Under Review

Read the original edition. ( )

As a long time reader of the Hardy Boys, I was super excited to get my hands on an original storyline copy of The Tower Treasure! Right out the gate I noticed several differences between the 1927 and 1959 rerelease of the book. Chief Collig is such a bumbling, arrogant blowhard in this version! I dont remember Detective Smuff, but he was pretty much Collig's lapdog the whole book. I always picture the Hardy boys in 1950s getup so I spent some time looking up 1927 fashion and cars including 1927 Indian motorcycles. I plan to read the 1959 version next for an even deeper comparison! ( )

The Hardy Boys was another series that was super popular in my youth. As the outcast, loser-ish nerd of the class I striked against these books and would not read them! I was "too cool" and only wanted to read the books the popular kids didn't like (Bunnicula, Goosebumps, a Series of Unfortunate Events and Twilight to name a few). In my adulthood, I found this book at a local charity book store and decided to pick up the first book in this series. And... I was kind of disappointed. Why? I'm an adult.

This book is clearly an older novel. The references are absolutely amazing! This book did not age well at all. As someone who loves anything "vintage" or "old" this book was right in my wheelhouse. It had my chuckling and feeling nostalgic as it reminded me of my youth and all the things my parents used to say. The book was first published in 1927, so it is a REAL gem. I didn't know it was that old so I was super shocked. Clearly, my grandparents sayings were passed along to my parents.

Like Nancy Drew, this series is written by a large majority of ghost writers. Out of curiousity, I want to continue this series to see how the books change (there is almost 200 books so good luck to me. It's going to be a life long goal...).

The original YA novel is full of mysteries that aren't easy to follow. Things just happen suddenly and appear, and isn't as "smart" as I thought it would be. It's still beautifully written and truly marvelous (this book is almost one hundred years old... and the youth back then read it... and now I'm reading it... my mind is blown). Mystery after mystery occurs and of course it is solved in the end. Our two leads are also nearly adults, and somehow are just as good at solving mysteries as their Detective Father.

This book definitely has it's flaws, but it's a total nostalgia trip. It's a cool book that I'd highly recommend readers pick up whether they want to get into young reader books or if you want to travel back in time.

Two out of five stars.

( )

Thank you Netgalley and Dove Publication for the free ebook copy in exchange for a review. The Hardy Boys was a trend when I was young along with Nancy Drew. Being a girl, my mom buys me Nancy Drew so this is my first dabble into the Hardy Boys. It feels like a Nancy Drew mystery. It is perfect for middle grade students but not exactly for adults. Spoilers ahead! I have some questions about the theft that was left unanswered. The ending was also a let down, no confrontations or whatever. It was okay but lacks excitement. ( )