I would like to bring you another feature in our 30 Minutes Reading Challenge. This week we’ve been featuring Mysteries and Charlie said I was only featuring books for girls because I shared Nancy Drew and then we moved onto Trixie Beldon.
I’m not saying there is more girl detectives but when I thought back to my childhood those were the books that came to mind. Then the other day Granny Sherry reminded me about The Hardy Boys books she used to purchase for Charlie and I thought you might like to check them out with your family if you haven’t had the opportunity to read them.
The Hardy Boy’s books is what is known as a classic mystery because it has been around forever or Charlie said since the Dinosaurs roamed the Earth. LOL Come join me and let’s check out two brothers who have been solving mysteries for generations:
Frank and Joe Hardy. Yep. Today we’re talking about The Hardy Boys. And I’m going to tell you right now, this one brings back some memories for me. Because when I was growing up, I loved the Hardy Boys books. And before anybody asks… Yes, I am a girl but that shouldn’t matter when you find a book you love. Just ask Charlie and Suzzane.
Which is actually one of the things I want to talk about today. Because are the Hardy Boys really just for boys? I don’t think so and neither does my friends and family. What do you think and why?
When I picture the Hardy Boys, I picture those books I remember from growing up. And yes, I remember those blue covers. But here’s something I didn’t realize until I started looking into the Hardy Boys again:
Not every Hardy Boys book is going to look like the one you remember. These books have been around since 1927. Almost 100 years! And over all those years, they’ve been republished in different editions, with different covers, different artwork, different formats and different ways of packaging the stories.
So if you remember a Hardy Boys book with a blue cover and go looking for it today and think, “Wait…that’s not what my book looked like!” You’re not crazy. It’s still the Hardy Boys. The cover just may have changed. And honestly, I think that’s part of the fun of rediscovering an old favorite.
Of course, I don’t just remember the books. I remember The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries on television. Parker Stevenson played Frank Hardy and Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy. And if you watched that show back then… OMG! How could you not fall in love with the show?
There was something about watching Frank and Joe running around solving mysteries that made the whole Hardy Boys world come alive. So for me, the Hardy Boys aren’t just books. They’re part of childhood memories. And now, all these years later, I’m looking at them again from a completely different perspective.
Are the Hardy Boys Really Just for Boys? Here’s my answer: No. They’re for kids who love mysteries. They’re for kids who like adventure. They’re for kids who enjoy following clues. They’re for kids who want to figure out what happened before the detective does. And they’re for kids who like a story that makes them say: “Wait! I think I know who did it!”
Girls can enjoy all of that just as much as boys can. I know because I did. If your daughter loves Nancy Drew, that doesn’t mean she won’t love Frank and Joe Hardy. And if your son loves the Hardy Boys, that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy Nancy Drew.
Maybe we should stop worrying so much about whether a book is a “boy book” or a “girl book” and simply ask: “What kind of story do you like?” If the answer is mystery, the Hardy Boys are worth a look.
Now here’s where this week’s Hardy Boys discovery gets really interesting. The book I’m highlighting today is: The Hardy Boys Books 1-3: The Tower Treasure, The House on the Cliff, The Secret of the Old Mill three classic Hardy Boys mysteries in one volume. And I actually love that idea.
Instead of buying three separate books, this edition brings the first three classic Hardy Boys mysteries together in one book. It’s currently listed for ages 8–12 and grades 3–7. making it the perfect book for my nieces and nephews.
The first story is The Tower Treasure, the very first Hardy Boys mystery. Frank and Joe are dealing with a string of robberies committed by a red-haired thief. But the biggest robbery of all happens at Tower Mansion, the home of one of the wealthiest families in town.
The mansion’s caretaker is suspected of the crime. But the Hardy Boys don’t believe he’s guilty. So they set out to solve the mystery, find the stolen jewels and prove that the caretaker is innocent.
And that is exactly the kind of story that makes a mystery reader want to keep going. Who really stole the treasure? What clues have been missed? And can Frank and Joe figure it out before it’s too late? You’re going to have to read it to find out.
Then we get The House on the Cliff, Hardy Boys #2. This time, Frank and Joe are helping their famous private-detective father with a drug-smuggling investigation. Their job takes them to an old house sitting on a cliff, where they’re supposed to serve as lookouts.
But things don’t exactly go according to plan. When cries for help lure the boys inside the house, they discover they may have gotten themselves into much more danger than they expected.
And once again, they’re going to have to use their wits, follow the clues and figure out what is really happening. These are the first two mysteries that helped establish the classic Hardy Boys series.
The third book in the series is “The Secret of the Old Mill,” the young detectives will have to unravel another tangle of twisted events. Counterfeit twenty-dollar bills appeared in the city. There are many guesses, but evidence – almost none.
One clue leads the Hardy brothers to an old mill, which serves as a gateway for a modern factory. There is something at this mill, but it is almost impossible to get there. And then, the brothers decide to take the risk..
