Name: The Secret of the Old Clock
Rating: 3.669064748201439 (139 reviews)
ISBN: 1557091552

Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will.

The Secret of the Old Clock

I loved this series when I was a kid and should’ve left it alone. I did not realize how much of a Mary Sue archetype Nancy is, and it was annoying. Like girl, get a grip and have some fun. 

Nik ✨

Sarah Sammis

About two years ago when we first started taking Harriet to the library she insisted that I read the Nancy Drew series. Now what a then two year old toddler knew about a series that started in 1930, I don't know. But I have a policy in this family: if my children recommend a book to me, regardless of my personal opinion on of the book, I read it. I return, I get to recommend books to them. The system works remarkably well.

The book Harriet chose for me was The Bungalow Mystery, the third in the series. Since then I have been reading through the series as I have the chance. I'm not reading them in order but I a have found the process of reading them (after refusing to read them as a child) enlightening.

What I hadn't realized when I started this journey through Riverdale, was that the books had been rewritten or heavily edited (depending on the book) starting in 1959. The series starts with The Secret of the Old Clock.

This post will be two reviews in one. When I first read The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene back in February, I checked out a copy of the rewritten 1959 edition. I held off on reviewing it because the Wikipedia article outline a number of big differences. I wanted to read the original before I decided what I thought of the story. In September I found (again through the library) a reissue of the original 1939 text. I was glad to (re)read while the text was still fresh in my head.

The basic plot, regardless of which version you read is this: Nancy hears of a potentially missing will that would benefit a pair of sisters hard hit by the Depression. The current beneficiaries are a well to do family with no social graces and a pair of obnoxious daughters. Nancy's investigations take her into the countryside to a summer cottage and right into danger.

The original version is twenty pages longer and has a more chapters (of shorter lengths). These extra establish the poor behavior of the Topham sisters so that Nancy's desire to see them lose their inheritance is understandable. In the rewritten version most of these establishing scenes with the sisters are cut out, making Nancy's behavior seem spiteful and irrational.

The next big change is how the Horner (changed to Hoover) sisters are described as living. In the original they are described living hand to mouth on the funds they earn from their egg farm and from their dressmaking. They are typical Depression era characters. Changing their family name to Hoover in the 1959 edition brings to mind the Hoovervilles (coined the same year as the book was first published) but feels out of place for a book written at the start of the Depression.

Finally there is drunken groundskeeper who rescues Nancy after the thieves have locked her up in the closet. In the original his dialogue is written in typical for the time period Negro dialogue. Yes, he's written as a stereotype but so are most of the other characters in the book.

Changing him into an old, white (but still drunk) man in the 1959 doesn't make things better. He needs to be there to keep the dialog open. Even the beloved Nancy Drew series falls prey to tropes and stereotypes. We can use these moments to open a dialog with our children. Make it a teachable moment instead of sweeping it under the rug.

On behalf of Nancy though, she treats the guard better than she does the Topham sisters. Nancy is presented as being polite, resourceful and respectful person until she is mistreated or sees someone else being mistreated.

If you decide to read (or reread) the Nancy Drew books, do yourself a favor and get copies of the Applewood Books which are reprints of the originals texts, not the 1950s and 1960s rewrites.

Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will

Erin Darlyn

Original Review

The Secret of the Old Clock is the first book in the hardcover Nancy Drew series (flashlight editions). I read the Nancy Drew books as a young girl and through them, fell in love with reading. That they are still in print and parents are still buying them for their children makes my heart so happy.

This year, I’m attempting to reread all of the original 56 books - about one per week, with some weeks doubled up. I’ve started with book one and it was such a delight to read it again. These mysteries carry so much nostalgia for me, and reading them again feels so comforting - like drinking a hot cup of tea, wrapped up in a cozy blanket on a cushioned window seat listening to the rhythm of the rain; a warm hug for my soul.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Secret of the Old Clock again. I love how the story is set in the 1930’s and carries with it that decade’s unique atmosphere, yet is still so timeless. 

My sister once told me she didn’t like Nancy Drew much when she was younger because Nancy is too perfect in the books and I think that is a fair criticism (she is unrealistically perfect and very privileged; some of the circumstances are a bit too tidy as well), but I also think that is one of the things I liked about her stories. Reading them allowed for a bit of escapism and stoked my imagination, and that was still true for me as an adult reading this installment again.

There’s a scene in the story that made me want to find a 1930’s recipe similar to Hannah’s cinnamon cake to bake up and serve with hot applesauce. Why is this not a popular pairing anymore? It sounds delicious!

I’d recommend Nancy’s mysteries for anyone who is interested in a fast-paced, lighthearted middle grade book, for reluctant readers, or for anyone who read them when they were younger and is looking for a serving of nostalgia.

Briar's Reviews

The original Nancy Drew. I couldn't believe my eyes when I found one of the first Nancy Drew books in my local used book store. I've been wanting to pick up older classics and this fit the bill!

Did I enjoy this book as much as some of the "newer" books (circa 1970s and 80s), not really, but for a classic this was well worth the read.

