The Hardy Boys Books

I've been purchasing the hardcover Hardy Boys books for my 7-year-old grandson. I've purchased through book #15 and I cannot keep up with his supply of reading materials. I think it's great that the Hardy Boy's are still popular. By today's standard the books are reasonably priced, I do wish that I had kept the books I had as a child to pass on to my own children.

Ditto what Mr. Busse said about the Applewood reproductions, and this review concerns the original (1936) text/version.

There are two major mistakes that readers of the Hardy Boys series routinely make: 1) Not reading (& many times not even knowing about) the ORIGINAL, unrevised versions of the text. In almost every case, the original editions were much superior, and 2) Not researching the books, and assuming that all the HB volumes are basically of equal quality. This is very untrue, and the thing to do is to be selective. These two pitfalls must be avoided if one really wants to enjoy the classic Hardy Boys at their best.

I have researched and then read several installments in the venerable series which enjoy the highest reputations among true and informed HB aficionados. Next I applied my own personal evaluation to each book. In my opinion, they don't come any better than #15 - "The Sinister Sign Post".

Besides having all the endearing earmarks that HB fans have come to expect from the best of Frank & Joe's adventures, TSS adds one more element more effectively than any other volume I know of -- Horror! The chapter entitled "The Sinister Sign Post" (same as the book title) is some of the best and most thrilling writing in the history of the Hardy Boys. The twitching, seemingly living, glowing red hand is what enabled the story to creep beyond the boundaries of mere 'thrill' and verge (just a bit) into the regions of terror. Great stuff!

Highly recommended for adventurous boys (or girls) -- and men (or women) who still are such in their hearts!

This is the 15th book in Applewood's facsimile editions series of the ORIGINAL Hardy Boys books. Applewood is reproducing these books from original mint/near mint copies of the originals so we not only have an exact copy of the original book with original artwork but also the original glossy dust jackets.

These are beautiful books to behold and to hold. What a great way to start a collection of some of America's classic books for young people.

It's even more exciting if you read the books in chronological order because as the 20th century moves forward so do developments in technology in the Hardy Boys books. I've read the first 80 Hardy Boys books in the original editions which show wear and tear and remain in my library but these new beauties have their own special display area.

This, number fifteen in the series, is a pretty good book. But the one originally written during the 1930s was even better.

Asa Sydney, the villain, had the pallor of the implacable enemy of democracy. He was overtaken by a strange, alien vision of a better society. It was not criminal conduct just for the money, but to advance some vaguely suggested fifth column activity in the united states.

Which brings up a great paradox. "Sinister" means evil or threatning in this context. But consider that the word is Latin for "left." Was Dixon, so far ahead of his time in so many ways, warning us about the communist menace he might have seen brewing, despite Roosevelt's soon-to-occur alignment with them during World War II? The sign post pointed left, by definition; in the original, it also lit up in red and glowed, that way, very menacingly at night.

It's not too hard to discern Dixon's real purpose here: it's a call to action.

Of course, the sign might also be interpreted as "merging traffic" or, perhaps, "red light violators photo enforced." But maybe that's too big an extension of the concept.

Mr. Alden has invented an experimental car motor, but someone is trying to steal it! Frank and Joe Hardy can handle it. Frank and Joe try to solve the case with their father, Fenton Hardy. Frank and Joe work in Mr. Alden's facility disguised as workers, hoping to find out who's behind the case. Mr. Alden's experimental cars always seem to crash, with the windshield crazing and all. Every location that these cars crash at seemed to have a signpost with the word "Danger" on it. Will the Hardys solve the case? You'll have to read it to find out!

I'd give this book a Five Star rating. I think that it's one of the best Hardy books I've ever read. I hope you read it.

(...)

Hiding sercret panels is a lot harder than it used to be. For one thing, a gypsum-board wall does not often show many seams, so it's hard to see how that all fits together, for one thing.

For another, though, we are nonplused to learn here that there are innovative and unusual locks used to secure this secret panel. A point well made.

Locks are designed to prevent unauthorized entry into places we wish left alone. But think of this, especially as regards non-electronic locks: if your nose went on strike, would you picket?

