Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Wooden Lady (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, No 27)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This time Nancy is asked to solve a case to help Captain Easterly uncover the mysterious ghostly prowlers that has been having.

Nancy, Bess and George set out on the ship and take residence on it as they try to solve the mystery. They try to help Captain Easterly find the old, wooden lady that used to go in the front of his boat. The girls try to find information about the wooden lady, but nothing is under the Bonny Scot's name. Going deeper they find out that there is a treausre on-board and the prowlers want it! Hopefully they will find it before the visitors do!

This by far is my favorite book! I really liked this one. It was exciting in a lot of parts and I like stories about pirate treasure! Carolyn Keene did a good job on this one. Bravo!

As Nancy's father is asked to meet an old friend in Boston, she is told the reason why. Captin Easterly says there has been ghost on his ship. When Captin Easterly was going to buy the ship, the owner finds out that the ship never belonged to his uncle, where he got the boat from. Without proof to who the ship belongs to he is not willing to sell the ship. As Nancy, Bess, and George sleuth they find the original name of th eboat, where the figurehead dissapeared to, and the secret in the boat. Carolyn Keene discribes everything so detailed you feel like your Nancy yourself!

This review concerns the original 1950 edition as well as the revised 1967 edition which is similar to the original, only it is shorter. A friend of Mr. Drew's from Boston, Capt. Easterly, is hoping to buy the ship on which he is currently living. However, the owner doesn't have a clear title to the ship and is unable to sell it. Capt. Easterly asks Mr. Drew to look into the matter since no record of the previous owners can be found. Also, mysterious prowlers have been on board the ship, apparently looking for something. Nancy, Mr. Drew and, later, Bess and George go to Boston to help solve the mysteries. This book is alright, it is written fairly well, the mystery is somewhat interesting and there is some action. However, it is not among my favorite books of the series. I found that many times it was by random circumstance that Nancy picked up important clues. For example, they take the boat out of Boston Harbor and sail to an arbitrarily picked cove. While in a village on the cove, Nancy gets important clues to the real name of the ship and to the location of its lost figurehead. The book is worth reading, but I don't think that too many fans will count this one among their top 5 favorites.

My mom and dad got the secret of the wooden lady ( older version) for me for Christmas! I loved it! The first day i got it i read in my room the whole day! The book is rich in detail and a great story! I say its one of the best with the Ghost of Blackwood Hall, And the sign of the twisted candles!

This story starts off like most of the Nancy Drew mysteries with her father, Carson Drew, asking her to help him with his case. When a robbery occurs at her friend Bess Marvin's home, Nancy is suddenly thrown into a mystery that leads her to Boston and a mysterious old clipper ship called the Bonny Scott and dangerous criminals.

With all this madness she begins one of her most dangerous, mysterious, and frstrating adventures of all time. With her friends, Bess and George, Nancy picks up many mind-boggling clues which lead her to meet the descendant of the Bonny Scott's captain's fiance. She will not only help a friend stay in his home and clear the mysterious Bonny Scott's title, she will also fill in the blank of a widow woman's history and help her thrive. She will also catch one of the most dangerous criminals in America.

I would recommend this book to people of all ages.
By Siobhan, Age 10

From the get go, this book doesn't dissapoint. Firstly Nancy is knocked unconcious by some sinister criminal, who is robbing her friend's house. Surprise, surprise, this criminal later turns up in Boston where Nancy is on a case. Nancy is stung by a black widow and gets poisened by a doll. She is victim to some strange electro magnetic thing a majig and her arm stuck to a wall. Nancy falls into an old pit and is saved by Bess and George. She has a rock thrown at her 5 times by various criminal masterminds who wish to stop her sleuthing. Bess twists her ankle and has to stay behind at a pivitol point. Nancy is kidnapped and tied up and left for dead. Luckily she manages to escape. Bess is locked in a closet and almost killed by fire. Oh, and the gang is delayed by several detours while sleuthing via car. Won't be sorry!!!

One of the most interesting ways to conduct social research is to read and study the changes in the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew series from their beginning to the present. Not only do they reflect the technological changes over time, they also demonstrate many changes in the social structure of the United States. In my opinion that is more evident in the Nancy Drew series than in the Hardy Boys.
The Nancy Drew series began in the 1930's when women were considered the weaker sex and there were few career opportunities for women. In the movies, women were portrayed as weak, subject to fainting at the first hint of danger. Therefore, even though Nancy and her female companions conformed to that stereotype, they were in fact ahead of the social curve for the time. They were aggressive in pursuing their goals, stood up in the presence of danger and were portrayed as being very intelligent.
This book was written in 1950, yet Nancy acts more like a rebellious girl of the late sixties. Even though she is warned of the dangers of pursuing the case, she never backs down and is even willing to physically fight with her attackers. When this plot is contrasted with the earlier books written in the 1930's, she is much more aggressive and that is a welcome change.
The plot involves an old sailing ship called the "Bonny Scot." There are many mysteries about the ship and the villains in this case keep searching it looking for something. Nancy stays on the case and learns that the original name of the ship was "Dream of Melissa." The ship was lost and the former captain had written a letter to his sweetheart telling her about the priceless gift he was bringing back. That unknown treasure is what the villains are looking for, yet the search is difficult. The "Dream of Melissa" has many secret places were things can be hidden and each must be searched. Furthermore, the original figurehead of the ship was a wooden lady and that was removed many years ago. Fortunately, Nancy is able to track it down and solve the mystery.
As a modern teen adventure story, this one is weak. However, if considered in the context of the early 1950's it was far ahead of its time. Nancy is brave, aggressive and willing to stand up to the villains by herself.

I loved the book; it was so wonderful. I liked it when the police and Nancy Drew caught the bad guys: old grizzle face, flip Fay, and red Quint (who wasn't really bad). They got the ruby to the right person. It was all good; a wonderful book... When...someone robbed Bess's house (Nancy's friend)...dun, dun, dun, it was very suspenseful and scary. It really grabbed my attention. I kept wanting to read and read. If you are a fan of mysteries, then you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Amanda B. age 9

nancy is asked by captain easterly to find out who his mysterious vistitor is. he also wants nancy to find the lost figure head that was lost many years before . then nancy finds the BONNY SCOT was not the clipper's true name! so now i'll let you read the book to find out what happens next.

Although this book has some good qualities, it lacks behind "Clue of the Dancing Puppet" and "Mystery at the Ski Jump."