A review by clawrenc
The Message in the Hollow Oak by Carolyn Keene

2.0

Read both the original and re-written version of this book for a course on children's literature. The original, 1937 Message in the Hollow Oak was a romance story set in Canada; Nancy wins some property in a contest, and on her way to survey it (hoping to find gold) she gets involved in an exciting adventure that includes a train derailment, being shot at, several kidnappings, and blowing up a dam with dynamite, all to stop some crooks from taking what is hers (while reuniting some long-lost lovers, of course)! The re-write also involves various characters being kidnapped, but instead of Canada Nancy finds herself in Illinois, assisting an archaeological dig (disturbing the remains of an unnamed "Indian" tribe which is problematic in itself) and solving a four-hundred-year-old mystery that some professionals just couldn't figure out. The original is exciting, delightfully far-fetched, and, well, *original*, whereas the re-write seems formulaic and predictable. Nancy of the 1950s is far less independent and far more boy-crazy (and has men falling at her feet, begging for her attention at every turn). In the end, there is no comparison: if you want the real Nancy Drew, plucky sixteen-year-old girl detective who's not afraid of getting her hands dirty, get your hands on the original stories. The re-writes are an embarrassing mockery of the girl we know and love.