The secret panel by Franklin W. Dixon was a great book. It was about two boys that have to find a kid napped nurse and boy. the Hardy boys always solve their mysteries well.
The message of this story is that you should never give up because the Hardy boys never give up. I follow this theme by never giving up. I think this is agood theme.
I think that the author really made the characters seem real. Ialso like how he doveloped the mystery.
Ireally liked this book. I would recommend it to anybody. If someone asked me I would tell them that it is a great book.




Sean of pacifica

I read an article that said Franklin W. Dixon died thinking he was a failure. He was miserable and disappointed that he never wrote a best-selling novel. What he didn't realize is how important he was to boys that religiously read every Hardy Boys book. "The Secret Panel" is possibly Dixon's best story in the series. The Hardy Boys almost have a car accident with a mysterious man named John Meade and Joe finds a unique key with a weird symbol after he leaves. Later, they discover Mead owned a mansion in Bayport and he has been dead for five years. Things get even stranger when Chet Morton's beat up boat sinks for no apparent reason.

I read the book Hardy Boys the Secret panel for a book report and it was really good. I liked the part when John Mead and his car become out of control and almost hit the Hardy boys car with his wheel. But John Mead died five years ago in a car crash. When they find the dead Mead's mansion there with no keyholes or doorknobs. one time Frank got shocked and almost died from the powerful shock. The next day a burgular comes and robes Mr.Hardy of his fingerprint record. Problems never end for the Hardy boys. One problem is when the burgular leaves he kidnaps Mrs.Johnson for a fellow gang member who is shot.He also kidnaps another doctor for the leg in the end they find out who shot the bullets and they found Lenny. I think the Hardy boys are good people and I hope they have many more mysteries to come.I would recommend this book to anybody who can read. it was very good.

I would have titled this review "Ho Hum," but I did that for another Hardy Boys book review recently. The review for this book required a title that meant something similar. The teaser for this book promises thrills and suspense, but it does not deliver.

Frank and Joe Hardy meet John Mead when his car has an accident. Soon the Hardys learn that John Mead was killed five years earlier. The boys also discover that the late Mr. Mead had no will and no heirs. The boys take a key, which they found after the man calling himself John Mead left the accident scene, and visit the Mead mansion. The mansion has four doors and no keyholes.

The theme of this book is locks. The late John Mead was a locksmith, and he built a house apparently devoid of locks because he no longer wanted to see locks after he retired. The boys also encounter a group of burglars and learn that a boy named Lenny Stryker may have inadvertently become involved with the burglars. Frank and Joe also learn that Lenny may have been shot. Lenny was able to call his mother, but the only words she could make out were "secret panel."

Eventually Frank and Joe find the secret panel. They also find Lenny and capture the crooks, learning the relationship between the man calling himself John Mead with the late John Mead.

The mansion without locks is one of the most interesting plot devices devised for the Hardy Boys series. Unfortunately, the plot drags and the level of excitement stays low. I was more interested in the story ending than I was in the mystery, which is never a good sign. The only thing I found fascinating was the house with no apparent locks, including the locks inside the house. This story is definitely one that can be left as a later read for collectors or can be left altogether for those interested in only the best of the Hardy Boys. However, consider the uniqueness of the Mead mansion before dismissing this book completely.

The Hardy Boys series is recommended for ages 8 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. However, the series still contains some interesting moments and will keep most readers guessing the answers to the mysteries until the final solution is revealed.

i've read o lot of casefiles and this is one of the best!the hardys are at this space camp and start to investigate things like faulty equipment.they have a bomb put in their car!it's a cool book!

The Hardys have gone to space academy, but it ends up being less fun than they hoped. This is a good book for kids with plenty of action and a little education.

The Hardys go to Hawaii to see a total eclipse. But as soon as the sun is covered by the moon, a murder takes place. This is another average Hardy Boys book. Plenty of action, but nothing extraordinary.

I think that this book is great because it had action and detail. My best part is when the bugs are eating the loggers and Humphreys! I would like it better on tv.

It is the most exiting and thriling book I ever read. I love this series and I'm going to read more X-Files books. I really recomend this book to any person that loves mysteries.I bet you'll like it as much as I did.

