Agreed! Loved those guys.
Though being a tomboy with a girly streak, I loved the descriptions of Nancy’s seemingly limitless wardrobe…
No bells are ringing, though I also recall plowing through the Great Brain books by John Dennis Fitzgerald.
I was born in '68 and I read every single one of the Nancy Drew books. I was/am a very fast reader, so I would check out the max number each library visit. I suppose that was somewhere around the 5th grade or so. The Hardy Boys did not do much for me, mostly fed my desire for more Nancy when I had finished the series.
I hear they have updated some of the stories to bring Nancy forward.
I also religiously watched the TV show. I loved Pamela Sue Martin.
I’m curious if kids still read the Misty* of Chincoteague books. God I loved those.
*Sweet baby jesus! They taxidermied her!
Same here. And also Rick Blaine.
It was watchable.
My 8yo daughter loves Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, the Three Investigators, Encyclopedia Brown, Misty of Chincoteague, and even the Hardy Boys (which I never read, I don’t know why). However, some of these have come right from me–there are maybe 4 Three Investigators books left in the library, and no Trixie Belden. Encyclopedia Brown has just been reissued with snappy new covers, so they must still be pretty popular.
What’s funny about Nancy Drew is how every time they try to come out with a ‘contemporary’ (modern, even slightly naughty) Nancy, the new series fails after a few years and goes away. But the classic 60’s books just keep chugging along, though they could certainly use new illustrations and a bit of freshening up.
I should add that if you’re a normal kid and not the daughter of a librarian, you’ve never heard of Trixie or Jupiter Jones. But lots of girls still love Nancy Drew and some of the others.
I read Nancy in the early-mid eighties, right through the “Files” books that followed her to college. I don’t have daughters, only sons, but I’d love to see my oldest read a good mystery or two. As it is, he’s pretty enamoured of the Captain Underpants books and other silly-type stories. At least he reads. I’d forgotten about the Two Minute Mysteries–I loved those. I’ll have to check and see if there are any at the library and try to reel him in.
Consider my mind blown. I came in here to sing the praises of ‘The Three Investigators’ and never dreamed I’m run into not one, but two people who were fans as well! This is approximately 2 more people to profess a love for this series than I’ve ever met in real life. That is just awesome. 
I did try the Nancy Drew series in middle school (I’m 26 now), but for some reason I didn’t stick with it. I like some of the current computer games, though.
I loved the Nancy Drew books as a child. I read them in the late 70s-early 80s. I had some that were handed down from my mom, and she bought me a bunch more so I probably had about 20 or so. I also liked Trixie Belden and The Bobbsey Twins. I only read one or two Hardy Boys. Not sure why, they seemed OK as I remember.
I grew up with Nancy Drew books that were older than my parents.
Old, crumbling, blue fabric bindings, wartime publishing of 1930’s text. Nancy Drew on running boards with a revolver in her purse, Nancy Drew in houses not as of yet wired for electricity, etc.
Damn those were good.
I ADORED Trixie!!!
And I loved Pete, Bob and Jupe…I remember the one where they go to some European Kingdom and there’s some spider jewerly involved…and they also get introduced to the Iron Maiden.
Nancy Drew is Pat Savage???
Bonita Granville- I have a collection of the old movie series.
I loved Nancy Drew, and I had my Mom’s old set of Judy Bolton books … her boyfriend later husband was a G-Man (worked for the FBI). Judy was a bit older than Nancy so her books were a bit scarier.
Thanks for stirring my Judy memories, twickster; now I’ll go online and look her and the author up.
I also had a lot of the Three Investigator books - for a long time I thought they were actually written by Hitchcock. I didn’t read the other series though I knew about them.
I think come the '50s or '60s they bowdlerized the gunplay out of the old editions of all the Stratemeyer syndicate books (I have some memory of vintage copies where Joe Hardy packed heat as well). They also cleaned up some of the discussion of ancient Negro retainers and Red Injuns and the like.
Hahahahahaha - I was trying to remember where I got hold of the Three Investigators, but I think you’ve nailed it. Not-quite-normal, daughter of a librarian, check!
Three boys in our family, and when we would get our weekly allowances, my brothers would buy candy or some toys or whatever - I would always buy a Hardy Boys book.
I can remember being afraid that one day Mr. Dixon would die and there would be (gasp!) no more Hardy Boy books to read when I got older! (Little did I know the books were already being farmed out and written by multiple authors using the same formula.)
Those books inspired me to ask for, and get, an old typewriter for my birthday and I sat down and wrote my first (small) novel when I was about 11. I wish I still had that copy - it was an adventure story of a boy who couldn’t find an adventure.
I read a bazillion of them when I was a kid. Born in 1980.