kids encyclopedia robot

List of Nancy Drew books facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The character of Nancy Drewghostwritten and credited to the pseudonymous Carolyn Keene – has appeared in a number of series over the years.

613 Nancy Drew books have been published as of July 2021 over thirteen different series, as follows:

Series overview

For young adults

  • The Nancy Drew Files (1986–1997; 124 titles)
    • Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys Super Mystery (1989–1998; 36 titles)
    • River Heights (1989–1992; 16 titles + 1 "Super Sizzler")
  • Nancy Drew on Campus (1995–1998; 25 titles)

For children

Graphic novels

  • Nancy Drew: Girl Detective (2005–2010; 21 titles + 3 "New Case Files")
    • Rereleased under the Nancy Drew Diaries banner, with 10 collections of two titles a book
  • Nancy Drew Omnibus Vol. 1 (March 2021)

Comic books

Published by Dynamite Entertainment.

  • Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie (March–August 2017; 6 issues)
  • Nancy Drew (June–October 2018; 5 issues)
  • Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom (Trade paperback: February 2019; Hardcover: January 2020)
  • Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Missing Adults! (July 2019)
  • Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew (April–November 2020; 6 issues)

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories (1930–2003)

Titles, authorship, and publication dates
No. Title Pub./Rev. Publisher
1 The Secret of the Old Clock 1930/1959 Grosset & Dunlap
2 The Hidden Staircase 1930/1959
3 The Bungalow Mystery 1930/1960
4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn 1930/1961
5 The Secret Of Shadow Ranch 1931/1965
6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm 1931/1961
7 The Clue in the Diary 1932/1962
8 Nancy's Mysterious Letter 1932/1968
9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles 1933/1968
10 The Password to Larkspur Lane 1933/1966
11 The Clue of the Broken Locket 1934/1965
12 The Message in the Hollow Oak 1935/1972
13 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm 1936/1974
14 The Whispering Statue 1937/1970
15 The Haunted Bridge 1937/1972
16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels 1939/1969
17 The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk 1940/1976
18 The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion 1941/1971
19 The Quest of the Missing Map 1942/1969
20 The Clue in the Jewel Box 1943/1972
21 The Secret in the Old Attic 1944/1970
22 The Clue in the Crumbling Wall 1945/1973
23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell 1946/1973
24 The Clue in the Old Album 1947/1977
25 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall 1948/1967
26 The Clue of the Leaning Chimney 1949/1967
27 The Secret of the Wooden Lady 1950/1967
28 The Clue of the Black Keys 1951/1968
29 The Mystery at the Ski Jump 1952/1968
30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask 1953/1969
31 The Ringmaster's Secret 1953/1974
32 The Scarlet Slipper Mystery 1954/1974
33 The Witch Tree Symbol 1955/1975
34 The Hidden Window Mystery 1956/1975
35 The Haunted Showboat 1957
36 The Secret of the Golden Pavilion 1959
37 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach 1960
38 The Mystery of the Fire Dragon 1961
39 The Clue of the Dancing Puppet 1962
40 The Moonstone Castle Mystery 1963
41 The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes 1964
42 The Phantom of Pine Hill 1965
43 The Mystery of the 99 Steps 1966
44 The Clue in the Crossword Cipher 1967
45 The Spider Sapphire Mystery 1968
46 The Invisible Intruder 1969
47 The Mysterious Mannequin 1970
48 The Crooked Banister 1971
49 The Secret of Mirror Bay 1972
50 The Double Jinx Mystery 1973
51 Mystery of the Glowing Eye 1974
52 The Secret of the Forgotten City 1975
53 The Sky Phantom 1976
54 The Strange Message in the Parchment 1977
55 Mystery of Crocodile Island 1978
56 The Thirteenth Pearl 1979
57 The Triple Hoax 1979 Wanderer
58 The Flying Saucer Mystery 1980
59 The Secret in the Old Lace 1980
60 The Greek Symbol Mystery 1980
