After surviving a storm on a lake, Nancy Drew befriends an orphaned girl whose new guardian may be trying to steal her inheritance
A storm, a guardian and a secret cellar
Nancy Drew and her friend Helen are caught in a sudden storm on Melrose Lake, and their boat capsizes. They are rescued by Laura Pendleton, a young woman whose mother has recently died. Laura is about to go and live with a guardian she has never met, but when the guardians turn out to be cold and controlling, Nancy suspects they are not who they claim to be. Her investigation leads to a lonely bungalow in the woods and a discovery in its cellar.
Who will enjoy it
Young mystery readers, fans of the earlier Nancy Drew titles, and adults revisiting the series they read as children.
What you will get
A classic Nancy Drew mystery about a storm on a lake, an orphaned girl's suspicious new guardians and a discovery in a lonely bungalow's cellar.
The Bungalow Mystery Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Nancy Drew · Lake adventure · Stolen inheritance
Length
180 pages · ≈ 5 h
More about this book
The dramatic storm on the lake makes for an exciting opening, and Nancy's rescue sets up a friendship that gives the mystery its emotional stakes. Readers will quickly sympathise with Laura, who is grieving her mother and stuck with guardians who are clearly up to no good. The lake setting, with boats, cottages and summer storms, gives the book a pleasant holiday atmosphere that suits young readers.
Nancy's investigation is pleasingly hands-on. She follows suspects, gathers clues with help from her father, and ends up in real danger in the cellar of the bungalow. Her quick thinking and courage under pressure are on full display, and the climax is genuinely suspenseful for young readers. Helen Corning, Nancy's companion in this early book before Bess and George arrived, is a cheerful sidekick.
The revised text in print is brisk but a little flat, and the villains are easy to identify. Laura's situation is resolved neatly, perhaps too neatly. For young readers who enjoy danger, rescue and a brave heroine, it remains a satisfying early entry in the series. About 180 pages in the Grosset & Dunlap hardcover; retail listings say 192.
The Secret of the Old Clock
The Mystery at Lilac Inn
The Secret of Shadow Ranch
The Tower Treasure
The Clue in the Diary
The Hidden Staircase
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer
Theodore Boone: The Abduction
The City of Ember
The House on the Cliff
Theodore Boone: The Accused
The Missing Chums