The Message in the Hollow Oak

The OT is definitely in my Top 5. Nancy wins a radio contest which sends her to Lake Wellington (in Canada) to claim the piece of land she won. Naturally not everything goes swimmingly along the way. Really enjoyed the story, the action is top notch, we even get a chapter from the point of view of two of the villains. That never happens in the RT. And loved her adventure on the train ride to Lake Wellington. Very descriptive and atmospheric.

My copy is the Applewood Books facsimile edition of the 1935 book, with the original text. From other reviewers' remarks, it sounds like the revised edition is a poor effort. As a reader of Nancy in the 1950s, with a set of the originals published in the 1930s-40s, I despised Harriet Stratemeyer's revisions even as a 10-year old!

In this older edition, Nancy travels to Canada, her only adventure there, after she wins a radio contest which awards her an interest in a gold claim somewhere in the Northwest. Bess & George accompany her, of course, and for a wonder, squeamish, girly Bess doesn't fall apart at having to ride a horse in the woods and rough it in a tent. There is a lot of chasing around by the bad guys who are trying to drive show more Nancy away from her claim, and Nancy also helps to re-unite two star-crossed lovers. A joy for me, a Canadian kid, to have my girl sleuth heroine here in Canada! show less

One of the better N.D. mysteries I've read so far (out of 17 books). Interesting characters, and even though you could tell where the story was going, it wasn't a smooth, flat road.

3.75/5 Book #12 in the ND series did not disappoint, though get ready to suspend your disbelief. When NYC detectives can't find treasure missing in a hollow oak in Illinois buried by a missionary, Nancy is given the case due to her aunt knowing one of the detectives. If you've ever heard the words "Indian burial ground", then you get the idea. Only one #nogginknockout for Nancy that I found, and that was due to a goat's passion for cookies. #NancyDrewBR

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!

This was a tedious story. The mystery(s) were choppy and pretty far fetched. Kadle was crazy obsessed with finding the treasure, yet he didn't find these two massive oaks with big lumps on them? He instead chops a newer oak into a mess? He decides to hire two thugs to harass Nancy and the archaeology crew? Please. The constant barraging of thieves at the dig site was not interesting, even with the walking skeleton. All that driving back and forth from the farmhouse to the town to make phone calls. And don't even get me started on the 'love triangle'! Ridiculous and unnecessary. Oh, here Art. Stand next to Julie Anne a couple of times so that you will like her more than Nancy. Then Bess and Nancy give each other a wink and a smile. Gah! show more

Additionally, as a fan of archaeology, I was sickened to see how anyone could just pick up a shovel and dig. Yes, I understand that this was a fiction novel. But the lack of order and methodical work on the site with the tiresome mystery storyline just killed the book for me.

The ONLY reason I finished the book was because I was reading it to my 5-year old and I didn't want her to give up easily. I would have tossed the book 3 chapters in.
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This is a decent premise, but the execution feels a bit off, as if all we wanted out of a mystery book were kidnappings and threatening letters.