Here’s another Hardy Boys fact I didn’t know until I started digging into this series of books. You see Franklin W. Dixon on the cover and might naturally assume that’s one man who wrote all of these books.
But that’s not actually the story. Franklin W. Dixon is a pen name. Different writers wrote Hardy Boys books over the years while using the Franklin W. Dixon name. The first and best-known writer behind that name was Leslie McFarlane, a Canadian author who wrote 19 of the first 25 Hardy Boys books. Other writers also contributed to the series over the years.
So if you couldn’t find a normal author biography for Franklin W. Dixon, there’s a reason. You’re looking for a person who isn’t actually one single person. And I think that’s a pretty fascinating piece of children’s-book history.
Another question people like to ask is how many Hardy Boys books are there? This is where I got surprised. Because when I started looking into the Hardy Boys for this reading challenge, I thought we were talking about the Hardy Boys books I remembered. Nope.
There is a whole Hardy Boys universe. There is the classic Hardy Boys series. There are Hardy Boys Casefiles. There are Hardy Boys Adventures. There are Undercover Brothers. There are Secret Files. There are Clue Books. There are crossover books with Nancy Drew.
And there are other editions, collections and special books. The publisher currently lists all of these different Hardy Boys series and formats. Which if you had asked me I would have said I thought there was only one series. What about you?
So when you hear someone say there are hundreds of Hardy Boys books, don’t picture one enormous stack that a child has to read from beginning to end. It’s more like a whole collection of different paths. And that’s actually good news. Because it means we can find the right Hardy Boys for the right reader.
The next question people should ask especially if there #Homescholing is which Hardy Boys series should you start with and why? If you’re introducing a child to the Hardy Boys for the first time, I would start with the classic series.And specifically:
Start with The Tower Treasure. Why? Because it’s #1. It introduces Frank and Joe. It introduces the world of the Hardy Boys. And it lets you experience the series where it all began.
The current edition of The Tower Treasure is listed for ages 8–12, grades 3–7, and is 192 pages. But that doesn’t mean every Hardy Boys book is intended for exactly the same age. And this is something I really wish I’d known when I first tried getting Charlie interested in them.
For younger children, there are series designed specifically for them. The Hardy Boys Secret Files, for example, is a chapter-book series currently listed for ages 6–9 and grades 1–4. Simon & Schuster currently lists 19 books in that series.
There’s also the Hardy Boys Clue Book series, which is also designed for younger readers around ages 6–9 and includes interactive mysteries where kids can follow the clues and help solve the cases.
So if you’ve got a younger child who isn’t ready for the traditional Hardy Boys books, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a Hardy Boys fan. They may simply need a different starting point.
Then there’s Hardy Boys Adventures, which takes Frank and Joe into a more modern version of their mystery-solving world. The publisher lists these books at ages 8–12. And if you’re interested in trying this version, the first book is Secret of the Red Arrow, followed by Mystery of the Phantom Heist, The Vanishing Game Into Thin Air.
There’s even a boxed set containing the first ten Hardy Boys Adventures. That might be a great option for a child who doesn’t connect with the older writing style of the original books.
Then we have Hardy Boys Casefiles. And this is where I would tell parents to pay attention to the age and content rather than assuming every Hardy Boys book is interchangeable. The Casefiles books were created for an older audience and have a darker, more action-oriented tone than the traditional Hardy Boys mysteries.
So if you’re shopping for an 8-year-old, I wouldn’t automatically grab a Casefiles book just because it says Hardy Boys. Know your reader. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’m taking away from researching this series.
Another question you might be asking is if you have to read them in order? For the classic Hardy Boys mysteries, you generally don’t have to read every book in order to understand the individual mystery.
But if you’re new to the series? I still recommend starting with #1. There’s something special about beginning at the beginning. And that’s especially true for our family because I want to rediscover these books myself.
I’m not ready to tell Charlie: “Okay, buddy. We’ve got 190 books to read.” That would probably be the quickest way to make him stop reading. Instead, we’re talking about 30 minutes.
That’s it. Thirty minutes. One mystery. One chapter. One book at a time. Know I would like to talk to you about Charlie and the Hardy Boys which is where today’s reading challenge gets personal.
I’ve actually tried to get Charlie interested in the Hardy Boys before. He read one or two. And he liked them. But I couldn’t get him to keep going. And if you know Charlie, you know that sounds about right. 😂
That’s one of the reasons I’m doing this reading challenge now. I want to get Charlie and David reading more. Not because I want to make them sit down and do schoolwork. Not because I want to nag anybody.
I want us to rediscover the fun of reading. And maybe I’ve been looking at this all wrong.
`Maybe instead of handing Charlie a book and saying, “You should read this,” I need to sit down and read it too. Maybe David needs to be sitting there with his book. Maybe Charlie needs to see that we’re all doing it.
Maybe we need to talk about the mystery. “Who do you think did it?” “Did you notice that clue?” “Wait…what do you think is going to happen?” That’s different from: “Did you read your 30 minutes yet?”