When I was a young boy, I devoured all the Hardy Boys books I could find. I read every one they had in the local library and my mother was under strict orders to buy any she could find at a garage sale. Now that I have many decades behind me, I read them because the changes over the years fascinate me. The series started in the 1930's at the height of the depression and has continued to the present time. This episode was one of the earlier ones, number eleven, although this is an updated version written in 1962.
The plot uses elements of the elderly inventor whose devices are being misused by evil forces, a house with secret rooms, clever criminals and the boys on their own. Fenton Hardy and his wife are on vacation, so Aunt Gertrude is running the house. Therefore, the boys must meet with the client, pursue leads and deal with the police without the backup of their detective father.
The original stories can be very hard for the modern young reader to understand, as the historical context is nearly three-quarters of a century ago and the writing style is somewhat archaic. While there are a few aspects of this story that modern children will find difficult to understand, none is a major hurdle blocking their enjoyment. One of the best aspects of this story is that while the boys fight, there is none of the absurdity of them being knocked unconscious or single-handedly defeating a hardened criminal. When they fight it takes the Hardys and Chet Morton together to physically defeat the criminal mastermind.

This is arguably the best Hardy Boys book I have ever read, and I've read at least 40. Trust me, if you like suspense fiction, you'll love "While the Clock Ticked".

It has a twisty plot filled with loads of exciting adventures and a confusing story line that will keep you guessing who's the bad guy until the end.

Definately recommended!!

Another great mystery full of excitement and mystery. Another old mansion
and more stupid criminals that just don't learn.

A wonderful and excitng read for all who love adaventure and intrigue.Teens will espescially benefeit drom this book. Full of healthy , honest role models.

Edward Stratemeyer had just died when one of his "stringers" wrote this great episode.

All the Stratemeyer "factory" books would be written under a pseudonym. So Edward Stratemeyer might die, but "Arthur M. Winfield" didn't have to -- and "Carolyn Keene" and "Franklin W. Dixon" were then still alive, too.

All the books would look as much like contemporary adult books as possible -- same bindings, same type-faces.

The books would be of predictable length - all just over 200 pages in hardcover.

Chapters should end mid-situation, and pages too as far as possible, to increase the reader's desire to turn pages -- and thus his reading speed. Of course, one volume finished, one would want to turn to the next, assured it would be the same kind of thing. It was great reading training.

Each book would begin with a quick recap of all previous books in that series. Cross-selling is not new.

This is a fun story told well...but the original was the best.

i've read up to this bok so far. i like them all but this one is different from all the rest. the setting is in bayport at christmas time, on cabin island the island that mr. jefferson owns. he lets them stay on the island until the end of christmas vacation. he asked the hardy's to solve a mystery for him. that intals them to find mr. jefferson's grandson and mr.jefferson's lost medals. when they get to cabin island they found out that this guy is tresspassing on the island. so the hardy's order him off and get their supplies. while theyare on the island they are sent a message from their father that said "the alley cat is after the mice,but feed him well!"so they find out that the medals are hidden in the chimmney of the cabin. they rescue thegrandson and find the medals.

I liked the way the author wrote the book.I only gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because I compared this book to the other Hardy Boys books.This book didn't have as much action in it as the other Hardy Boy books I've read had.I think the book would have been better if the Hardy boys didn't sit in Mr. Jefferson's cabin for most of their time on the island.

Not me. I've heard of icehouses and ice floes, ice cream and ice milk, ice and Tina Turner and vous ici. But iceboats?

So I searched Google and found a web page, created in 1995, devoted to iceboats. You can read the page in Swedish, German or English. An excerpt:

"Nothing is like sailing on ice. We know that! But the fun is still greater when we are sailing together and this way of sailing is safer. Here you can get an ice-reports and information about where we are sailing here in Stockholm and a report from our last sailings. Isabella-yachts and Scatesailing, ya sure."

"Welcome, here you'll find resources for wind powered contraptions that travel on frozen H20. This page was set up to answer the many email responses we have received pertaining to the subject. Comments or suggestions are appreciated."

The most recent entry I could see was from 2003.

So for Frank and Joe to pursue this arcane but exacting sport should not be surprising. If this were the pre-1960s version, though, it would have been an ice runabout, maybe, not an ice boat.