61 The Swami's Ring 1981
62 The Kachina Doll Mystery 1981
63 The Twin Dilemma 1981
64 Captive Witness 1981
65 Mystery of the Winged Lion 1982
66 Race Against Time 1982
67 The Sinister Omen 1982
68 The Elusive Heiress 1982
69 Clue in the Ancient Disguise 1982
70 The Broken Anchor 1983
71 The Silver Cobweb 1983
72 The Haunted Carousel 1983
73 Enemy Match 1984
74 The Mysterious Image 1984
75 The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery 1984
76 The Eskimo's Secret 1985
77 The Bluebeard Room 1985
78 The Phantom of Venice 1985
79 The Double Horror of Fenley Place 1987 Minstrel
80 The Case of the Disappearing Diamonds 1987
81 The Mardi Gras Mystery 1988
82 The Clue in the Camera 1988
83 The Case of the Vanishing Veil 1988
84 The Joker's Revenge 1988
85 The Secret of Shady Glen 1988
86 The Mystery of Misty Canyon 1988
87 The Case of the Rising Stars 1989
88 The Search for Cindy Austin 1989
89 The Case of the Disappearing Deejay 1989
90 The Puzzle at Pineview School 1989
91 The Girl Who Couldn't Remember 1989
92 The Ghost of Craven Cove 1989
93 The Case of the Safecracker's Secret 1990
94 The Picture-Perfect Mystery 1990
95 The Silent Suspect 1990
96 The Case of the Photo Finish 1990
97 The Mystery of Magnolia Mansion 1990
98 The Haunting of Horse Island 1990
99 The Secret at Seven Rocks 1991
100 A Secret in Time 1991
101 The Mystery of the Missing Millionairess 1991
102 The Secret in the Dark 1991
103 The Stranger in the Shadows 1991
104 The Mystery of the Jade Tiger 1991
105 The Clue in the Antique Trunk 1992
106 The Case of the Artful Crime 1992
107 The Legend of Miner's Creek 1992
108 The Secret of the Tibetan Treasure 1992
109 The Mystery of the Masked Rider 1992
110 The Nutcracker Ballet Mystery 1992
111 The Secret at Solaire 1993
112 Crime in the Queen's Court 1993
113 The Secret Lost at Sea 1993
114 The Search for the Silver Persian 1993
115 The Suspect in the Smoke 1993
116 The Case of the Twin Teddy Bears 1993
117 Mystery on the Menu 1994
118 Trouble At Lake Tahoe 1994
119 The Mystery of the Missing Mascot 1994
120 The Case of the Floating Crime 1994
121 The Fortune Teller's Secret 1994
122 The Message in the Haunted Mansion 1994
123 The Clue on the Silver Screen 1995
124 The Secret of the Scarlet Hand 1995
125 The Teen Model Mystery 1995
126 The Riddle in the Rare Book 1995
127 The Case of the Dangerous Solution 1995
128 The Treasure in the Royal Tower 1995
129 The Baby-Sitter Burglaries 1996
130 The Sign of the Falcon 1996
131 The Hidden Inheritance 1996
132 The Fox Hunt Mystery 1996
133 The Mystery at the Crystal Palace 1996
134 The Secret of the Forgotten Cave 1996
135 The Riddle of the Ruby Gazelle 1997
136 The Wedding Day Mystery 1997
137 In Search of the Black Rose 1997
138 The Legend of the Lost Gold 1997
139 The Secret of Candlelight Inn 1997
140 The Door-to-Door Deception 1997
141 The Wild Cat Crime 1998
142 The Case of Capital Intrigue 1998
143 Mystery on Maui 1998
144 The E-mail Mystery 1998
145 The Missing Horse Mystery 1998
146 The Ghost of the Lantern Lady 1998
147 The Case of the Captured Queen 1999
148 On the Trail of Trouble 1999
149 The Clue of the Gold Doubloons 1999
150 Mystery at Moorsea Manor 1999
151 The Chocolate-Covered Contest 1999
152 The Key in the Satin Pocket 2000
153 Whispers In the Fog 2000
154 The Legend of the Emerald Lady 2000
155 The Mystery in Tornado Alley 2000
156 The Secret in the Stars 2000
157 The Music Festival Mystery 2000
158 The Curse of the Black Cat 2001
159 The Secret of the Fiery Chamber 2001
160 The Clue on the Crystal Dove 2001 Aladdin
161 Lost in the Everglades 2001
162 The Case of the Lost Song 2001
163 The Clues Challenge 2001
164 The Mystery of the Mother Wolf 2002
165 The Crime Lab Case 2002
166 The Case of the Creative Crime 2002
167 Mystery By Moonlight 2002
168 The Bike Tour Mystery 2002
169 The Mistletoe Mystery 2002
170 No Strings Attached 2003
171 Intrigue at the Grand Opera 2003
172 The Riding Club Crime 2003
173 Danger on the Great Lakes 2003
174 A Taste of Danger 2003
175 Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland 2003

