Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase

While housecleaning I came across my old Nancy Drew books and couldn't resist re-reading a couple. I first read them more than 20 years ago as a child and forgot the stories sufficiently so as not to remember how they turned out. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Yes, the stories and dialogue do sometimes come across as formulaic and simple to an adult, but the story was good enough to hold my interest. I also enjoyed the mid-20th century vintage atmosphere that the story was set in. It reminded me of lots of good times spent reading these books with a flashlight in my room when my parents thought I was asleep! And then being barely able to get up in time to make it to school the next day. These books, along with the Anne of Green Gables series and Louisa May Alcott's books are responsible for developing my longstanding reading habit. Great choice for school age kids! Just make sure yours are not equipped with a flashlight if you don't want them acting like zombies in the morning.