And they get the use of the Cabin Island Cabin any time they want, since they found a bunch of stamps that did not belong to the owner. The birth of timeshares...

"The Mystery of Cabin Island" is the 8th book in the Hardy Boys Mystery Series. After successfully solving "The Shore Road Mystery" (book 6), Old Mr. Jefferson allows Frank and Joe to use the cabin on Cabin Island for a vacation during the winter. The brothers jump at the chance and invite their friends Chet Morton and Biff Hooper along as well. Mr. Jefferson isn't completely altruistic, however. He gives the Hardys a mystery to solve, though one he hopes will be completely devoid of danger and excitement: his grandson is missing as well as his collection of rare medals.

When the brothers travel on their ice boat to Cabin Island they are chased off by a stranger, one who later turns out to be trying to buy the island from Mr Jefferson. Might he be also searching for the medals and where is Mr Jefferson's grandson?

This really is one of the better Hardy Boys stories. The biggest positive here is just that the book keeps focus very well into the main mystery and the chapters move along at a fast pace. While there is a formula at work here, the author does a good job and telling a good story that is interesting with a decent puzzle midway through.

This review is of the 1966 Revised Edition.

-Joe Sherry

The Hardy Boys are out for their eighth adventure, this time on an island in Barmet Bay. It is winter and the boys have received permission from Elroy Jefferson to stay at the cabin he owns on Cabin Island. The boys received this permission because they recovered Mr. Jefferson's car in "The Shore Road Mystery."

The boys and their friends Chet Morton and Biff Hooper go to Cabin Island to check it out. They journey on an ice boat the Hardy Boys built themselves. A brief side note. I had always thought of ice boats as being small. The Hardy boy's ice boat is large enough to hold four people and enough supplies to stay for a week on Cabin Island. I think it is safe to say that the boat is quite large.

Once on Cabin Island the four friends head off to see the cabin. The soon discover footprints and a surly man chases them off the island. The boys visit Mr. Jefferson to ask about the man. Mr. Jefferson believes it is Hanleigh, who has been asking Mr. Jefferson to sell him the island for some time. While visiting with Mr. Jefferson the boys learn that Mr. Jefferson has a grandson, Johnny Jefferson, who has disappeared from his school. Johnny is fifteen years old. The boys also learn that Mr. Jefferson had a collection of highly valuable medals that were stolen some years before. The Hardy Boys have a new mystery!

During their trips to and from the island the boys also encounter bullies who attempt several times to wreck their ice boat. Eventually the boys realize that the bullies are trying to keep them from Cabin Island.

As the story progresses the four friends encounter a ghost in the woods, and numerous attempts are made to drive them from the island. The boys also encounter a blizzard, and have to make at least two rescues. I also pointed out in my last review that the author seemed to have a fixation on caves, as the author had written five and now seven stories in a row that featured a cave. The next story also has a cave important to the story.

This story is an interesting Hardy Boys story. The pacing is good, and the mysteries are kept simple, though the boys must work hard to learn the answers. I found myself reading through this book quickly to understand all the pieces to the puzzle, which the author explained nicely. This book is one of the better books of the first eight.

Note that this review is for the 1966 revision. My understanding is that there is a later revision where the author replaced medals with stamps. If that is true, it is unfortunate. I was wondering how medals in a box would withstand the conditions where the thieves hid them, which I will not give away. Being a stamp collector, I can tell you that stamps require a very controlled environment, and the temperature and humidity conditions of their hiding location would not have been good for them.

Though the Hardy Boys series is written in a relatively archaic fashion, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are excellent. The stories were once recommended for children ages 10 to 14. As children are exposed to more violence and seem to require greater levels of stimulation, the recommended age range has move to 9 to 12. I think any child capable of reading some of the challenging words in these books will enjoy them, regardless of how tame most of the action may be. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

First, my standard HB preamble:

There are two major mistakes that readers of the Hardy Boys series routinely make: 1) Not reading (& many times not even knowing about) the ORIGINAL, unrevised versions of the text. In almost every case, the original editions were much superior, and 2) Not researching the books, and assuming that all the HB volumes are basically of equal quality. This is very untrue, and the thing to do is to be selective. These two pitfalls must be avoided if one really wants to enjoy the classic Hardy Boys at their best.