Nancy Drew is quite the icon - a mystery series for girls with an independent, smart leading lady? Heck, yes! In the first book in this long series, Nancy is helping her friends try to find a will for their late Uncle, making sure those who deserve the money get it and not the rich snobs. This book has a lot of positivity in it and the story is quite engaging. It is a book published in the 1930s, so some of the language doesn't "hold up" to what our more modern definitions are. Regardless, I can easily see middle graders still picking up this book and enjoying it. For a first time middle grade read, I think this is marvellous.

I did find the book to have some chapters that really didn't need to be there, but that's just my personal opinion. 

Three out of five stars.

Celeste Richardson

I just realized earlier this week that I had never in my entire life read a single Nancy Drew book. Considering her persisting impact on pop culture, this feels like a huge failing on my part. And I call myself a bookworm… So, I obviously had to fix this. I read this book, Drew’s first introduction to the world, in one sitting. While dated (it was published 90 years ago, after all), it was an enjoyable read. Not perfect, but I can see why it was so important and popular when it was first written.

Zoë Schaefer

So was nobody gonna let me know that Nancy Drew was gay?

Giulia Pianta

Being from Italy, I never read any Nancy Drew books, I don't think they were translated and sold there, or they were not that famous.
This is why I decided to read this book. I listened to it on audiobook while going to school, it was very short and easy to listen to.

Starting from the title, really captivating but it gives away the whole thing. Like the mystery concerns where the missing will is. But...it says...right there...in the title? Like maybe another title would have been better, but alas.
The plot itself is very easy and linear, there is not much investigating and processes of deduction. Nancy just goes around asking questions and stumbling upon the answers.

But. I liked it. It is for children so it is very simple, but still appealing to 25-year-old me.
I have to say, the audiobook was so well-done. The interpretation of the actress was great, and I liked that they inserted some music and sounds.
And also, Nancy is adorable. She is a bit of a Mary Sue, so perfect and beautiful and kind and smart. But I like her a lot. She is definitely a good example for children, and she is also not vain. She is believable enough to be admired and to empathise with.
Other characters are also very black-and-white: the bad ones are just bad, and the good ones are extremely sweet and almost too nice. They are not too deep or well-characterised, but this is not a bad thing. The book is short, so simple characters serve their purpose better.

I definitely am curious to read some more of Nancy's adventures.

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories 

laura

I read listened to this book and found it to be super fast read. I really loved Nacy as a lead character and also how she solved the mystery in this story. I thought the mystery was so well crafted and the characters that filed this story mad me want to keep reading. I thought this story did follow a pretty formate that I did except but had some nice twists an turns that I did enjoy. I really enjoyed listening to it and hope to read more in this series soon!

While the mystery is great, it is hard to ignore the fact that Nancy Drew is very much a Mary Sue. She basically manages to scrape out of every situation without any real consequences, and it seems that she gets by just for being a rich white woman in most social situations. If I were still a kid maybe it would have been a nice book to read, just to have a "strong" female character. It is a fun read, just an odd vibe that she manages to walk into any house completely invited and fixing things barely related to her with every character she meets. Must be nice! 😂

Nancy Drew solves her first mystery when the accidental rescue of a little girl who lives with her two great-aunts leads on an adventurous search for a missing will

Leelynn Brady

So really this was just a trip down memory lane because I needed a quick read, and I haven’t read this book in SOOOOOO long. And since I can’t really say anything bad about Nancy Drew, I’m just gonna make a small review on this. Thanks, everyone!


Nancy Drew is an 18 year old daughter of a top notch lawyer and she loves to solve mysteries. This is the first mystery that she has solved alone, and she is known for being so kind and helpful to many people. It makes her well liked compared to some other characters in school. It may seem like the Drews are well off – I mean, Dad is a lawyer after all – and despite Nancy’s mom having passed away years ago, they have a loving nanny Hannah that is truly a part of the family.


So basically Nancy is driving along and this moving van almost runs over this little girl that ran out into the street and then she falls over the bridge. Like, hello little girl?! What are you doing running out into the street alone, omg.

And so of course Nancy saves her and takes her home and then the girl’s aunts starting telling their life story and Nancy wants to help.

So Nancy is a nosy girl with a good heart, basically.


Nancy is a sweetheart. And she had very good deductive skills and I think she would make a good private detective or something. Then she could help her dad with his cases and they can be this awesome father/daughter duo.

Also the ending was great.


I get that this was written way before my time, but there were some things in here that an 18 year old would never say or think. That’s just me. Maybe I’ll find a quote for you guys but I didn’t take notes while I was speed reading through this.

That was it really. But that’s not a fault, just something I didn’t like.


This was fun to read. I wonder if I’ll ever get through the first 50 books. Or 56? That’s debatable.

Also, can I be a detective too?

The hidden staircase ; The bungalow mystery

Amy Medeiros

The Girl Detective

Loved reading the story that started my favorite detectives career. It was such a nice trip down memory lane reading Nancy Drew’s first mystery and now I think I’ll start ready all the other classic mysteries in the series.

The Secret of the Old Clock

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