Nancy Drew’s 80th Anniversary

NANCY DREW CELEBRATES HER 80th BIRTHDAY IN MAY 2010

NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES: THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK

80th Anniversary Limited Edition

by Carolyn Keene

Publishers: Grosset and Dunlap

On Sale April 29, 2010

▪ Hardcover

Ages 8 and up / Grades 3 and up

▪ 192 pages

▪ $6.99 / $8.50 CANADA

From the publisher: The original teen girl amateur detective continues to influence generation after generation of young women readers.


Iconic super-sleuth Nancy Drew has dazzled generations of readers with her smart and daring detective skills since her first mystery, The Secret of the Old Clock, was published on April 28, 1930. This May marks the 80th anniversary of the brilliant heroine, whose books are published in 25 languages and have sold more than 65 million copies in the United States and 200 million copies worldwide.


“From the moment Nancy Drew arrived, readers identified with her as a character of substance and intelligence, a character that they could admire and look up to. Her timeless appeal is a credit to the strength of the stories and to Nancy herself—a brilliant young woman considered a feminist and ahead of her time, and an influence to the likes of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sonia Sotomayor, and Diane Sawyer,” said Francesco Sedita, Vice President and Publisher, Grosset & Dunlap.


In celebration of this milestone, Grosset & Dunlap will release a special 80th anniversary limited edition of THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK by Carolyn Keene featuring a new cover.

Originally created by Edward Stratemeyer and the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the Nancy Drew series was an instant success with young readers during the depression and World War II, earning a legion of devoted followers. The first distinctive images of Nancy were created by artist Russell H. Tandy. Under Russell’s design, Nancy evolved into a polished, titian-haired girl whose no-nonsense, classic fashion sense allowed her to solve crimes and look gorgeous doing it.


In 1962, Grosset & Dunlap’s distinctive yellow spine and picture cover format was introduced, and is still to this day the established Nancy Drew calling card on bookshelves all over the world. Grosset & Dunlap continues to publish the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, Books 1–56. Since 1980, Simon & Schuster has owned the license for Nancy Drew.

Nancy Drew is a timeless heroine for women young and old, whose influence will undoubtedly continue for years to come. Through both the classic and modern mysteries, her sharp, save-the-day spirit and her infinite gifts as an ingenious and brave crime solver shines through, gaining new readers each day.

Cool Links:
· The Official website for Nancy Drew
· The Nancy Drew Facebook fan page
· Go to www.penguin.com/youngreaders for information on all Penguin Young Readers Group titles.

My take: Once I started reading independently, I'm pretty sure the Nancy Drew series was the first series I read completely.  My school library had them and I diligently checked each book out and devoured it at home.  Nancy Drew was the kind of girl I wanted to be - beautiful, confident and smart, with a devoted best friend (a girl with a boy's name!), father and boyfriend.  I only actually own about 5 of the 56 titles in the original series but dream of one day owning them all so I can read them again for my daughter to read.  I was delighted to discover a used bookstore recently (review to come) that has a literal stockpile of those original yellow sided books in stock so you'll know I'll be back there over and over (Shush! don't tell my husband!) Even though 80 years has passed since the 'birth' of Nancy Drew, she remains as relevant as ever - through her books, my daughter will come to know that it's ok to be a confident and smart woman who can do anything she sets her mind to.  Now read below for a giveaway I sure wish I could have won....

The giveaway: One lucky winner will win the Nancy Drew Prize Pack detailed below, courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing! [US ADDRESSES ONLY PLEASE].

Nancy Drew Prize Pack ($60.46 value)

Includes:

· (1 copy) The Secret of the Old Clock 80th Anniversary Limited Edition 

· (1 game) THQ's Nancy Drew: The Model Mysteries for Nintendo DS

· (1 game) Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy PC Adventure Game

· (1 charm) Nancy Drew Silhouette Pewter Charm

· (1 copy) Nancy Drew Girl Detective: Secret Sabotage

To win: Leave a comment here telling me your favorite Nancy Drew book.  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST,  Thursday, June 3, 2010.  Good Luck!

Bonus entries: Get up to 10 extra entries for a total of 11 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

• "Like" (used to be "Fan") Simon and Schuster on Facebook and leave a comment over there "CPA Mom sent me" (leave a comment here with your FB name-first name only is fine)
• "Like" (used to be "Fan") The Nancy Drew Facebook fan page and leave a comment over there "CPA Mom sent me" (leave a comment here with your FB name-first name only is fine)
• Follow Simon and Schuster on Twitter @simonschuster
• Follow Simon and Schuster Teen @simonteen (leave a comment here with your twitter id)
• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment here)
• Twitter, Stumble or Digg this giveaway
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
• Follow me on Blogger (see top left sidebar)

This review was sponsored by the Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing who provided the books for review and the gift package for giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary books.