I have researched and then read several installments in the venerable series which enjoy the highest reputations among true and informed HB aficionados. Next I applied my own personal evaluation to each book.

O.K. then, and what of this installment -- The Shore Road Mystery? Suffice it to say that if one had a skinny bookcase, w/shelves only wide enough to fit several volumes across, and if one wanted to reserve the top shelf in that case for only the best of Hardy Boys adventures -- The Shore Road Mystery belongs there.

You should read this book because it is really intersting.
Frank and Joe are trying to catch a gang of car theives that keep stealing cars on shore road. And a father and son get kiddnapped. The kiddnapping involves car stealing. So after you finish reading book number 5 or any other of the hardys,
Get this book today.

This book was Super! I liked pretending I was one of the Hardy Boys. I also tried working out the mysteries with the book. I liked it when they found the Hidden Hideout. I also liked when they spied. I like spying on people myself. I also liked their motorcycles. I loved it!

This is yet another example of how revising the original degrades quality. This book was substantially "updated" in 1964 from the depression-era original, and much is lost in in the process.

In the original, a ring of car thieves is stealing cars (I guess they are pretty much doing what you'd expect a ring of car thieves to do, all right). They ply their illict trade along Shore Road which, in 1931, is a barely-improved, dark, lonely, winding cliff road rising and switchbacking above the crashing turbulence of Bayport Bay.

Why anyone in their right mind would park there is anybody's guess.

But, park there they do. So the boys devise an outstanding ruse (devising ruses is a great way to sharpen your pronunciation of s sounds, too). They by an old junk car which is very ornate but which has a really crummy engine. They then "pimp the ride" by hammering out dents, painting it, polishing it, and getting really spiffy spoked wheels and wide whitewall tires.

Then they hide in the boot in the back, park it along Shore Road, and wait to get stolen. And they do.

Well, that was in 1930. In 1964 they pick up a touch-tone phone, call the police and report a stolen '64 Ford Falcon. They tell the police that the blue exhaust is a dead giveaway.

Now, honestly, which is more exciting??

A string of car robberies have piqued the Hardy Boy's interest. It appears as though the car thieves regularly elude the police even when the police are hot on their trail. When the Hardy Boys put their minds to the mystery what they discover is that the car crooks are even cleverer than they could ever have suspected.

We follow the Hardy Boys as they try to prove that the Dodds, who car thieves framed and then disappeared, had nothing to do with the thefts. Eventually the Hardy Boys discover that the car thieves have plans far more nefarious than simply stealing cars.

While searching for the car thieves the boys also learn that there is a Dodd family mystery involving missing treasure. The boys also wonder what the mysterious spider-man has to do with the mystery. And why does a certain farmer always seem to be plowing his fields without lights in the middle of the night? As the story nears its conclusion the boys will use a car as a Trojan horse to attempt to trap the thieves. What will happen when the thieves discover the boys? There are many mysteries for the boys to solve. The boys learn that their father has an important mystery of his own, but in the end it turns out that their father's mystery and theirs may be related.

This mystery is one of the most intriguing Hardy Boys mysteries. The author managed to change a simple car theft story into a puzzle for the Hardy Boys. The author also mixed in additional story elements to be sure that it would be relatively difficult for the Hardy Boys to solve the mystery.

As a side note, this mystery has a cave as a key element. It appears that the author was in a cave mood, because caves appeared in each of the previous four stories, and continue to appear in the next stories. Just goes to show how versatile caves can be.

Though the Hardy Boys series is written in a relatively archaic fashion, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are excellent. The stories were once recommended for children ages 10 to 14. As children are exposed to more violence and seem to require greater levels of stimulation, the recommended age range has move to 9 to 12. I think any child capable of reading some of the challenging words in these books will enjoy them, regardless of how tame most of the action may be. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

My high school age son collects these books. He has many of this type and they are all intact, despite the fact that he still reads them constantly.

Danger on vampier trail is one of a 58 book series:The Hardy Boys. I reconmand this for any mysary book lovers. In this book the Hardies with thier freins chet,biff,and biff dog they camp out at vampire trail. With many difucults ,gutair smashing, and stops they cath the thieves (duh).

