Why Nancy Drew Books Matters
When my journey as a bibliophile first launched it began with Heidi, Pippi Longstocking, and Little Women. But soon thereafter, I discovered The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. I would say that the effect Carolyn Keene (with all the authors that wrote under that pen name) had on me was incalculable. While the first book in the Nancy Drew Series was written even before my mother was born, the timeless friendship that Nancy and her girlfriends, Bess and George, had made a big impact on me.
During my youth, I read every book in the original 56-book collection of
Nancy Drew Books. The mystery stories were fun to read, but looking back it was the friendship between the three females that meant so much to me. Today it seems that authors of middle grade novels attempt to reach every adolescent, both male and female. While that is fine for some, my desire is to create something in line with what I experienced with the friendship of
Nancy Drew and her girlfriends. Our young girls today need to be reminded of the importance of supporting their "sisters." It's curious how my reading habits as an adolescent are still having an immense impact on me today as an author.
