I grew up a fan of Nancy Drew books, and I still read them today as an adult. This is an interesting read based on the history behind Nancy Drew and her creators. I recommend the book to fans of Nancy Drew.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

This is a sort of non-fiction that is not exactly completely non-fiction. It reads more like fiction but uses the facts from the past and does not change the outcomes of the people involved. Since it was listed under Historical fiction on GoodReads, I decided to do the same. I picked this up because I remember reading somewhere about the controversy that surrounded the Nancy Drew series quite late. I was never a big fan of Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys since I ended up with predominantly English authors as compared to their American counterparts.

The author's style seemed to target the audience that the subject of the book also aimed. Meaning a younger audience, with lesser mature content. In itself, it is very informative and presents a startling picture into the rights of authors and the concept of serialised books in the US. I found it hard to read at one go because of the pace, but the story within was interesting. I do not want to give a summary since a google search would probably give us a brief version of the situation. The author has presented us with a fictional version of what transpired in the making of a syndicate that ultimately held the rights for a lot of stories that Americans of many generations grew up with. It was also a focal point of the narrative to bring to the forefront the differences between women as time progressed. 

It is a different read and for someone with even a mild interest in the publishing industry in the US through past decades and in Nancy Drew herself should check it out.

A wonderful historical novel (based on a true story), 'Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up' is an insightful story about the publishing industry in the early 1900s. When reading this book I was taken back to an earlier time in history. I felt the attitudes of the times. I love traveling through time while reading and this book allowed me to do so. Although, at times the book moved slowly, I found it a good read.

I read some Nancy Drew books when I was younger. I had no idea that several people authored the books. This was informative and engaging on a subject I knew nothing about. I recommend for fans of Nancy Drew. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Nancy Drew since middle school, I was intrigued by this book. It provided background information on the writers who crafted this famous series. Although I knew the books were written by a cadre of authors, I did not know much about their lives or personalities. This book filled in the gaps.

I grew up loving Nancy Drew books so was curious about this novel. I thought it would have more Nancy Drew, but it was still interesting. This book will probably be of greatest interest to serious Nancy Drew fans and collectors.

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book.

In middle school at one point my entire (almost, anyway) reading comprised of Nancy Drew. The library that I went to back then had all the different series--the original books, the files, even the Dana Girls books, and I would issue a couple (or more) each time I went. As a child I had also read the Bobbsey Twins. And later I also was hooked onto the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermysteries that featured both. So of course, when I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew I simply had to read it. This book is basically a fictionalised account of the Stratemeyer Syndicate which created a number of series of juvenile (children’s and teen) fiction from the early 1900s onwards, and whose titles continue to be published to this day. The book begins with the founder and brains behind the syndicate, Edward Stratemeyer, whose endless ideas gave birth to many many stories, and moves on to his daughters, Harriet Adams and Edna, essentially Harriet who took on the reins of the company after Stratemeyer’s sudden death and carried on the business. It also tells the stories of some of the numerous ghostwriters who wrote these stories, based off of the outlines that Stratemeyer and later Harriet provided them, but the focus amongst these is Mildred Wirt Benson who wrote many of the initial Nancy Drew stories besides other books for the syndicate, as well as many others under her own name. We enter into their lives, get a glimpse of their personalities, of course their work, and the question of which of them could claim to be the real Carolyn Keene. The story is anchored around litigation that took place in the 1980s between Harriet Adams and Grosset and Dunlap, the publishers over their contract to publish the syndicate’s titles.

As someone who enjoyed not only Nancy Drew but some of the other series that the Syndicate brought out, I really enjoyed reading this book. Edward Stratemeyer was a real genius and a fascinating person to read about. One can only be in awe at the sheer amount of ideas that his mind generated. It is also intriguing to see how he was so forward thinking in some ways and yet conservative in others, but overall I found him to be very likeable. Admiration and awe combined with some liking and sympathy are feelings that come into mind over Mildred Wirt Benson as well, who was a pioneer in many ways, intrepid, ready to take on challenges, and one who wrote articles for the paper where she worked and could fly a plane till her dying day (when she was all of 96!!!). Harriet Adams was also worthy of admiration (this word is coming in a lot in this review, isn’t it?) for the way she took charge of and ran the company, facing various challenges, including from her own family, even though she wasn’t in the same mould as her father. But while I did admire her, even feel a little sympathy for her at places, I didn’t really take to her or her sister (as adults). I enjoyed reading how all their stories played out, and in them how some of our favourite stories came into being. While I had a general idea about the Syndicate and that they used ghostwriters including Benson to write their various titles, I had no idea before reading the book just how many books and series they were responsible for. This was a really interesting read, which led me to discover a couple of really fascinating personalities as well!

Did you grow up reading Nancy Drew books? Remember the way she would drive around town in her convertible, having adventures, being brave and solving mysteries? I certainly do, she was an important stepping stone in my formative literary years. Now that I have read Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up, by Christine Keleny, and it has left me shattered!

This book appears to be well researched and delves into the origin of the Nancy Drew series, brain child of publisher Edward Stratemeyer. Keleny describes how ghost writers were used to write all of the Nancy Drew books, Carolyn Keene is merely a collective pseudonym! I was upset to learn that the author of one of my favourite series of childhood books, Carolyn Keene, was not one person, but a series of ghost writers. Even more disenchanting was discovering both how little the primary ghost writer was paid – just a flat fee, no royalties – and how disrespected she was by her employer.

Keleny sheds light on the publishing and printing industry in the early 20th century. How the game was played, who made the decisions and the importance of a good story outline. If you were ever curious about the formula for writing a Nancy Drew book, and were unable to figure it out yourself, this book will help you.

All in all, I found that Keleny spent too much time imagining family dramas and creating dialogues for her characters. The important content of this novel would have been a more interesting read if presented as a classic five-paragraph essay, instead of being dragged out over 365 pages. A good editor would have helped move this story along, and maybe even pointed out that a question mark was required in the title.

I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
Whilst I never read any of the Nancy Drew books I do remember the series
s on TV in the 1970s.

This is the background to the syndicate that developed Nancy Drew (and other series). This novel offers a background into the syndicate, and spans a hundred years from the beginning with Edward Stratemeyer at the helm, to being run by his daughters after his death.

This isn’t Nancy Drew, this is a historical glimpse of these plucky women’s lives, and I found myself rather enjoying this glimpse.

I have always loved Nancy Drew and expected to love this. While interesting in parts, I found this dry and hard to get into. Still, valuable information for fellow Nancy fans.

This is such a good, interesting novel! The characterizations of the main characters were outstanding! We really felt we knew them! I really enjoyed the "biographies!". Wonderful! !

As an avid reader of all the books that were written by these authors, I had no clue about what was happening in the background. The research put into this must have been like being in one of the Nancy Drew stories and finding new clues all the time! Very interesting to read about all that happened behind the scenes to get these classics out. I love books like this one where I not only enjoyed the read but also learned something as well. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Nancy Drew Mysteries since I was 8. I've had to have read over 200 of the various series.

This book is a wonderful tribute to the character of Nancy and Carolyn, the pen name for the books.

The book spans almost a hundred years and goes into the life of Edward Stratemeyer and have s family and the ghostwriter Mildred.

I'm sure there will be some folks disappointed that this isn't Nancypalooza straight out the gate but it certainly is a cracking good piece of historical fiction.