The cover was not very relative to the story, but throughout the story, I became unwilling to let the book out of my hands! I read it in two days and did a book report on it for school. The vivid detail in this story makes any book report very easy. The characters are brave in arduous tasks and they never give up.

This book is the best Hardy Boy book I have ever read. It has everything a good book has. It has a good story line and lots of action. You will not be disapointed after reading this book.

It was about the Hardy Boys traveling all over the country looking for thieves. They had a few problems along the way. They nearly got arrested once on their journey. They ran into three guys that tried to hurt them. They was getting hot on the theives trail. The they got caught by the gang, which had captured another gang. Luckily Chet got away. He went to the cliff of the steep mountian trail. He then saw a person they saw along the way. They went down the mountian together and got the cops. They came with the cops. To learn more read the book at your local library.
I thought the book was a good book. It gave alot of serious detail. It did not leave you hanging, but it will make you wont to read another book in the series

I have one of the first editions of this book, it was written about 1982, so this is my review based on that edition.

Jessica Wakefield is the biggest snob at Sweet Valley High. She is president of her sorority, has all the football players calling her everynight, gets asked out everyday by a new guy (hey this was the early 1980s, this kind of thing was exceptable!!), and most cruely of all she has a "friend" named Robin Wilson.

Robin considers herself to be Jessica's friend because Jessica makes Robin do all her chores. Jess sweet talks Robin into picking up her dry cleaning and her library books. Robin is a very over weight person, and has self esteem issues. Jessica figures this out, and uses this again Robin.

One day Robin decides to join Jessica's sorority, and Jess refuses to let Robin in because she is "tubby." Jess gives Robin all of these impossible tasks to prove herself worthy. Robin comes through clean, but in the end Jessica blackballs Robin. Robin is quite upset, and begins her revenge over Jessica that includes losing over fifty pounds, becoming athletic, and humilating everyone that teased her.

This is the fourth installment of the SWEET VALLEY HIGH series featuring twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. An overweight classmate, Robin, is desperate to become a member of the popular crowd and is thrilled that Jessica Wakefield is her newest friend. what Robin does not realize is that Jessica is just using Robin and has no intention of letting her into the exclusive Phi Beta Alpha sorority like she had promised. Elizabeth on the other hand is able to see through Jessica's lies and has decided that she will not allow her twin to keep treating Robin this way. Unfortunately Elizabeth's good intentions only lead to more problems, problems for herself, her twin and Robin.

This series of books is written at the fourth grade reading level but the interest level is 12 and up. The subject matter of this series is in no way appropriate for most nine olds. The situations depicted are far too mature in the SWEET VALLEY HIGH series although there are series featuring the same characters at younger ages and targeted for younger reader. The SWEET VALLEY HIGH books are, however, excellent for holding the interest of those who are reading below grade level. The books are fairly well written in that they are exciting, and the characters are compelling. Many of the situations are fantastic and many more are not handled in a very realistic manner. Throughout the series adults in general and parents in particular are given little importance and are usually depicted as being clueless.

Robin, a chubby girl wants to be in PBA. But after performing many tasks she is blackballed. She is very upset and she starts eating healthy and excersizing she becomes thin and attractive and is voted has a head cheerleader with JEssica! THen Robin even becomes Miss. Sweet Valley High and rides victoriously in Bruce Patman's Porshe with ALlen Walters in the back seat.

When Chubby Robin Wilson follows Jessica around,she just wanted to be her friend,but now she wants to be in Pi Beta Alpha,SVH's Sorority[My high school never had a sorority!] Jessica and her 2 best friends Cara Walker and Lila Fowler won't let her in. Bruce Patman invites her to the dance,but won't dance with her,and calls her "Miss Tubby".so She loses weight,and she loses weight by starving herself.She is in the Sorority.