Specials

  • The Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking (1973)
  • Nancy Drew Picture Book: Mystery of the Lost Dogs (1977)
  • Nancy Drew Picture Book: The Secret of the Twin Puppets (1977)
  • The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book: Clues to Good Sleuthing (1979)
  • Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths (1981)
  • Nancy Drew Ghost Stories (1983)
  • Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths #2 (1984)
  • Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Campfire Stories (1984)
  • Nancy Drew Ghost Stories #2 (1985)

The first four works were published by Grosset & Dunlap. The Nancy Drew Cookbook contained recipes and short stories. Both titles under the Nancy Drew Picture Book banner were illustrated picture books aimed at younger readers. The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book contained short stories that involved Nancy teaching a group of younger girls how she solves her mysteries, and gives lessons to the reader on the techniques used.

The first Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Super Sleuths book was published in 1981, after switching over to Simon & Schuster. The book contained seven short stories in which Nancy Drew crosses over to solve mysteries with The Hardy Boys; both the Carolyn Keene pseudonym and The Hardy Boys' Franklin W. Dixon pseudonym are used. The story was so popular, that it spawned a sequel, a spin-off series, and a Campfire Stories companion.

In 1983, Nancy Drew Ghost Stories was published, also containing seven short stories. It, too, spawned a sequel in 1985. Unlike other specials, though, the first volume was reprinted by the later Minstrel and Aladdin imprints.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: Be a Detective Mystery Stories (1984–1985)

These titles feature a level of reader-interaction in a manner similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books. The series was published by Wanderer.

Two more volumes, Jungle of Evil and Ticket to Intrigue, were planned and advertised, but were unpublished after the sale of the Stratemeyer Syndicate to Simon & Schuster.

Titles and publication dates
No. Title Pub.
1 The Secret of the Knight’s Sword 1984
2 Danger on Ice
3 The Feathered Serpent
4 Secret Cargo
5 The Alaskan Mystery 1985
6 The Missing Money Mystery

Nancy Drew Notebooks (1994–2005)

The Nancy Drew Notebooks were aimed at younger readers and featured a Nancy who was still in grade school. The series was published from 1994 to 2005.

The Nancy Drew Files (1986–1997)

In 1986, Simon & Schuster, Inc. began publishing a spin-off series, The Nancy Drew Files, running concurrently with the main Nancy Drew Mystery Stories line. The Nancy Drew Files were aimed at an older, teenage audience, and is similar in style, target audience, and sensibilities with The Hardy Boys Casefiles.

Starting in January 2014, Simon & Schuster began releasing this series as eBooks.

Nancy Drew Files Volume I and Nancy Drew Files Volume II were published September 24, 2019 under the Simon Pulse imprint. These are reprints of the first six titles in the series, books 1, 2, and 3 in volume I and books 4, 5 and 6 in volume II. Cover art by Fernanda Suarez.

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Super Mystery (1988–1998)

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew teamed up in this 36 volume series of paperbacks. This series follows the formula of the main characters and their friends typically involved in separate mysteries that end up being connected. The sleuths join forces to solve the overall mystery. This series is based in the Nancy Drew Files and Hardy Boys Casefiles continuity, so murder, romance, and flirtation between the series regulars are common. Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy share an attraction in this series, though after a brief kiss in "The Last Resort" this attraction is not acted on. Subsequent books focus on the respect and friendship that developed between the two and their continued feelings for Ned Nickerson and Callie Shaw. Several spin-off series were cancelled by Simon and Schuster at the end of 1997, including the series Super Mystery (also called Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery).

