The Hidden Window Mystery (1975) - Plot & Excerpts
I read a bunch of these as a girl, along with a few Hardy Boys, and even a few.. was it 'Bobbsey twins'? Not sure if I read this one or not, but came across it as a grown up.Thought I'd explore how well they stood the test of time with my daughter - not well. In our case.But perhaps some others do still find them fun.For that instance, thought I'd mention a few things. This one takes place in a mansion in Charleston, SC; which has a number of interesting features. One set of features has to do with its history as a plantation house during the slave days. There is a long tunnel that goes below the house: "When the girls reached the pool into which George had fallen, she laughed. "Probably this was where the slaves paused to fill pitchers on their way to serve meals."Finally, at the end of the tunnel, there is a bolted door; and beyond that - the slave quarters. None of which is of note to the characters in the book, which was bizarre to me as a grown-up. Maybe it's a Southern thing. The other thing is that this mystery centers on peacock feathers. They keep popping up in the story, which has to do also with parts of the house that were decorated by peacock feather designs originally. Turns out, one of the characters in the book is from India, and he had been hiding the peacocks because he thought Americans were superstitious about them, believing them to bring bad luck. Earlier on in the book is mentions that the feathers in their fantails, especially, are said to bring bad luck. That notion is scoffed at (they use words like 'scoff' in these books). Actually in the text, "Nancy remarked that in India peacocks are held to be sacred. 'That's right," Mr. Ritter agreed. "And so are the cow and the monkey.' "" 'This bird is sacred to us Indians,' Mr. Honsho said, gazing affectionately at the beautiful feathered creature."Anyway, the mystery had to do with an antique stained-glass window (which showed a Knight riding off to battle, holding the family shield which has a peacock emblazoned on it), which had been covered up with brick in order to preserve it during the Civil War. Alls well that ends well:"'Well, Nancy,' she said, 'besides solving this whole mystery and exonerating innocent people, you've even proved that peacocks are above suspicion!'"So, those are some elements involved in this one instance..
I have a couple things to say about this book. First, just recently while I was reading this book, my mom came into my room and saw me reading Nancy Drew like always and said: "Are you all Drewed out?" and I rather bluntly replied, "No I'm Drawn out if anything." The next thing is that I've learned that in all the Nancy Drew books Nancy is always hit in the head and then instead of reacting like me own brother did when he got hit on the head with something really hard, she says something like: "Let's go catch that criminal!"My brother has acted differently ever since his little accident happened what's up with that?:D
What do You think about The Hidden Window Mystery (1975)?
The Hidden Window Mystery is a children's story by Carolyn Keene (pseudonym) and the 34th book in the Nancy Drew series. A magazine article offering a large reward to anyone who can find a missing medieval stained-glass window intrigues Nancy Drew. She asks Bess and George to join her on a search in Charlottesville, Virginia. And before the three friends leave River Heights, their adversary tries to get them to postpone the trip. But no such luck, as Nancy is determined to carry through her plans. I’ve always been a voracious reader. So, as a child, one of my favorite things about summer was the frequent trips to our local library, which was less than a mile from our house. Like most young girls of a certain age (ahem), my love for mysteries started with Nancy Drew—there simply was no mystery too baffling that she couldn’t solve. And as I would read her most current adventure, I would imagine myself following in her footsteps … taking charge and plunging ahead, getting into mischief, chasing down culprits and solving the mystery. Even though I haven’t re-read any of these books since I was a child, I still think that Nancy is a great character—her courage, confidence and fierce independence, makes her an iconic source of inspiration for young girls everywhere. A must-read children's book, The Hidden Window Mystery is another wonderful Nancy Drew mystery.
—Phe☽♃
must. find. hidden. window.The Story.When Nancy Drew reads an advertisement for a lost stained glass window in the newspaper, her imagination is entirely diverted. The design of the window is historically unique, and the window itself holds great intrinsic value as the legacy of a proud English family. Nancy decides to track down this window with the help of her friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, but it becomes increasingly obvious that someone doesn’t want her to find the window…But who could wish to foil Nancy’s search?Discussion.A few people posit that peacocks are bad omens, but they are portrayed as superstitious individuals. One girl believes she has seen a ghost, but it turns out to be a person in a sheet. (Seriously?!? SO stereotypical.)Conclusion. A fun romp into the 1950s.Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
—Laura Verret
