Mommy22alyns Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is there anything objectionable in these books? Tell me anything you can - I actually never read them as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 No examples, but the first ones are pretty low key, and all of them are less violent than Hardy Boys. There is also a young Nancy Drew series that my dd's have loved. We like Trixie Belden and they are less intense than Nancy Drew, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Honestly, my recollection of them is very vague. I skimmed through them before my dd started reading them (in 3rd grade), and I didn't find anything objectionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoo_keeper Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 My eldest starting reading Nancy Drew Notebooks, the younger series, when she was 5. Totally tame, just fine. She's grown tired of the series now at 6, but every once in a while she'll help herself to one of the regular books from my study (I have almost the whole collection from when I was a child). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Okie Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 I started reading them in 2nd grade. That was back in 1977. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thanks, ladies. I think we'll grab a few from the library and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taffnus Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 My dd went through a Nancy Drew craze this past semester (at age 7). I skimmed the first one she read and found the vocabulary fantastic. She's stumbled across a couple that were a bit too old for her. One was set in Austria and had German words, place names, etc. that made it challenging for a young child. I've steered her away from several that I thought were a little too "ghost-centered." That's a personal decision for us though. Aside from the heavy use of ghost language in some, I would rather my dd read these than many of the modern books for children. The vocabulary is very rich and stories exciting for young girls. I do believe 7/8 is on the young end for the original series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Dd loves the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series. It's about Nancy, George, and Bess solving mysteries when they are 7 year olds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoo_keeper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 So is the Clue Crew just an updated version of the Notebook series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I had been thinking about these books for my 9 year old. FWIW - I just checked the reading level and it's rated at grade 4.7. We might read a few chapters together and see what we think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 My 7yo son (2nd grade) actually really likes Nancy Drew. We've done many as read-alouds, and so far I haven't found anything objectionable in them! We skipped Hardy Boys because the base crimes were usually pretty violent, so I'll wait until he's somewhat older to bring that in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 So is the Clue Crew just an updated version of the Notebook series? I'm not sure what the Notebook series is, but here is a link to the first Clue Crew book. Carolyn Keene wrote these as well. http://www.amazon.com/Sleepover-Sleuths-Nancy-Drew-Clue/dp/141691255X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315714066&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 My dd sorta likes them. She has been reading them for over a year (started in 5th grade) she has mentioned that some of them are scary. I haven't read them since I was young and don't remember. She said the Hardy Boys are scary too. My oldest son (8th grade) reads both Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoo_keeper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Oh my goodness, an illusion has been shattered! While looking into the Clue Crew series, I discovered that Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym! I had no idea! This is probably common knowledge, and I'm just the last to wake up to reality. I thought it was strange that the author of books released in the 1930s was still publishing today. Duh! I don't know why it matters to me that each book could have been slapped together by somebody different, it just feels cheaper now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miracleone Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 My daughter started them when she was 8 and she just turned 9 and still loving it. She reads the old Nancy Drew versions. Sometimes she'll get the ND Clue Crew series too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfn10 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I started reading the original hard cover series when I was 8-9 in third grade. I loved those books and read all 70 some originals over the next few years. There was nothing objectionable to me in the books at the time. I do remember Nancy being "captured" by the villain and having to break loose of her bonds and such. When my daughter is old enough to read them I will explain that in real life such dangerous situations do not usually have happy endings and some of the tactics Nancy uses will be useless. In the early 90's a new paperback series of Nancy Drew books were published. I remember them saying the 90's version was to be a more a PG version. I did not care for the more modern Nancy and did not read them. Nancy was a strong female heroine. A similar series would be the Trixie Belden books. I would also recommend the Cherry Ames Nurse series. Not sure if Bobbsey twins (?spelling) is also of this genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChandlerMom Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Just be aware that the reprinted versions are different than the original. Currently I think there are 3 versions. The originals (from the 30s-50s) use some outdated words (for things like flashlights) and some racial insensitivity. There was a update in the 60s-70s (tho some say they replaced one set of problems with another, mainly social/gender type) and the last I think in the 80s-90s. New modern books are being written now. Each group has their plusses and minuses, but you might want to research that a bit when picking them up for your child. Point is Nancy Drew isn't constant. :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Drew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thanks ChandlerMom! I didn't think to check Wikipedia, but that summary was helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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