I have to point out that I read every Nancy Drew I could get my hands on back in the late 70s. I was about 10 years old. They were consistently interesting, with cool facts about geography, science, and history. They were not too scary or gory; they always ended well. Nancy had a steady boyfriend and two best female friends; she could drive and, though she didn't have a mother, had a loving mother-figure in her life, without the messiness of a stepmother or a parental divorce. At the time I attached no importance whatsoever to her having a boyfriend; I just knew, as I had been taught by my parents, that dating would have to wait until I was 16. I was okay with that restriction; it relieved me to know I did not have to worry about boys until then (I could either ignore them or be friends, without romance). That was the first extended series of books I ever read; I have not found any other series since then that was as fulfilling to me as those books were then. It was what I needed. Of course, part of the bliss was that I had relatively few books to compare them with; my love affair with books was new. I recently was at loose ends, wanting the ability to dip into a book and swim in it, uninterrupted, blissfully intrigued in the story. This book I found on my shelf; my daughters are reading Nancy Drew occasionally now. I reread it so I could remember and rate it, and felt again that Nancy's world is simpler and happier, though still challenging, than the adult world I now inhabit. There is a place for stories that do not challenge the frontiers of fiction, that encourage and refresh with the knowledge that sometimes things work out beautifully for everyone.I also have to point out that my 1962 edition had been rewritten from the original Clue in the Diary, which I did not know until this time around. I've never read the original. I strongly suspect Nancy Drew is being rewritten yet again; I'd rather keep the ones I'm familiar with. The 'modern' paperbacks of Nancy Drew that I read in the mid-80s felt different, somehow; they didn't have the same 'everything will be fine' assumption. I missed it, and so for my children I've kept the older volumes.
Okay, so Nancy finds a diary during a house fire and believes there could be a clue in it to find the arsonist. (hence, the title) while leaving the scene, her car is in an accident and meets Ned Nickerson -- Yay! He falls head-over heals in disgusting puppy love and will do anything to help solve the case. As in every Nancy Drew book she has a charity case, The Swensons, whose father/husband has gone on the job hunt and not sending money! Of course this sends Nancy on another case --Yippee and in turn helps with the first, the mysterious house fire of the disliked Raybolts. Then the Nancy Drew normal happens, the charity case goes all "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi you our hope" minus the cinnamon-bun hair-do. Nancy saves both intertwining case and all is right in the world again.I liked this installment, I didn't love it but it was a good read-in-a-day book. I really liked that Ned has come into the picture now, someone who will probably be on the same level of mystery-solving instead of her friends George and Bess, who basically follow Nancy around and take the incentive. The Clue in the Diary was clever, well thought-out and an enjoyable read. Carolyn Keene is starting to branch out from a "Clue" kind of mystery crime solving i.e. Mr. Mustard, in the library with the revolver; giving a deeper storyline and developing Nancy' character. She is not just some girl who runs around solving mysteries, but a thought provoking, intelligent wanna-be-your-best-friend kind of girl.
What do You think about The Clue In The Diary (1995)?
When Nancy and her friends, George and Bess, see a beautiful house, it suddenly explodes into flames and Nancy sees a suspicious man run away from the house. The burning house belongs to an older couple named the Raybolts. Mr. Raybolt cheats inventors into selling him their patents then keeps the money. At the scene of the burnt house, Nancy notices a small diary, but its written in Swedish! After searching for someone who can translate the book she finally gets to Mr. Peterson, the old baker and he says that the book is full of inventions and it belongs to Joe Swenson, Nancy, George and Bess's little friends (Honey) father! Is Honey's father the cause of the house fire?
—Abby Kilman
While returning from a carnival, Nancy, George and Bess witness a large home suddenly burst into flames. Thinking that there may be someone trapped inside, the girls rush to the house to help. They are unable to enter the home because of the heat, but Nancy spots a man running away from the house and later finds a diary, written in Swedish, which contains numerous technical drawings. Did the man start the fire? Does the diary belong to him? And what became of Felix Raybolt, the owner if the home, who apparently has gone missing? Clues lead Nancy to suspect that the diary belongs to the husband of a poor woman that Nancy met at the carnival along with her little girl. Nancy becomes determined to prove that Joe Swenson didn't start the fire, but all of the clues she uncovers seem to suggest that he is guilty. Personally, I thought that the mystery isn't very exciting and the book really lacks a true criminal. Thankfully, the writing style used in the book is rather enjoyable, so it keeps the book from being a complete waste of time. One thing to note about this book is that this is the volume where Nancy meets Ned Nickerson and oddly enough her first thought of him is that he is trying to steal her car! This book is worth reading for the writing, but its not likely that many fans of Nancy Drew will find this book to be one of their favorites. Book Details: Title The Clue in the Diary (Nancy Drew, #7)Author Carolyn KeeneReviewed By Purplycookie
—PurplyCookie
(This review is for the revised text only)Good old Nancy Drew! It's been a while since i read one of the first 56 Nancy Drews, and i must say this one doesn't disappoint! I couldn't put it down during the whole reading, and enjoyed it from start to finish! But, once I get halfway through the book, it became predictable and i pretty much solved the case, but it was still a fun read! Intentionally, i would have given this book 4 stars, but since this is the first book where Nancy and Ned meet and start their 80+ relationship, i,m going to give it 5 stars!
—Eric Wood
