New Drew - Who Knew?

I've just begun reading one of the newly released Nancy Drew mysteries and I can't believe the difference. In the ones supposedly updated in the early 1980s the characters still sounded  like people from the 1930s. That was my mother's generation, so I recognized the speech patterns even though there had been minor changes like substituting a convertible for Nancy's roadster. But the new book really sounds like it was written recently - at least so far.  I'm just getting into it and, if you'll excuse me, I'll stop blogging and read on to find out what happens next.

Nancy Drew

Lately I've been reading some of the original Nancy Drew mysteries, the ones updated in the early 1980s. I don't remember any of the plots from reading them as a kid, but I miss Nancy's roadster, which has been replaced by a blue convertible.  The cover art is a bit irritating because the text says Nancy has "titian" hair and the artist apparently didn't know that word means auburn, not blonde. 

The mysteries are full of unbelievable coincidences and Nancy frequently does things like breaking and entering that should get her arrested, but I'm enjoying them a lot anyway. They are both exciting and comforting because, of course, I always know Nancy will solve all the problems. It's easy to see why kids are still reading these books, even this many years after they were written.