a puzzling mystery for preschoolers

I was deep into elementary school when I first met young detective Nancy Drew, but I was hooked immediately. I read a bunch of those mysteries, spending hours in her world. I love that there is a way to introduce children to her even earlier, with this Mini Mystery of the original Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock.

The story is simplified and told in rhyme, as Nancy Drew searches for a missing will. She suspects that the family members who are named in the will have created a fake one, and the real will is somewhere hidden. She thinks that the original will includes several of the man’s friends, who he had promised money to, to help them make their dreams come true. But Nancy has to figure out where the will is hidden, and make sure that she can get it safely to her father, a lawyer, before the money goes to the wrong people.

But throughout the story, there are several mini puzzles to solve, like finding your way through a maze or finding all the pieces of a broken vase so they can be glued back together. And Nancy Drew’s magnifying glass is hidden on each spread, ready to be discovered in the illustration.

This is a really clever way to introduce kids to Nancy Drew, and it’s filled with colorful art and clever word play. It’s smart, but it’s written on a kid’s level, so it’s perfect to read with your favorite young mystery lover or to get them as a gift.

So here is where I spill the real tea on the book. Maybe I had a rough day (definitely), or maybe The Secret of the Old Clock is just really well put together (it is). But I got completely sucked into this one. I have not been in that suggested age bracket of 4-8 for many, many (many) decades, but I was all in with this book. I looked for that magnifying glass in each spread. I solved the maze. I found all the pieces to the vase. I had so much fun with this book, I was hoping for another one in the series to read next. This is a fun book for kids of all ages, and I strongly recommend it for fans of Nancy Drew or future fans. It is just entertaining.

Egalleys for The Secret of the Old Clock: A Nancy Drew Detective Story were provided by Gibbs Smith, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.