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Girl Sleuth
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her | Melanie Rehak
A plucky titian-haired sleuth solved her first mystery in 1930. Eighty million books later, Nancy Drew has survived the Depression, World War II, and the sixties (when she was taken up with a vengeance by womens libbers) to enter the pantheon of American girlhood. As beloved by girls today as she was by their grandmothers, Nancy Drew has both inspired and reflected the changes in her readers lives. Here, in a narrative with all the vivid energy and page-turning pace of Nancys adventures, Melanie Rehak solves an enduring literary mystery: Who created Nancy Drew? And how did she go from pulp heroine to icon? The brainchild of childrens book mogul Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy was brought to life by two women: Mildred Wirt Benson, a pioneering journalist from Iowa, and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, a well-bred wife and mother who took over as CEO after her father died. In this century-spanning story, Rehak traces their rolesand Nancysin forging the modern American woman.
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Aims42
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I made it to page 130 or so in “Gilded Mountain” and I just didn‘t have enough willpower to keep going since it‘s 400+ pages. Starting the tagged book to hopefully stay ahead of an impending reading slump 🫠 Does anyone else have trouble sticking with books during the holidays?

DGRachel I struggle, too. That‘s why I usually plan for “easy” things like thrillers, cozy mysteries, or holiday romance novels. I hope Girl Sleuth is better than the Nancy Drew Girl Detective book I just finished. As a lifelong Nancy Drew fan, it was a horrifying read. 😱 2y
Aims42 @DGRachel That‘s really good advice 👍 I thought of maybe re-reading some favs from this year and calling it a day 🙃 I‘m sorry your Nancy Drew book was a major dud, that sucks! 2y
DGRachel Rereading favorites is also a great idea! 11 year old me is still screaming in indignation about the “Girl Detective” series. #NotMyNancyDrew 🤣🤣 2y
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Aims42 @DGRachel Awww, I totally get your frustration, that would bum me (and my inner 11 year old) out too 😔 2y
TheAromaofBooks I remember being somewhat devastated when I discovered that Carolyn Keene wasn't a real person!! 2y
Aims42 @TheAromaofBooks That‘s very understandable! I‘m always shocked when I find out a favorite author uses a pen name. It‘s like, “no, you‘re XYZ not this other person” lol 2y
43 likes6 comments
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holly.langhorst
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❤️ Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women That Created Her 🕵🏻‍♀️

❤️ Dracula 🧛🏼‍♂️

❤️ Does Frankenstein count? 😅

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

annahenke I enjoyed Girl Slueth a lot! 3y
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TheHeartlandBookFairy
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Pickpick

Girl Sleuth tells the fascinating history of America's beloved & iconic Nancy Drew 💕 This book has so much interesting information, so many behind the scenes stories & mentions other well-known series, most of which I read as a child! The history, the connections, the stories about the stories... I loved everything about this book! Nancy Drew (& Trixie Belden) may have been the books that started me on my love of mysteries! #15books15weeks

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Jessicaanne
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Pickpick

Long layovers are never fun but at least I get some reading time in!
I had no idea that Carolyn Keene was not real and instead Nancy Drew was written by multiple people. The book explained how Nancy Drew came to be and the disagreements that resulted in having multiple people thinking they knew what was best for her.
It amazes me how all involved weren‘t willing to concede that it was a group effort to create this iconic character. #popsugar2019

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annahenke
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#fooledyou #springintoreading

If you ever thought Carolyn Keene was one person, #fooledyou! This is an interesting look at the women behind the legend NANCY DREW.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks good!! 6y
vkois88 Oooh cool!!! 6y
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Jeannineth
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Started this little gem last night. Who else loved Nancy Drew???

tpixie ♥️♥️♥️ 6y
Crazeedi Nancy and ned were my heros when I was young! I read all her stories! 6y
PurpleyPumpkin I‘m sure she kindled my love of mysteries. Love Nancy!💜 6y
Jeannineth Mine too. 6y
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Shmemilina
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#TuesdayTidbits @JenlovesJT47 1) Tome! 2) Can I say both? If I really have to choose, Harry Potter 3) Physical books are much preferred but I‘ll read it any way you give it to me! 4) Tea 5) Agatha Christie - I‘ve been on an Agatha Christie binge lately! ... Just finished the tagged book about Nancy Drew (the magnifying glass is in her honor).

JenlovesJT47 💚💚💚 6y
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

Recommended for its telling the stories of the two determined, successful women who created Nancy Drew, and for insight into the workings of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. I read this shortly after reading the memoir of Leslie McFarlane, the first "Franklin W. Dixon", and they complement each other nicely.

rabbitprincess The McFarlane memoir: 6y
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Ncostell
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Pickpick

This was a fascinating, well researched look at the creation of Nancy Drew and the Stratemeyer Syndicate. I knew very little about the people behind the pen name Carolyn Keene beforehand and loved reading about the evolution of Nancy through the decades and the politics behind the scenes. Nancy Drew is one of my favorites from my childhood that I‘ve loved passing on to my daughter.

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Bklover
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I just started this book about Nancy Drew and the women who wrote the Nancy Drew books. As a kid I always pictured Carolyn Keene as this lovely old woman sitting at a desk with an ancient typewriter. As interesting as this book is, I think I like my idea of Caroline Keene better! Does that make sense?

ReadingSusan Love this book! 7y
batsy Thank you for reminding me about this book. I've wanted to read it for years but completely forgot about it... ? It sounds really good. I like your version of Carolyn Keene, too! That how I imagined "her". 7y
Bklover @batsy I‘m really enjoying it! Definitely worth reading. 7y
DGRachel @Bklover That's totally what I pictured, too. 😊 7y
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DebinHawaii
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Day14 #photoadaynov16 #orangecovers Here's a stack of some of the orange covers on my shelves & TBR stacks, along with orange furniture and a few orange chickens because after last week, we all need some examples of some GOOD orange things in our lives! 😊

RealLifeReading Yes to good orange things!! 8y
Lynnsoprano 😂 good orange things. Gotta remember that one! 8y
I-read-and-eat 😂 that's amazing, lets reaclaim orange 8y
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britt_brooke 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 8y
DebinHawaii @RealLifeReading @Lynnsoprano @I-read-and-eat @britt_brooke 😬Thanks! We definitely need positive orange-ness right now! 👍🍊🍊🍊 8y
Bette This 🐔 are weird and wonderful. 😊👍❤️ 8y
Bette Duh. Those 🐔 ... those not this. 🤔🙄😜 8y
DebinHawaii @Bette Aren't they funny?! I came across them at the thrift store for $2 & decided they needed to come home with me. There's a blue one too but I left him out of the photo! 🐔❤️ 8y
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annahenke
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Pickpick

I enjoyed getting the inside scoop on the creation of Nancy, one of my favorite childhood heroines. Carolyn Keene: demystified at last!

Karenlovesbooks I have a biography of Mildred Wirt Benson sitting in my TBR pile. I think Nancy Drew books were my first reading addiction! 8y
annahenke @Karenlovesbooks Mine too! And I had no idea of the drama that went on for decades about the true creator of Nancy. What a media circus. And Mildred sounds like quite a lady! 8y
annahenke @autumnprivett just listened to your podcast and had to dig up this post to tag you! Have you read it?? 8y
7 likes3 comments
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annahenke
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Morning reading.

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queerbookreader
Mehso-so

Very informational history of Nancy Drew, about her creators, and her writer. Will be honest: half of it was dry as sand so it's only getting a so-so rating, but overall great supplement to any Nancy fan 😊

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