The Password to Larkspur Lane

why doesn't GoodReads admit that there are two different novels titled _Password to Larkspur Lane_?? first of all, i read TWO DIFFERENT BOOKS for which i should receive APPROPRIATE CREDIT. secondly, only one of these novels was genuinely interesting. (yes, of COURSE _i_ liked it when nancy purchases then dons the clothing that constitutes her old lady disguise, but i don't think old carolyn keene even mentioned the type of fabric...so whatev. i may be a sucker for descriptions of clothes, but i can certainly tell when someone is just going through the motions.)

when the original Nancy Drews were reissued, i really wanted to be a naysayer because i never read the old ones...but (i learned to) believe the hype! the originals are SO MUCH show more MORE EXCITING! show less

I really did not like this one. As an adult and parent, I strongly disagree with the choices the author had Nancy make in this story, and am dismayed that she wrote the character of Nancy's father to allow her to do those things. I know it is "just" fiction. I would have enjoyed it much better, though, if the author had written it so that Nancy's creative way of looking at things was the focus, without putting the character into some extremely dangerous scenarios.

Nancy solves a mystery involving a disappeared elderly woman named Mrs. Eldridge who is being held in some unknown location, a passenger pigeon carrying a puzzling message, and a mysterious ghostly set of blue wheels of fire that appears near the lakefront house of her friends the Cornings. A lot happens along the way. Nancy has her entry to the flower show knocked over by a great Dane. A housekeeper with a secret past tries to steal the Corning's jewels, and Nancy has her purse snatched. The girls use clues gathered from the pigeon's message to find a house where the elderly lady is held captive, and using a password secured from that same message, find a way through the barbed wire enclosure while impersonating a nurse and another show more elderly lady. However, after rescuing Mrs. Eldridge, Nancy is locked in an underground cistern by the arch-criminal, from which she has to find a way to escape. Alerted by another message sent by passenger pigeon (apparently, when released, these birds go fly where they are told to go), the boyfriends fly small airplanes into the fenced-in enclosure to accomplish the final rescue. As it turns out, the old ladies were being held there until they turned over their money to the crooks. And the strange apparatus that generated rotating circles of fire was a way the crooks would signal across the lake. Why they didn't pick up a telephone or send another passenger pigeon was not explained. But all ends well and Nancy is ready for another mystery.

Silly stuff here, for an adult, but clearly adolescent girls love it, since the heroines exhibit courage and resourcefulness and all have tall, athletic boyfriends. show less

#10 does it again! Nancy's best quote: “I'll wire the International Federation of American Homing Pigeon Fanciers and give them the number stamped on the bird's leg ring.“ This is on PAGE 3! Written by a male ghostwriter, this story contains a lot of threats, voices in the dark, Nancy's head striking the pavement (#nancyheadknocks), and elderly people in danger at a supposed retirement home. This one did not disappoint!

#10 Blue bells will be singing horses! This strange message, attached to the leg of a wounded homing pigeon, involves Nancy Drew in a dangerous mission. Somewhere an elderly woman is being held prisoner in a mansion, and Nancy is determined to find and free her. Meanwhile, the young detective’s close friend, Helen, begs her to solve a second mystery. Helen’s grandparents, the Cornings, are frightened by a sinister wheel of blue fire that appears after dark in the woods outside their home at lonely Sylvan Lake. When Nancy discovers the significance of the eerie signal, she also learns that her two mysteries are connected.

Haha, this was a fun one. I've always wanted to be Nancy Drew because of her independence, cute friends, athletic boyfriends, and perfect hair at all times. Not only that, but she's smart, and determined, especially in this one. Loved the twist in this book. Fun read.

I absolutely loved Nancy Drew growing up. This was a series I latched on to for dear life and never let go. Anytime my mom and I would go to antique stores, we'd peruse the Nancy Drews and add them to the collection (oftentimes my mom had to make deals with me on how many I could buy). So, while I don't remember the exact details of each and every one, the entire series was amazing and really fed my love for reading (especially novels full of suspense and mystery). Thank you, Carolyn Keene, for giving us an intelligent female character to fall in love with in Nancy Drew!