I tried reading a "regular" Nancy Drew with Sophie, but she just wasn't in to it. Discovered that there's now a Nancy Drew series for younger readers, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, and so we tried this one (the first). It was a big hit. We read two or three chapters a night and she was totally engrossed and wants to read more of them.We've read several at this point. Some general observations:The books are real mysteries (albeit not terribly complicated ones), introducing kids to the tropes of the genre--a mystery is introduced, false suspects are introduced, clues are provided that allow a sharp reader to deduce the answer before the denouement, etc. The mysteries do not involve any danger, and in general do not involve people deliberately engaging in criminal activities--most mysteries are resolved as accidents or misunderstandings. Like the original mysteries, these are also typical serial fiction--we have a regular cast of characters, a regular cast of secondary and often tertiary characters, a recurring setting. Characters do not age (all of the stories presume Nancy and friends are in third grade), and there's no character development. The mystery, its resolution, and the role the girls play in the resolution are the focus of the stories.My four year-old finds them totally engaging, and they've proven an enormous hit at bed-time, making a nice transition away from picture books and towards longer stories.
The first book in the Nancy Drew and the Crew Clue series, that follows Nancy Drew and her two best friends Bess and George (the same cast of characters from the original Nancy Drew series written in the 1950's-1960's) when they began solving mysteries at age 8 and in the third grade.In this book, Nancy, Bess and George are invited to a birthday sleepover at Deidre's house, where Deidre receives a much-sought-after gift of a rare doll. The doll disappears and Deidre asks Nancy and her friends to find it. The girls are methodical in their detective work, capturing data about clues, motives and suspects, as they work to solve the mystery before Deidre's deadline.All in all, a cute book and an enjoyable read. My seven year-old daughter enjoyed the story as well, and she had fun trying to figure out "who dun it" before the mystery was revealed at the end (her guesses were mostly correct, but she did not figure out the who). I will enjoy reading the other books in the series, and am glad that there are Nancy Drew stories suitable for my younger child. Can't wait until she's old enough for the teen-aged Nancy Drew!
What do You think about Sleepover Sleuths (2007)?
Read by: MelanieGenre: MysteryAuthor: Carolyn Keene Illustrator: Macky PamintuanInterest Level: 3-5Grade Level Equivalent: 3.2DRA: N/ALexile: 580L Nancy Drew and her friends are invited to a sleepover at Deirdre's house and were instructed to bring their City Girls dolls with them. Deirdre unveils the new, cool doll that she received for her birthday, Hollywood Heather, but when morning comes she is missing. Did someone steal her new doll and can Nancy figured out what happened? Nancy Drew has always captured the attention of young female readers, but is great for boys and girls. This book also teaches that honesty is an important aspect of being someone's friend.
—Melanie, Aaron, Annie, and Mary Project
If your daughter is a mystery fan but isn't old enough to the original Nancy Drew Books these are a great start for an avid reader. The mysteries are simple and real clues are presented. (In this story Deirdre's special City Girl Doll disappears at her birthday party and Nancy is tasked with finding out which guest took the doll.) Nancy Drew is 8 years old in the book, Bess and George are also in this series as part of the "Clue Crew". There are pictures and the content is such that you don't have to worry about your child being frightened by a spooky mystery. In the back of each of these books an activity is presented. Cut and past crowns and things like that.
—Miri
Deirdre`s doll Hollywood Heather goes missing and Nancy, Bess, and George are helping. It`s their first mystery and Nancy`s done lots of research by reading and watching mysteries.So this is how Nancy Drew and her friends Bess and George start their love of mysteries, and solving them!
—Callie Stillion
