The Secret of the Old Clock

Nancy Drew is a timeless classic, my grandmother even read these books when she was my age.  So when I had to read a mystery for a book report, it seemed natural that I would choose a Nancy Drew book.  I did come across an issue: I had to check it out from a different library because someone had placed a hold on the copy I was reading and I couldn't renew it.  But there were two totally different stories called The Secret of the Old Clock by Caroline Keene.  I read them both, but I really only liked the first version.  It was longer and had lots of details and the reading level was right for the mystery difficulty, while the reprint was short and didn't really have any detail at all.  The reprint mystery was totally different and didn't really have a point.  I think that Nancy from the Nancy Drew mystery series has been popular all of these years because she is a smart, feisty girl having fun adventures (which was unusual when the books were first published).  I recommend that girls check out the Nancy Drew books, but I think they should be aware that there are multiple versions of these books and some are better than others, which is a great reason to explore your library shelves!

Older edition rating:  *****
Newer edition rating: **