River Heights

This series does not feature Nancy Drew beyond a cameo appearance in a couple of books, but is set in her fictional hometown and still written under the Carolyn Keene pseudonym. The series focused on romance and lasted for only 16 titles.

Nancy Drew on Campus

The Nancy Drew on Campus series, like The Nancy Drew Files, is targeted at an older teen audience. Nancy and her friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne go to college; the series focused on college life and romance, rather than all solving mysteries.

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective (2004–2012)

Nancy Drew, Girl Detective replaced the long-running Nancy Drew mysteries series. This new series is written in first person narration, from Nancy's point of view, and features updated and overhauled versions of the main Nancy Drew characters. In addition, new secondary characters are introduced to populate River Heights and appear over multiple books, adding a framework to Nancy's world.

The drastic changes in the main characters' personalities, and a perception in quality decline, earned the series negative reviews from long-time fans. A switch to trilogies gave even more negative reviews, before low sales forced the series to be cancelled in 2011. In 2013, Nancy Drew, Girl Detective was replaced with the Nancy Drew Diaries series.

Papercutz graphic novels (2005–2010)

Beginning in 2005, Papercutz began issuing a new series of Nancy Drew graphic novels as an offshoot of the Girl Detective series. The series is edited by Jim Salicrup, written by Stefan Petrucha, and illustrated by Sho Murase. The manga-style illustrations and technical allusions (Nancy's hybrid car, George's tablet PC) give Nancy and her friends a 21st-century spin.

In 2010, the series was rebooted as Nancy Drew: Girl Detective - The New Case Files. These new novels center around a River Heights that has become obsessed with vampire books. However, the series was cancelled not long after. In 2014, the series began being re-released as an offshoot of the Nancy Drew Diaries series, with two volumes per issue.

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (2006–2015)

Starting in 2006, Aladdin Paperbacks published a new series to replace the Nancy Drew Notebooks series for younger readers; it exists in the same universe as the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series. This series ended in 2015 to be replaced by the Nancy Drew Clue Book series.

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew features Nancy Drew, George Fayne, and Bess Marvin as eight-year-olds in the third grade at River Heights Elementary School, and solving kid sized mysteries, from finding a stolen ice cream formula entry to the culprit who cut the cake before the bride. This series also sets George's mother working her own catering company, and reveals George's real name to be Georgia.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery (2007–2012)

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Super Mystery is a crossover spin-off with The Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers series. The stories are told in first person, alternating chapters, between Frank's, Joe's, and Nancy's perspective. The first title in the series acts as an introduction between the characters in their new universes. This series published one title per year until the end of the Girl Detective and Undercover Brothers series in 2012.

Nancy Drew Diaries (2013–current)

This series, that began in 2013, is a reboot of the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series. The series continues to follow Nancy and her friends' cases, with first-person narration by Nancy. The series was created to move away from the trilogy format of Girl Detective (besides for the first two books, all titles are now individual mysteries), make books longer than its predecessor, and have a cover artist. The new series also attempted to fix some of the more criticized aspects of Girl Detective, with arguable success.

This is the first series to be available in three different formats; paperback, hardcover (with dust jacket), and eBooks. When the series was first launched, three new titles were expected to come out per year (with the exception of 2013 and 2015, which produced four new titles), but was later reduced to two titles per year in 2016. The first four titles had an initial printing of 25,000 copies in paperback and 2,500 copies in hardcover; books five through seven had an initial print run of 25,000 in paperback and 5,000 in hardcover; and books eight through eleven had an initial print run of 10,000 in paperback and 5,000 in hardcover. Though Simon and Schuster does not release sales information for these properties, on-line sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble indicate their sales are lack-luster to poor.

Books 1-4 were released in a box set in November 2013, and a boxed set of the first ten books was released in August 2016. In addition, the first three titles were packaged in a single paperback book in June 2016. Also available are unabridged audio books for CD or downloads, read by Jorjeana Marie.

Artist Erin McGuire has served as the cover artist since the start of the series.

