and read everything our library had, and I now love Golden Age detective fiction.
This seems to be a common experience! Nancy Drew: opening for Miss Marple since 1930.
Hah! Love it 😁
Hah! Love it 😁
Sounds like a fascinating book! Thank you for doing a review. I especially enjoy your highlight of women's work. I remember my mom had a lot of books from her childhood that were all career (and romance) driven. She talked about it introducing her to various career fields and still enjoyed reading them even after she married and decided to stay at home while her kids were growing up.
Her mom worked for the IRS in DC during WW2. I've often wondered what her life was like during that decade. Unfortunately, she died when I was 13, before I was aware of this fact.
It's such a loss not to get to have an adult relationship with your mother and to know her in that way, ask her those questions, etc. I'm so sorry.
If you'd like to borrow the book sometime, I think you'd enjoy it!
Yes, thank you! :) I was about to see if I could find it at the library.
Let me know next time you're passing through town!
will do!
Oh, I'm sorry, I just realized I wasn't clear with my pronouns. My grandmother died when I was 13, not my mother. Yes, it would have been an immeasurable loss to not have my mother as an adult. I know you've talked about that here. ❤️
Ohhhh, I see. Gosh, yes, that would've made your mom rather too old to be your mother!
I haven't heard of many of these titles, which honestly surprises me in a good way, because I loved mysteries so much as a kid (Bobbsey Twins were a favourite when I was very young). I was a bit sheltered in my reading though, so I wasn't allowed to read Sweet Valley High, much to my 4th grade frustration!
I loved Nancy and dreamed of being the kind of girl whose father bought her a convertible, and trusted her to manage her own life whilst wearing pearls and tootling about town with handsome football player Ned :) The independence was utterly dreamy. She got to live like an adult without the burdens of being one!
It was definitely dreamy! There's an argument in one of the chapters in this volume about the idea of the adult "girl," a transitional figure who is grown up but is not yet married ("woman"). It's super-fascinating. Nancy is definitely a girl in this way. (And I remember the Bobbsey Twins!)
I remember having a friendly argument with some friends in college about whether or not we were "college kids." I objected to framing ourselves as kids. But they saw it as a good thing to be in a transitional phase, and embraced the terminology. (I myself was not actually in as much of a transitional phase, having already been bearing many adult responsibilities for a number of years, so I was a bit different. I hadn't considered myself a "kid" in many years.)
I think this is an important distinction: when the transitioning actually happens. Having lived away from home in high school, I also felt surprised by how some college students were thrilled with the freedoms of, let’s say, going to bed whenever they wanted or doing homework without any urging. And their lack of knowledge about how to do their own laundry :) I had been doing all these things for many years, so it felt strange for me to see it as novel.
Yes, I had the same sort of feeling! And people were often surprised by the things that I handled by myself without thinking twice. At the time, I thought others were just "behind" me, i.e. not acting their age. (I was pretty hard on my friends sometimes, augh!) But as I got older I eventually realized that there's something to this idea of college as transitional, and that handling everything yourself is not always ideal.
This book said it well about college -- it's a place where young people are taking on some of the emotional responsibilities of adulthood, but do not yet have to take on all the practical ones. So first they have to learn to manage themselves and their days in college, and then after college they add on paying the rent, cooking for themselves, holding down a full-time job, etc.
Nancy Drew!
I was a huge Hardy Boys fan, and I loved Choose Your Own Adventure.
Choose Your Own Adventure books are so fun! And my brother loved Hardy Boys, although as I never really enjoyed mysteries, myself. My kids seem to love mysteries, though!