Robin Wilson thinks she is Jessica's best friend. She runs errands for her, and acts as a slave to Jessica. Jessica keeps Robin only to do her jobs for her (Jessica). When Robin starts trying out for the Sweet Valley's sorority, Pi Beta Alpha, Jessica makes sure Robin doesn't get in, mainly because she is overweight, and that it would ruin the image of the sorority. Elizabeth feels sorry for Robin and enters her name for the tryouts. Because Jessica is President of the sorority, she humiliates Robin into doing things in front of everyone, to see if Robin would break down and decide to quit. Things become worse when Robin in rejected, and accuses everyone, including Elizabeth of ruining her life. Can Elizabeth try to get through to Robin again? Meanwhile, Jessica is receiving expensive gifts from her friend, Lila Fowler...very expensive gifts! When she goes to the mall, she realizes that the merchandise that Jessica has, have been shoplifted. Have Jessica and Lila started shoplifting? Elizabeth tries to solve that problem as well.

I loved reading this book, mainly because it had a Cinderella touch to it. You really feel sorry for Robin in the beginning and root for her throughout the story. Of course, people can also relate to Robin in real life, because everyone feels like an outcast and wants to fit in any way if they feel they look different from others. Jessica acts her usual conniving self, while Elizabeth has to fix everything and make it right again. This is one of the best Sweet Valley High books and I definitely would recommend it to the fans of the series.

Travis Hewitt
Double Jeopardy" finds the Hardy Boys at the world-famous Indianapolis race track as student reporters covering the American Grand Prix for The Bayport Herald.
A long-simmering fued between the two top contenders breaks out into a free-for-all in which the Boys get involved.
Later one of the contenders wrecks his car, then disappears and his rival is blamed.
The Hardy Boys investigate and the trail leads them to a surprising conclusion!

Tadek Kasman
SUMMARY:

Two brothers named Frank and Joe Hardy,go camping in the woods to visit thier
friend named Captain Maguire.Theyfind out that thier friend...isn't there...!They meet Odd people along the way:like a mute boy named Simon,a tall family whose last name was Donner(two brothers and one sister).They were always fighting for a mansion.
One of the brothers is in the ccircus and the other one is suspicious...

****
I gave this book****stars because there are some extremely well writen parts and
some parts that were not very involved.

The book has 177 pages. I recomend this book for people aged 6-12 years old because
of the mystery element.

I liked the story because of how they gathered up all of the clues and how the Hardys
mystery tied into their dad's mystery.

I read the book The Clue of the Screeching Owl. This book was written by Franklin Dixon. It was about three boys going to a cabin in the woods to meet their friend Mr.Mcguire. The boys' host never showed up at the cabin, so they went in search for him. At night in what was called "Black Hollow" you could hear the shriek sound of someone screaming. My opinion of this book is very good. I really liked all of the mystery in it. If I was looking for a good mystery book and hadn't read this one, I would definately pick it. It had a lot of suspicion going in my mind of what was going to happen next. There was one thing that I didn't like about this book.It had some very difficult words in it. If those words hadn't had been in there, it would have made it a lot easier to understand. But overall I really liked this book.

Camped in a cabin beside Black Hollow the brothers become involved in a mystery surrounding the strange happenings within the hollow. I give the setting for this book an A+. Imagine - inside your four walls - knowing that danger lurks outside. The setting is brilliant and the knowledge that "something evil is lurking" makes for a suspenseful read. Reminds me of a setting for a horror film. I would have named this "The Witch of Black Hollow" or "The Secret of Black Hollow". Either would be better than the Screeching Owl title, but in any event this seems to be a favorite on most people's lists and I am no different. The Hardy's travel about the local town located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and occasionaly dare to venture down in the spooky hollow. This was the best volume in the series among the higher volumes in my opinion. Great interior artwork (The early 1960's interior artwork reached it's zenith) and a well written suspenseful action packed mystery rank this volume among the series elite. RATED A-

Frank and Joe Hardy and their best friend Chet Morton travel to the Pocono Mountains to visit Captain Thomas Maquire. Captain Maquire wrote to Fenton Hardy, the boys' father, to tell him about strange noises and missing pets in Black Hollow, an area adjacent to where Captain Maquire lives. The boys had to investigate in their father's place because he is working on a hijacking mystery with the New Jersey state police involving missile components.

When the boys arrive at Captain Maquire's cabin they discover he is missing. The boys are unable to gain the attention of the local police, and are stymied further when Walter Donner, who seems to live in Black Hollow, makes the boys appear to be incompetent tenderfeet in the wilderness. But the boys know something is going on in Black Hollow. There are strange noises at night, and what sounds like cries.