Titles

Titles and publication dates
No. Title Released Manuscript Editor
1 Curse of the Arctic Star February 5, 2013 (2013-02-05) Margaret Wright
2 Strangers on a Train Kekla Magoon
3 Mystery of the Midnight Rider May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)
4 Once Upon a Thriller September 24, 2013 (2013-09-24)
5 Sabotage at Willow Woods January 5, 2014 (2014-01-05)
6 Secret at Mystic Lake May 6, 2014 (2014-05-06)
7 The Phantom of Nantucket September 23, 2014 (2014-09-23) Amy Cloud
8 The Magician's Secret January 20, 2015 (2015-01-20)
9 The Clue at Black Creek Farm May 12, 2015 (2015-05-12)
10 A Script for Danger September 22, 2015 (2015-09-22) Ami Boghani
11 The Red Slippers December 15, 2015 (2015-12-15)
12 The Sign in the Smoke May 10, 2016 (2016-05-10)
13 The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn October 11, 2016 (2016-10-11)
14 Riverboat Roulette January 3, 2017 (2017-01-03)
15 The Professor and the Puzzle August 8, 2017 (2017-08-08)
16 The Haunting on Heliotrope Lane January 2, 2018 (2018-01-02)
A Nancy Drew Christmas September 18, 2018 (2018-09-18) Reuben Sack Fiona Simpson
17 Famous Mistakes January 15, 2019 (2019-01-15)
18 The Stolen Show September 24, 2019 (2019-09-24) Anna Parsons
19 Hidden Pictures January 14, 2020 (2020-01-14)
20 The Vanishing Statue June 16, 2020 (2020-06-16)
21 Danger at the Iron Dragon January 12, 2021 (2021-01-12)
22 A Capitol Crime May 25, 2021 (2021-05-25)
23 The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall January 4, 2022 (2022-01-04)
24 Captain Stone's Revenge January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
25 What Disappears in Vegas . . . January 23, 2024 (2024-01-23)

Nancy Drew Clue Book Series (2015–current)

This is a reboot of the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series published by Aladdin Paperbacks. This is an interactive series, as readers may write down their clues and predictions. A page before the final chapter has questions the reader can answer regarding suspects, clues, and solutions. The first two titles were published July 7, 2015, in paperback, hardcover, and eBook editions written by Carolyn Keene with covers and internal illustrations by Peter Francis. The first three titles have had an initial print run of 35,000 in paperback and 5,000 in hardcover.

Titles and publication dates
No. Title Released
1 Pool Party Puzzler July 7, 2015 (2015-07-07)
2 Last Lemonade Standing
3 A Star Witness November 3, 2015 (2015-11-03)
4 Big Top Flop March 1, 2016 (2016-03-01)
5 Movie Madness July 12, 2016 (2016-07-12)
6 Pets on Parade October 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)
7 Candy Kingdom Chaos March 17, 2017 (2017-03-17)
8 World Record Mystery October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17)
9 Springtime Crime March 20, 2018 (2018-03-20)
10 Boo Crew September 4, 2018 (2018-09-04)
11 The Tortoise and the Scare March 19, 2019 (2019-03-19)
12 Turkey Trot Plot September 3, 2019
13 Puppy Love Prank March 17, 2020 (2020-03-17)
14 The Big Island Burglary July 28, 2020 (2020-07-28)
15 The Great Goat Gaffe March 9, 2021 (2021-03-09)
16 Duck Derby Debacle July 13, 2021 (2021-07-13)
17 Recipe Ruckus March 8, 2022 (2022-03-08)
18 Bird Bonanza June 6, 2023 (2023-06-06)
19 Chimpanzee Spree June 11, 2024 (2024-06-11)

Other books/resources

  • The Nancy Drew Scrapbook (1993)
  • Nancy Drew's Guide to Life (2001)
  • Nancy Drew Mad Libs (2005)
  • Clues to Real Life: The Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew (2007)
  • Nancy Drew: A Novelization of the Hit Movie (2007)
  • The Lost Files Of Nancy Drew (2007)
  • The Official Nancy Drew Handbook (2007)
  • Nancy Drew Classic Paper Dolls (2011)
  • Nancy Drew & Her Friends Paper Dolls (2012)
  • Nancy Drew: The Curse (2020)
kids search engine
List of Nancy Drew books Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.