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Missing Millie Benson

The Secret Case of the Nancy Drew Ghostwriter and Journalist

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Growing up in Ladora, Iowa, Mildred "Millie" Benson had ample time to develop her imagination and sense of adventure. While still a journalism graduate student at the University of Iowa, Millie began writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which published the phenomenally popular Hardy Boys series, among others. Soon, Millie was tapped for a new series starring amateur sleuth Nancy Drew, a young, independent woman not unlike Millie herself. Under the pen name Carolyn Keene, Millie wrote the first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, and twenty-two other Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. In all, Millie wrote more than a hundred novels for young people.

Millie was also a journalist for the Toledo Times and the Toledo Blade. At sixty-two, she obtained her pilot's license. Follow the clues throughout Missing Millie to discover the story of this ghostwriter, journalist, and adventurer.

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    • School Library Journal

      December 1, 2015

      Gr 5-8-Rubini explores the life of Mildred "Millie" Benson, better known as Carolyn Keene, author of the "Nancy Drew" books. Readers will learn how Benson earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and wrote for the Stratemeyer Syndicate as a ghost writer under the pen name Carolyn Keene. She was tasked with writing a mystery series about an amateur sleuth and wrote 23 of the first 30 "Nancy Drew" titles. Benson also wrote more than 100 novels for young people under the name Keene and other pseudonyms. Rubini frames the story as a mystery, asking why, despite Nancy Drew's fame, most people have never heard of Benson and tracking down clues and evidence to uncover more information about the life of this little-known author. Chapters are referred to as clues and given appropriate names ("Ghostwriter Appears: The Case of the Missing Ghostwriter"). Included are some of the "Nancy Drew" book covers, Benson's awards and recognitions, and a chronological list of works she wrote. VERDICT A solid option for those interested in the "Nancy Drew" mysteries.-Minerva Alaniz, Texas Tech University Library

      Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2016
      Mildred "Millie" Benson wrote twenty-three of the first thirty original Nancy Drew titles, and Rubini tells Millie's compelling life story in an eminently readable and well-organized biography. If ending every chapter with a cliffhanger sometimes feels forced, it certainly keeps readers turning pages. This book's true audience is children's literature history aficionados and nostalgic adult Nancy Drew fans. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos.

      (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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  • English

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