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Nancy Drew. I'm not sure what I can say to sway a vote to Nancy Drew, because you either read some of the series and loved it or you didn't. For me, the books represented my first real foray into series, mysteries and books based on characterization--that is to say the characters are in every book and in some of the books there is character growth. Do they stand the test of time? Yes, I think kids today can still enjoy them. Do they stand the test of age? No, not really. I went back and read this first installment when I was in my thirties. Goodness! Such a simplified mystery when I remembered much richer characters, plot and dialogue!
But they are great stories for a certain age and the wonderful memories of enjoying them does stand the test of time and age. They are accessible fiction and a great introduction to genre fiction. They are an escape for a child and Nancy Drew is a strong female character with brains, friends and a loyal family. I don't think they teach any real moral lessons (unless you learn that you really should not meet a mysterious stranger at midnight at the boat dock) and some of the descriptions that were "accurate" for that period in history have been erased/sanitized.
They certainly deserve a mention because I believe those stories touched many a heart and expanded many an imagination.
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