The Secret at Shadow Ranch (Nancy Drew, Book 5) [Facsimile] [Hardcover]

Carolyn Keene (Author), Russell H. Tandy (Illustrator), Mildred Wirt Benson (Introduction)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

In Arizona, Nancy uncovers a strange mystery about a kidnapped child.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective and Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Applewood Books (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557091595
• ISBN-13: 978-1557091598
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon are the pseudonyms under which many ghostwriters penned the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series, respectively. Both series were created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm, in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet, and syndicate writer Mildred Wirt Benson were the two people primarily responsible for bringing the iconic character of Nancy Drew to life in the minds and hearts of millions of readers around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A window back into a different social context, April 9, 2007

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

One of the most interesting ways to track the changes in the American social body is to contrast the plots of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys adventure books over time. This one, originally written in 1931, reflects a far different American culture than those written later.
In this story, Nancy and her companions Elizabeth and George travel to Shadow Ranch in the wilds of Arizona. It is a somewhat rundown place, but still could easily be repaired. While there, they learn how to ride horses and the basic principles of running a ranch. Their adventures revolve around riding horses out into the wild and managing to get lost on a regular basis. The mystery involves a nasty woman named Martha Frank and the young girl named Lucy who lives with her. Other characters are the local junkman Zany Shaw and Ross Rogers, an odd man that was on the train with the girls when they traveled to Arizona.
The ending is one that simply would not be acceptable to the modern child. It involves what was thought to be a murder, the kidnapping of an infant, a case of serious amnesia and all of that being resolved by Nancy at the end. The dialog is typical of the thirties and it is clear that the author had little to no experience with cattle. While I find such stories fascinating as a window back in time, the modern young reader will be baffled by the dialog, plot and many of the references.

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Being a Girl, December 26, 2009

By 

P. Woodland "Broken Teepee" (Superior, MT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Secret at Shadow Ranch (Nancy Drew, Book 5) (Hardcover)

I loved these books as a girl and I am now building the set for my niece. It's hard not to read them again before I give them to her. I suppose they might seem old fashioned in this day and age and I know there are updated Nancy Drew mysteries but I am sticking with the originals for the good basic stories that help to develop problem solving skills.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret of Shadow Ranch, February 2, 2007

A Kid's Review

This book is about Nancy,she is trying to find out about the mystery of Shadow Ranch. The book is called that beacause a phatom horse is running around.Nancy and friends go to a cafe and someone puts a note in her bag.And they tried to chatch him but he was to fast.Then,they went to a house where they bought a painting from the people they said it was from Mr.Bursey.So, they grabed a pair of hores and rode to his house.When they got there and asked if he had anymore painting's left he said no.So they went a diffrent path and it was narrow they heard someone following them so,they went in a cave and were as quiet as a mouse. Once the stranger was gone they ran away.Finally they went to the ciff house and saw a huge rock in front.So, Nancy figured out how to get in. She saw a V for valantine on the ceiling and it was and it was Mr.Valanitine treasure some people tried to steal it and ended up going to JAIL.



BY:jESSICA NICOLE MCKENNA