Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock

The title of the book that I read is called The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. This book's  first copyright was in 1930. The genre of this book is mystery and suspense because throughout the entire story Nancy Drew, the main character is trying to unravel an untold mystery. There has been many different versions of this book and cover but the most famous being the copy printed in 1959 and in 1987. Nancy Drew is an 18 year old teenager who lives with only her dad because her mother died a few years ago. Her dad is a lawyer and Nancy loves to help him investigate in every case he gets and she likes to go to work with him to help. Since her father works during the day Nancy has a housekeeper, Hannah who takes care of Nancy while her father is at work. The overall theme of this book is to do the right thing and to always be honest and tell the truth even it's hard.
     This story is told in a series of events from what happens in order in the book.Nancy Drew who is 18 lives with her father, a  lawyer, and Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper who has cared for Nancy since her mother's death a couple years ago. As Nancy drives through the country, she sees a little girl run into the road and nearly get hit by a moving van. The van speeds away, and Nancy rushes to the child's rescue.She takes the child, Judy, home and meets the girl's aunts, Mary and Edna Turner. They've been Judy's guardians since her parents' deaths. They admit to Nancy that money is getting tight. Their wealthy cousin, Josiah Crowley, had promised to provide for them in his will. But when Josiah died a few months earlier, all his money went to other cousins, the Tophams. Known in town for their wealth and arrogance, the Tophams took Josiah in near the end of his life. Still, he wasn't especially close to the family. The Turners and other relatives wonder if Josiah wrote a later will that included them.Nancy investigates, talking to other relatives that have potential of  Josiah's fortune. The struggling Hoover sisters are former neighbors of Josiah's. One has an amazing voice but she can't afford vocal training. Josiah's cousins, the Mathews brothers, work a small farm and have always dreamed of traveling. Elderly Abby Rowen desperately needs medical care she can't afford. Nancy becomes convinced another will exists, and she's desperate to help her new friends receive the money they need. Nancy goes to the Tophams vacation home where Abby said the will could be. When she gets there she sees the can that almost ran over Judy, she goes inside when she thinks the robbers are gone but the come back and lock her in a closet. Later the house gets her out and Nancy informs the state police about the robbers and goes on a hunt for them. While she's looking for them she finds there can along the road across from a diner and she seeks inside the van. She finds the clock and gets it and goes back to her car to take the clock back, later she opens the clock and finds the new will Josiah had written. Nancy later informs Josiah's relatives about there portion of this fortune they will be receiving. The intended audience is young girl adults who like to read mystery. The genre genre and field of this book is mystery and suspense, because the throughout the book there is a mystery and there is suspect see while reading. The book fits into that by solving the mystery and ending the suspenseful feeling once you have finished the book. The author keeps you interested by leaving cliffhangers at the ends of chapters, making you want to read more.  The author'a style is leaving cliffhangers which is effective for the intended audience because it makes you want to finish the book to find out what happens. 
     This book affected me by making me want to finish it which I don't usually finish a lot of books. I didn't really change any ideas I had, but this fits into my personal world view because it's a good life lesson to have. This book brought up memories from when I read Sherlock Holmes and it reminded me of the author Pseudonymous Bosch.
      I think that this was an okay book, I didn't really like mystery plot of the book and I think the author could or added more detail to the characters. But I like the authors writing style and I think it's effective because it makes you want to finish the book.
     

Sophia Zarafshani

11/04/13

RATING:*** 3