A number of recent experiences/events have conspired to propel me into a new writing project: a series of essays on my childhood reading. The last thing I need is a new writing project, what with so many others (at last count, two novels-in-progress and two substantially researched and partially written legal monographs) already underway. But this excavation of my childhood reading is enormous fun and, as I have as yet attached no particular expectations to it, rather liberating. So I'm running with it.
My current preoccupation is with the mysteries I read as a child. I think that my first mysteries were Donald J. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown books. My recollection of these is rather hazy. I know that I read many of them but I doubt that I reread them the way I did other favourite series. In retrospect, I realize that Sobol must have been having fun playing off the conventions of adult P.I. novels, with Encyclopedia Brown, "boy detective," setting up a detective agency in his family's garage. If I recall correctly, each book contained a number of mini-mysteries for readers to solve, so the chief pleasure of them was not a sustained narrative, but the puzzle-solving exercise⎯an aspect of adult mysteries that still appeals to me.
I think that from there it was on to Nancy Drew. Again, my recollection of these is hazy, although I know I read many of them and, indeed, even owned several. Enid Blyton's Famous Five novels followed shortly thereafter. I remember my brother and I purchasing stacks of these and sharing them back and forth on our summer trips to Scotland to visit my grandparents.
Of course, there was also Lousie Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy, one of my childhood favourites. But I'm inclined to think of Harriet more as an aspiring writer than an aspiring sleuth, the whole spy thing notwithstanding. Still, I'm going to reread it together with some Encyclopedia Browns, and Nancy Drews, and Famous Fives, to see if it fits somehow. For that's what I'm doing now in service of my essay on this topic⎯rereading several of each. You can see why I'm having such fun with this! There are eight Encyclopedia Brown books, and two Nancy Drews already making their way to me via my public library's hold system. And I have several of those battered paperback Famous Five novels still on my shelves, handy for revisiting.
When did I make the leap to adult mysteries, and where did I begin with those? I'm going to have to think a bit longer to pinpoint the when, but I'm quite sure it was straight from the foregoing children's mysteries to Agatha Christie. I remember that a friend from camp loaned me some Ellery Queen books at one point, but I don't think they hooked me the way that the Christies did.
Did you read mysteries in childhood? Which ones and why those? If you moved on from there to adult mysteries, which ones did you sample first?
14 comments:
Nancy Drew is the first I remember - I started those in first grade! Trixie Belden was also a favorite. I did read some Encyclopedia Browns; I had a teacher who would read them out loud to us at school and we would try to figure them out together.
I loved Encyclopedia Brown! I would gobble them up and then pretend I hadn't read them when my friends would read them so I could "figure out" the solution with them. And my blasted little sister was able to figure them out without cheating! I also loved THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF LEON, I MEAN NOEL by Ellen Raskin and I loved the story so much I didn't even mind that I didn't know what the hell was going on half the time.
What a great project!
Like you, I went directly from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie in elementary school. I vividly remember reading that first AC. I was blown away by it, and by the sudden realization that no one ever dies. in a Nancy Drew. I remember thinking that now that I had discovered MURDER mysteries there was no turning back!
After I blew through all the Christies I could find, I moved on to other genres. In general, I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, though I read them occasionally. But I do believe that Christie was not only my intro to the genre, but also my first real glimpse into the adult world. I think that was a real turning point for me.
Nostalgia attack!!! I've really been contemplating rereading alot of Nancy Drew, and you're not helping! (Just Kidding). Seriously though, I loved loved Nancy Drew. Might go dig up an old copy :)
Blyton´s Five series was my absolute childhood favourite! I loved those children and dreamed of finding secret chambers or solving mysteries myself.
My first adult crime novel was Dorothy Sayers´ Clouds of Witness (but in Danish). I visited my grandmother when I was around 13 years old and began reading it. When we had to go home, she gave it to me! That book is very special to me: my first crime novel, and a gift from a grandmother I loved dearly.
I'm afraid I never came across Enid Blyton when I was young, but I loved Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew. I also loved Trixie Beldon and Phyllis Whitney (which I suppose is more gothic suspense but it was a natural progression for me. All are very hazy with me, too, but those were the books I turned to often! I think this is a great writing project and hope you'll share more of it! Thanks for the reminder that the newly designed Betsy Tacy books are out--am adding them to my wishlist!
What a wonderful idea for a series of posts! I loved children's mysteries. Nancy Drew was an enormous favourite of mine, but I also loved books by Malcolm Saville, that not so many people seem to know about now. And Enid Blyton, naturally. I segued straight into Christie with nothing of note in between, although my mother took them away from me at 11 and made me wait another year as the first one gave me such nightmares!
I was a huge fan of the Famous Five, and before them, The Secret Seven. I moved on to Agatha Christie after an interlude with Captain W.E. Johns' long series about Biggles, some of which were also detective stories.
I always preferred Judy Bolton to Nancy Drew (although read Nancy and the Dana Girls) but also enjoyed Enid Blyton's Adventure and the Five series. Phyllis Whitney also wrote some good juvenile mysteries: my favorite was Mystery on the Isle of Skye. About 7th grade I graduated to Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy Sayers soon after.
My nephew is loving Encyclopedia Brown and the Hardy Boys. One niece likes mysteries (Joan Lowery Nixon and Peter Abrahams, which I read first) and one likes fantasy and Allie Finkle. Neither is a huge fan of historical fiction as yet, which is disappointing but I guess there is lots of time.
It's great fun to reread the books which had an impact on our childhood, and I'm sure you'll greatly enjoy your current "preoccupation". I loved the Encyclopedia Brown books as a child. Although I'm not a tremendous reader of mysteries, I enjoy some.
Nancy Drew--all of them. Trixie Belden--all of them. I also remember reading a fair amount of Agatha Christie when I was 11 or 12. I think I thought of her as YA until I got older and realized that wasn't the case at all!
My father, Donald J. Sobol, is 84 years old and if I can figure out how to forward your blog to him,he will soon be delighted to hear that your childhood memories include Encyclopedia Brown. Best wishes for all your writing projects. My father says, "Writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." (I am unsure who is credited with that statement.)
I loved The Famous Five and the Secret Seven and all those Enid Blyton Adventure books. The Malcolm Saville books were great too. At some point (can't remember when) I also read as many cowboys books our junior library had - then found Agatha Christie.
Oh my gosh I loved mysteries when I was little (I still do.) I started off with the Boxcar Children actually then read Nancy Drew then Encyclopedia Brown. Those were two of my favorites although I wasn't too good at solving the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries. I also read some Trixie Belden too. I could never read the Hardy Boys for some reason though. I tried but I just never made it through one. My first adult mystery was the The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie. Then The Mysterious Affairs at Styles. Then And Then There Were None which completely flabbergasted me. I LOVE that book. One day I'll read it again.
Post a Comment