Read the 50s version and found Nancy to be kinda crazy
Highlights:
★Almost goes Karen mode and tells Taylor's employee she will talk to the manager
★Invades Allison's birthday (also wtf why does Allison start singing)
★Has only one friend other than the randos she meets and befriends to solve their mysteries? ( )

The Secret of the Old Clock is the mystery that began it all for America's favorite teenaged sleuth. The accidental rescue of a little girl who lives with her two great-aunts leads to an adventurous search for a missing will.

There was a pandering feel to this, like it doesn’t trust that the reader is smart enough to follow along or do any deducing of their own, with every aspect of the mystery not only spelled out and easy to solve but repeated ad nauseum, this is a short book, and could easily have been shorter for how much of it is just repeating what the reader has already been told.

The dialogue was a problem for me, too, extremely stilted and way too overloaded with exposition.

Also, if this man was so wealthy, why did he live with people he didn’t necessarily like? Did I miss something? That did not make sense.

While I struggled with much of the storytelling and writing style here, I did like Nancy herself, she’s brave, she’s determined to right wrongs, and there is something just plain fun about the image of this young woman driving around in her blue convertible solving crimes, I can see why she’s endured in so many readers’ hearts even if this first book wasn’t a good fit for me. ( )

I devoured these books as a middle-school student. It was always a competition between the Amish boys and myself to see who could read the most Nancy Drew and/or Hardy Boys (depending on what was in at the library) per day.

The Mystery of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene is a 1930 publication.

Well, what a lovely reminder of a different time and a nostalgic reminder of how much I enjoyed Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries when I was growing up.

In one the earliest installments in the series, Nancy is on the hunt for a hidden will- one that will provide a great deal of financial relief to relatives who truly deserve the money- but for now it looks as if other, less charitable relatives might be the only legal beneficiaries. Can Nancy find the will in time?

I can’t recall the last time I read a Nancy Drew mystery- but I’m certain I read those published long after this one. I do remember enjoying these books, though, I didn’t read them exclusively as a teen and this series was not my first introduction to mysteries -as my parents still had some old Bobbey Twins books that got passed down to me, which I read before I ever discovered ND. But Nancy was older and a character one could sort of look up to, I think- I know I did.

In the beginning Nancy solves mysteries- but not murder mysteries, but they can still be moderately dangerous. I liked this version of Nancy- she walks that fine line of being sharp, mature for her age, and independent- and pushed an envelope here and there. But she also had values and principles and cared about those who needed a helping hand, making her popular with a broad audience and making it hard to find too much fault with her.

I liked the story, the fast pace, the time and place, the touch of suspense, but mostly I liked the purpose behind Nancy’s involvement and how everything came together in the end. A wonderful YA book – the way one should be presented to the audience it courted.

It’s too bad that young readers today do not have a recent incarnation of Nancy or the Hardy Boys mysteries to read. It’s a shame that the character was allowed to fizzle and fade- not being written in a way that made Nancy a character that young readers could admire and relate to at the same time- while enjoying a good mystery and some clean entertainment.

But at least these books are available in digital format- and can be found in many libraries. It is a relief that they are at least being preserved and who knows- maybe a young person will be curious enough to read one someday- even as the threat of Nancy fading into obscurity looms large- and be inspired to pick up the torch and breathe new life into the character, but with the spirit of the original version of Nancy we see portrayed here…. One can only hope…

Overall, I enjoyed my fun excursion into the past with the first version of Nancy Drew. Though she went through many incarnations over the decades, her mysteries always bring back fond memories and a wistful hope that future generations will someday be able experience the same enjoyment from this series and that Nancy will inspire them the way she inspired me.

4.5 stars ( )