Confessions of a Teen Sleuth: A Parody

by Chelsea Cain

Book Overview

America's favorite girl detective is back to set the record straight. According to our titian-haired heroine, she was not in fact a fictional character, but an intrepid real-life sleuth who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582345112
• ISBN13: 9781582345116
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Hilarious!

I had to keep myself from laughing out loud in the library. I got such a kick out of Nancy growing older, and still "sleuthing" like a teenager. I loved when she tried to get into the secret society at the college, and they asked if she was someone's grandmother, and she said she couldn't understand how her cover was blown! LOL Then, her poor old father on oxygen, and her son is not Ned's, and I always knew George was a lesbian, although Nancy doesn't seem to know it. Definitely a very fun read for us older Nancy Drew fans.

Wonderful homage and hilarious parody for grown-up Nancy fans

I read Nancy Drew avidly when I was about 7 years old and I've always had a soft spot for her in my literary heart. When I picked up this book at the library I thought, "If this is done well, it'll be great; if not, it'll be a big disappointment" -- and happily, it's done very, very well. The author obviously knows and loves the entire Nancy canon, as well as the related series about other teen sleuths, and her love and knowledge shine out on every page: her parody is also a wonderful homage. I especially love the illustrations: the style is _exactly_ like the pictures in my old Nancy books, though the subject matter is often very different -- they really made me smile. The cameos by teen sleuths from other series are wonderful too: it's so much fun seeing Nancy interact with Frank and Joe Hardy, Cherry Ames, and others. Delightful book -- my hat is off to Chelsea Cain, she really did this right.

A Wonderful Trip Down Memory Lane

I had heard nothing about this book until this weekend when I saw it in a bookstore while on vacation. Once I started I could not put it down! I read all of the Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, and Vicki Barr books I could get my hands on when I was in elementary and middle school, and this book was like visiting old friends - but we were all older, wiser, and changed in different ways by the changing world. I didn't find this book to be depressing. I loved the central theme - it is dangerous to hang on to your "glory days" and to never grow beyond them. I suppose I found my own life's affirmation while reading of Nancy's struggles to be relevant in a world that had lost its need for Teen Sleuths.

Nancy Drew in her own words

Chelsea Cain's lighthearted, witty parody of the Nancy Drew series will appeal to all who spent blissful childhood hours curled up with the "slim, attractive, titian-haired" detective. Cain serves up the REAL Nancy Drew, as appealing in her own way as she was in the pages of Carolyn Keene "who got a lot of things wrong." All the familiar characters are here---Ned Nickerson (whom Nancy does marry); Bess (not really plump at all--indeed, slightly anorexic due to her anxiety over the way she is depicted by Keene); George (with a "life partner"); Hannah Gruen (with a surprising secret); Carson Drew (with a svelte young wife). Many other figures from the pages of childhood mystery series appear--foremost among them, Nancy's love, Frank Hardy. Readers will find themselves chuckling over every page and experiencing delightful nostalgia mixed with wry, clear-eyed adult humor. You'll love this book!

clever affectionate parody

I'm not sure the reader above does understand "parody." This is a clever, affectionate book that will bring a smile to the face of anyone who fondly remembers the adventures of Nancy Drew. It's not in poor taste by any stretch, unless you're a real prude (nothing worse than a PG rating equivalent). Incorporating the other teen sleuths we all remember was an great idea--I love imagining a whole universe populated by plucky young detectives! The trash is no place for this one! I picked it up after reading the New York Times Book Review, and I'm glad I did!