(You can find this episode here.)
On the first episode of our third season, we discuss The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene, the first installment in the Nancy Drew series, with writer and editor Sara Fitzgerald. The Secret of the Old Clock was published in 1930 and significantly revised in 1959. As we discuss, Carolyn Keene didn’t really exist; the series was the brainchild of Edward Stratemeyer, who farmed the writing out to freelancers—in this case, Mildred Wirt Benson.
Mentioned on this episode:
Other Nancy Drew books:
Other Stratemeyers Syndicate series:
Also mentioned:
The Silenced Muse: Emily Hale, T. S. Eliot, and the Role of a Lifetime by Sara Fitzgerald
The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
We’re not told which aria from Tosca is playing in the famous singing teacher’s house, but here’s Maria Callas singing “Vissi d’Arte,” the best-known aria from the Puccini opera.
Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly
Teen romances by Betty Cavanna
James Patterson and his collaborators
The CW Nancy Drew series (trailer here)
The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie, the TV show (trailer here)
A 2-star Goodreads review by a reader named Michelle, whose favorite quote from the book is “Oh, why can’t all people be nice like this scenery and not make trouble?”
Ada Twist, Scientist, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Sofia Valdez, Future Prez, by Andrea Beaty
The Ada Twist, Scientist TV series (trailer here)
Recommended by Sara:
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Cherry Ames, Camp Nurse by Helen Wells, and other Cherry Ames books
Recommended by Deborah:
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Recommended by Mary Grace:
The Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh
The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms.
You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s at My Life 100 Years Ago. You can find out more about Sara’s books at sarafitzgerald.com
This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.
Rereading Our Childhood 