The Mystery of the Desert Giant (Hardy Boys, Book 40) [Hardcover]

Franklin W. Dixon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

The Hardy boys travel to Mexico to solve the mystery of a missing plane and its passengers. Their only clues are giant desert drawings made by Native Americans hundreds of years ago.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (December 1, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448089408
• ISBN-13: 978-0448089409
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Mystery & Detective > Hardy Boys
  • #85 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( D ) > Dixon, Franklin W.

More About the Author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors (Leslie McFarlane, a Canadian author being the first) who wrote The Hardy Boys novels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Giant Is not that Mysterious, May 6, 2006

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mystery of the Desert Giant (Hardy Boys, Book 40) (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of this series, but this particular book left me a little cold. For much of the book the Hardy Boys wander around in search of the crooks, and when they finally encounter the crooks, the action is over quickly. Even when there is action, such as when a boat rented by the Hardys is bombed, the inept crooks miss!

Then there is the Desert Giant. The author attempted to use the Desert Giant, which is a character that Native Americans created hundreds of years ago, as a rendezvous location for crooks and the point where an industrialist disappeared. The Desert Giant only appears in the story two or three times, and turns out not to be all that important except as a location.

For me the best part of this story was the crime itself. This 1961 story describes a crime that had to be new at that time. I will leave the crime for readers to discover. I also thought that the criminals used an interesting method of committing their crime that also seems to have been somewhat unique for the early 1960s.

If you are a big fan of the Hardy Boys, then you will want this book for your collection. If you have yet to discover the Hardy Boys series, then I recommend the first ten books in the series rather than this particular volume.

The publisher recommends the Hardy Boys series for ages 9 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. This particular book is a good fit for the new age range. Though the Hardy Boys series contains archaic information, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are good. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars best and most adventerous top 15, June 18, 2011

By 

Mario Miragliotta - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hardy Boys 40: Mystery of the Desert Giant: Mystery of the Desert Giant (Kindle Edition)

this is such a exciting mystery what is supposed to be there friend soon turn in to an enemy very very thrilling

4.0 out of 5 stars Packed With Adventure, January 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mystery of the Desert Giant (Hardy Boys, Book 40) (Hardcover)

This mystery takes the brothers west into the desert in search of the missing Willard Grafton. This volume has remained one of my favorite higher volumes. The brothers have a great amount of interaction with the criminals, especially Caeser and Ringer. I especially liked the middle of the book when they are lost in the desert and hop aboard first an old antique motorized car of sorts and a freight car after that. This book flows along effortlessly while keeping the reader interested with very little suspense. RATED B+