The boys observe early in the mystery that Walter Donner bears an incredible likeness to Colonel Thunder, an animal trainer in a carnival. Are Walter Donner and Colonel Thunder related in some way? Are they the same person? Why is Walter Donner living in Black Hollow? The Donner family was previously wealthy and there is an estate, so what explains Walter Donner living in poverty?

In addition to these mysteries, the boys soon learn of a wild boy living in the Black Hollow area. The boy seems at home in the wild, but he may also be dangerous!

As the mystery builds, the attacks on the Hardys and Chet increase, with the boys threatened by fire, wild animals, and criminals with guns. How will the Hardys and Chet escape this time?

This particular book in the Hardy Boys series is reasonably interesting. The pace of action is continuous, and the storyline holds together reasonably well. This book is one of the better books as compared to books that immediately preceded this one.

The publisher recommends the Hardy Boys series for ages 9 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. This particular book is a good fit for the new age range. Though the Hardy Boys series contains archaic information, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are good. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

As with the other books in the collection,my son adored The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge. Once he starts reading he cannot put the book down until finished. A great way for children to improve their reading and vocabulary skills.

This book is the 45th book in the original Hardy Boys series. This book follows "The Haunted Fort." The next book in the series is "The Secret Agent on Flight 101."

There are strange troubles in the wilderness of Kentucky as Tony Prito's father attempts to build a road through the wilderness. Someone keeps trying to sabotage the road. At first, Mr. Hardy attempts to solve the mystery, but someone attacks and severely injures Mr. Hardy. The stakes increase when someone breaks into the Hardy house and when Frank and Joe Hardy receive threats. The trail leads to New York, but quickly becomes cold in a cemetery.

Undaunted, Frank, Joe, Tony and Chet go to Kentucky to try to find the saboteurs. The boys also need to learn why someone is trying to sabotage the road construction project. The mystery deepens when the boys arrive in Kentucky. Bombs are found beneath a bridge under construction. The boys are attacked and Tony's injuries require medical attention. Worse, the mysteries have grown rather than decreased. Why is there a glowing light in the wilderness at night? Who or what is Rosy? Why do so many of the men on the construction project speak strange slang? Who is the baron? Will Frank and Joe's father recover from his serious injuries? Readers of this book will have many things to discover before the final page is turned!

This book is one of the best of the later books in the series. Indeed, this book compares well with the early books in the series. There are well crafted mysteries and a complex story. This book was enjoyable to read and I kept interested from beginning to end. As with the previous book in this series, "The Haunted Fort," I recommend this book to a first time Hardy Boys reader.

The publisher recommends the Hardy Boys series for ages 9 to 12 because the series is relatively tame for the previous target audience of ages 10 to 14. This particular book is a very good fit for the new age range. Though the Hardy Boys series contains archaic information, as reading material for an increasingly younger audience they are fine. Once a child has reached age 12 or so the stories may be of less interest, but given the combination of mystery and action, these books remain good safe choices for parents who want to know what their children are reading.

Enjoy!

Definatley in the top tier of Hardy Boy books, and not just for the later volumes, but period. Top notch story, setting, atmosphere, and very imaginative. 5 Stars.

book review
by torrey v. chrisman
The book I like is the hardy boys. Its about to brothers that go on detective cases. They have 53 books in the series and they live in the town of Bayport. They have a bud named Chet.
I like this book vary much. It has spy work and spenceful stuff like going to a rocky shore and climing it. I would give this book a ten because it is vary cool! by the way the brother's name are Fred and George. That's why I like this book. I am now reading book 45, it's called mystery of the spiral bridge.

Among it's era, Spiral Bridge stands tall as one of the best book during this period in Hardy history.. It was a rather unique volume with the first 50 pages being a volume in itself and the remainder a subsequent to the opening. By page 50, the brothers are at a Dead End thus the chapter "Dead End" is well named. The brothers were at a stand still in solving this case. After a brief 15 pages of little activity they head to Kentucky undercover at a construction site under assumed names using "jailbird language". I absolutely loved this book. It captured your imagination. They were in the great outdoors among the enemy (Sleeping With the Enemy) working side by side with the very criminals they intended to bring to justice. The book is packed with action & suspense. RATED B+