The Tower Treasure

The Hardy Boys may be too difficult a read for W alone but he seems to have little trouble following as I read aloud. Both Hardy Boys and Three Investigators occurred to me as alternatives after he didn't take to Encyclopedia Brown. Chapters are short, often contrived to end as cliffhangers, there's a good bit of dialogue (though so, so stilted I almost laugh as I narrate), and the occasional full-page illustrations keep his interest.

I read nearly all of the original novels as a kid, over 50 of them, and now recall next to nothing apart from recognizing titles. Forgotten these were written in the 1920s, evidently set in the same time period, yet (I agree with R) the narrative reads like a squeaky clean take on 1950s high school. So fair show more enough: it would be exceedingly easy to criticise these books on multiple fronts. For now, W's enthusiasm is all I need to continue.

//

This first case has the Boys in Bayport (location unspecified), apart from a brief trip to NYC with their father, and we're introduced to several characters from town as well as friends, townsfolk, and neighbours.

I wonder how important it was to begin with the first novel. I vaguely recall the relevant "introductory" information is repeated in each novel, and wonder if any chronology is followed (knowing that the Boys planned to build a "crime lab" in the garage, for instance, or that they work part time at the local grocers). I suspect we could pick up any book in any order and not get much out of knowing of prior cases (or miss much if we skipped one). show less

As a long time reader of the Hardy Boys, I was super excited to get my hands on an original storyline copy of The Tower Treasure! Right out the gate I noticed several differences between the 1927 and 1959 rerelease of the book. Chief Collig is such a bumbling, arrogant blowhard in this version! I dont remember Detective Smuff, but he was pretty much Collig's lapdog the whole book. I always picture the Hardy boys in 1950s getup so I spent some time looking up 1927 fashion and cars including 1927 Indian motorcycles. I plan to read the 1959 version next for an even deeper comparison!

This was pretty decent, as i said in an update the cast where a little older than i expected. The story was also a bit more realistic and how much the heroes were able to accomplish without help seemed believable.
It would have been nice if the female contribution was more than just baking but this is the 20's, i think the 20's and 50's are probably the most sexist of decades in terms of media, as the male-society reasserted its control after the relative female freedom caused by the war years, just a hypothesis.

There's a good bit of interest in the outcome of the case as it effects some of the characters in the story in a very sympathetic way. So there is tension but on the other hand no actual jeopardy. Its like a 60's batman episode show more where batman and robin have been captured and the narrator says 'Can the dynamic duo free themselves from...' and before he can finish imagine that they've already escaped. Thats what happens here, any sign of possible physical jeopardy is so quickly dealt with it seems almost pointless that it was even mentioned, odd choice. There's a greater sense of danger in E.Nesbit books.

The detective elements were quite good and overall i liked it more than i expected too. show less

This is the original 1927 version, now out of copyright, and since revised multiple times. I was surprised to see that, unlike the first Tom Swift book, it was missing any overt racism other than stereotyping of Italian immigrants, one of whom (Tony Prito), is neverthess one of Frank and Joe Hardy's "chums". It's the use of words like "chums", "lads", and even "chaps" that really makes this an odd read. The mystery itself is pretty lame, with the solution dragged out to seemingly just pad out the length of the book. No Aunt Gertrude yet. Of the females, only Callie Shaw makes an impression. Mrs. Hardy just makes lunch. Not really recommended.

The Hardy Boys was another series that was super popular in my youth. As the outcast, loser-ish nerd of the class I striked against these books and would not read them! I was "too cool" and only wanted to read the books the popular kids didn't like (Bunnicula, Goosebumps, a Series of Unfortunate Events and Twilight to name a few). In my adulthood, I found this book at a local charity book store and decided to pick up the first book in this series. And... I was kind of disappointed. Why? I'm an adult.

This book is clearly an older novel. The references are absolutely amazing! This book did not age well at all. As someone who loves anything "vintage" or "old" this book was right in my wheelhouse. It had my chuckling and feeling nostalgic show more as it reminded me of my youth and all the things my parents used to say. The book was first published in 1927, so it is a REAL gem. I didn't know it was that old so I was super shocked. Clearly, my grandparents sayings were passed along to my parents.

Like Nancy Drew, this series is written by a large majority of ghost writers. Out of curiousity, I want to continue this series to see how the books change (there is almost 200 books so good luck to me. It's going to be a life long goal...).

The original YA novel is full of mysteries that aren't easy to follow. Things just happen suddenly and appear, and isn't as "smart" as I thought it would be. It's still beautifully written and truly marvelous (this book is almost one hundred years old... and the youth back then read it... and now I'm reading it... my mind is blown). Mystery after mystery occurs and of course it is solved in the end. Our two leads are also nearly adults, and somehow are just as good at solving mysteries as their Detective Father.

This book definitely has it's flaws, but it's a total nostalgia trip. It's a cool book that I'd highly recommend readers pick up whether they want to get into young reader books or if you want to travel back in time.

Two out of five stars. show less

It's quite possible that I read every Hardy Boys book I could get my hands on when I was a kid. I don't know why I haven't introduced my kids to them. Two teenage boys (Frank, 18 and Joe, 17) got their interest in sleuthing from their detective father, Fenton Hardy. They have helped him with some of his cases, and in this first book of the series, they get their first case of their own. The books are clean -- no foul language or graphic violence. The boys are respectful to their parents and the parents of their friends. They obey their parents' warnings and restrictions and don't sneak out and do stuff behind their backs. The boys each have a girl they like and have "dated often," but it's only mentioned in passing. There's not any real show more romance or flirting, at least in this story. And there's even a mention that the family went to church on Sunday morning. Clean, simple adventure and suspense. show less

A fun, high quality mystery that is great for young readers, and entertaining for adults, as well.

Frank & Joe Hardy are high school students eager to follow in their father’s footsteps by helping him out on the cases he works as a private investigator. When their friend, Chet Morton, has his beloved yellow jalopy—Queen—stolen, the Hardy Boys find themselves on the trail of a serial thief and career criminal. The case takes on an even deeper sense of urgency when the safe of the wealthy & eccentric Applegates is robbed; the Applegates unjustly accuse their caretaker & father of the Hardy Boys’ school chum, Perry, Mr. Robinson of the theft and fire him. Out of a job and unable to find a new one, Mr. Robinson’s family is faced show more with destitution, and Perry is forced to quit school in order to help out with the family finances. Frank & Joe follow a series of clues to uncover the real culprit, salvage Mr. Robinson’s reputation, return their friend to school, and earn a $1000 reward for themselves.

Positive characters and an enjoyable—albeit simple—plotline with no objectionable content make this an excellent choice for young readers.

(review of 2001 printing) show less