So Maybe Mom Needs a Trip to the Library And that’s what I’m thinking about doing. I’m going to go to the library. I’m going to look for some Hardy Boys books. And I’m going to read them myself.
I want to start with The Tower Treasure. Then maybe I’ll try one of the newer Hardy Boys Adventures. Maybe I’ll find a Secret Files book. And then I’m going to figure out what I think would work best for Charlie and David. Because I didn’t realize there were so many different versions of the Hardy Boys.
And I don’t want to assume that because Charlie liked one or two books, the answer is simply to give him another random Hardy Boys book. Maybe we need to find his Hardy Boys. And maybe I need to find mine again, too. Hardy Boys for the Summer Gift Guide
I believe the Hardy Boys belong in our Summer Gift Guide because a mystery is a wonderful summer companion. Take one on vacation. Read it on the porch. Put one in a child’s suitcase. Take one to Grandma’s house. Or make a summer reading challenge out of it. And because there are so many different Hardy Boys books available, a child who loves the first mystery has plenty of places to go next.
They’re also perfect for our Back-to-School Gift Guide. A mystery can make a great independent-reading book. And for the reluctant reader, sometimes finding the right subject is more important than finding the “perfect” book.
Maybe your child doesn’t want to read a traditional school story. But give them a mystery and say: “Think you can figure this out before Frank and Joe do?” Now you’ve given them a challenge.
Hardy Boys books also make wonderful Christmas gifts. You could give a child the first book. You could give a two-book collection like today’s featured edition. You could build a little mystery-themed basket. Or a grandparent could start a tradition of giving one Hardy Boys mystery every Christmas. And because the series is so large, that tradition could last a very long time.
And yes, I’m putting the Hardy Boys on our Halloween reading list too. Because Halloween reading doesn’t have to mean ghosts and monsters. A mysterious old house. A hidden treasure. A strange clue. A suspicious stranger. A dangerous adventure.
That’s enough to make a pretty good Halloween mystery night. Just don’t read it with the lights completely off. I’m not responsible for every noise you hear afterward. If you don’t sleep at night don’t blame me.
I also think a Hardy Boys book makes a wonderful teacher gift. A teacher can add a mystery to the classroom library and let students discover it. One book can be read by many children.
And maybe one of those children who doesn’t think they like reading discovers: “Hey…I actually like this.” That’s the kind of gift that keeps giving. And Don’t Forget the Librarian And librarians?
They may be the perfect people to give Hardy Boys books to. Because librarians are constantly helping children find the next book. “You liked that one? Try this.” A Hardy Boys collection gives them another classic mystery series to put into children’s hands. And sometimes the right librarian recommendation is all it takes to create a reader.
If you’re looking for the Hardy Boys, don’t assume you have to find the exact edition you remember from childhood. There are many different editions and series. The publishers are a great place to explore the different versions.
Penguin Random House has the classic Hardy Boys series and lets readers browse the books and current editions. Simon & Schuster also has Hardy Boys Adventures, Secret Files, Clue Books and other series, making it useful when you’re trying to figure out which version is right for your child.
And of course, don’t forget your local library. That’s where I’m headed next. Because before I decide which Hardy Boys series I want our family to read, I want to actually sit down with the books.
For me, we’re going back to the beginning. The Tower Treasure. And because today’s featured edition includes three books The Tower Treasure and The House on the Cliff, it’s actually a great way to get two classic mysteries in one volume.
That’s the edition I’m highlighting today. And then I’m going to see where the mystery takes us. Maybe I’ll rediscover something I loved as a kid. Maybe Charlie will discover something he didn’t know he liked. Maybe David will get hooked.
Or maybe we’ll try one book and decide the Hardy Boys aren’t our thing anymore. And you know what? That’s okay, too. Because the goal isn’t to force everybody to love the same books. The goal is to find something that makes us want to read.
That’s really what this challenge is about. Thirty minutes. Not a whole book. Not a whole series. Not 190 books. Just 30 minutes. Maybe today it’s Frank and Joe Hardy. Maybe tomorrow it’s something completely different. Maybe we read alone. Maybe we read together.
Maybe Mom goes to the library and brings home a stack of books because she gets excited and can’t help herself. But we’re going to keep trying. Because somewhere inside all those pages is a story that might make somebody put down their phone, turn off the television and say: “Okay…I’ll read one more chapter.” And sometimes that’s all it takes.
What about you? Did you grow up reading The Hardy Boys? Do you remember the blue-covered books? Did you watch Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy on television? Were you a Hardy Boys reader, a Nancy Drew reader, a Trixie Belden reader—or did you read all three? And if you have a child who has tried the Hardy Boys, which version did they read?
I’d love to know. Because I’m heading to the library to figure out which Hardy Boys adventure we’re going to try next. And maybe… **just maybe… this will be the mystery that finally gets Charlie and David reading with me.** Happy Reading!
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates