Nancy Drew and the Secret of Red Gate Farm
by Carolyn KeeneLibrary used book sales are awesome! You can find some great, interesting, thought-provoking, and not so great reads there for pennies. At the same time you help the local library to raise funds for programs and the care of the resident pet. Our library has a snake named Simba.
During the last sale, Xyra and Kaya went for the bag sale and stuffed their bag full. One of the books they brought home was Nancy Drew #6 in almost new condition.
Haley
It must be fun to go shopping by train. Nancy gets to do a lot of fun things. Unfortunately, the good times are disrupted by mean people. Anyway, I really liked this mystery. It had a lot of action and was very exciting. I almost couldn't put it down.Kaya
Nancy, Bess, and George are so nice; they are always helping someone. This was a fun read. I liked the action but also the vocabulary. I learned quite a few new terms this time around - they are new words, but not difficult to find out what they mean.Kirsten
Farm life, that's in my own background. I connected with this story from the point of view of Jo and her grandmother trying to keep their land. Good, honest people struggling to raise money for the bills and taxes. Nancy and friends charge to the rescue.Lanie
Where's Ned? I guess he becomes part of the team later in the series. Oh, well, Karl Jr. was a nice guy. Lots of activity in this book: codes; shady characters; threatening notes and phone calls; Nancy Bess and George almost get arrested - yep, you read that right; dancing in the field; and chasing cows. Loved it!Melody
How could one bottle of perfume cause so much trouble? Find out the answer to that question by reading The Secret of Red Gate Farm. :) This was a fun read. It did have spots that I thought were a little slow, but other chapters made up for those so you could call this installment a real page turner.Xyra
The Secret of Red Gate Farm by Carolyn KeeneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As this is #6 in the series, it is classic Nancy Drew! Well written and filled with action (nefarious and kind). Love the vocabulary.
In the Secret of Red Gate Farm, the action started on page one and it didn't let up (much) until the last page. Nancy and her friends, Bess and George, are heading home from a shopping trip in the city. Bess fell in love with a type of perfume and the sales clerk tried not to sell it to her. Nancy is ready to brush it off when the train lurches and the perfume spills. While cleaning up the spill the girls meet a new friend and offer her their help. From there a mysterious tale weaves together and takes the reader away on a journey to the country and a farm with caves on part of the property.
I truly enjoy reading a story where the characters are polite and helpful. While Carson Drew seems like the original absent parent, he always takes Nancy's calls and helps her when necessary. He is also loving and supportive. As a single father, he's pretty cool.
Certain times the prices of things are mentioned...that is when the story does date itself. Four ice cream sundaes today would cost the girls $20 plus a tip. While younger readers may laugh or react with a, "WHAT?!" when Nancy is able to fill her gas tank with less than $20, it's a nice look back in history.
With regards to character depth...the bad guys were sinister, but also pretty flat. We get a better picture of Nancy, Bess, George, Jo, and Karl Jr. Sorry, no Ned in this one.
This installment was completely enjoyable with great tension...the reader will know when the main climax is about to happen. It takes a few chapters to get through everything and tidy up. A line near the end makes me believe that Nancy's group of sleuths, as well as the Hardy Boys, were the inspiration for Scooby-Doo. Reading that one line made me smile.
Kid Lit Blog Hop #66
It's a lot of fun being part of this blog hop.
#KidLitBlogHop
I love Nancy Drew mysteries! I wonder what line connects to Scooby-do?! I enjoy your book reviews. The Nancy Drew reviews inspire me to reread them....the dated language is fun!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thankyou! Nancy Drew mysteries are fun to re-read, and some are quick reads. :)
DeleteI don't have the book at my fingertips, but the line was something along the lines of, "We'd have gotten away with it too if it weren't for these meddling girls." Again, not a direct quote. :-D
~Xyra
Thanks! I've dressed some of my ag dolls up to be Nancy, Bess and George.....Kit's hats and clothes make good costumes:))
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! I bet Kit's wardrobe does work well for that. I think Maryellen's will too.
Delete