The Hardy Boys by Edward Stratemeyer: A Children’s Book Series Overview
Article By: Riley Vaughn
11/11/2019
Edward Stratemeyer
Ages 8-13
190 books in the series
Nothing holds a kids interest like a story about an adventure. There are a lot of great options out there for kids to choose from, but some hold a special place in many hearts and minds. One such series is practically a household name, and that is the adventures of The Hardy Boys.
The Hardy Boys is an American classic that goes all the way back to 1927. The idea for The Hardy Boys was originally created by Edward Stratemeyer. He pitched the idea to a publishing company called Grosset and Dunlap, and the rest is history. Oddly enough Stratemeyer didn’t actually write any of the Hardy Boys books. The books themselves were written by teams of ghost writers that worked for Stratemeyer’s company, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon. The books were immediately successful selling over 100,000 copies after the first couple of years. Stratemeyer would even go on to great a female counterpart to the Hardy Boys to go along with them, which is how the Nancy Drew series began.
Most of the first books in the series were written by Leslie Mcfarlane. He wrote about 19 of the first 25 books in the series. There was another writer, John Button, who also wrote some of the early stories, and would later take over writing the children's book series full time until 1942. Many others would share the task of writing the series over the next several decades. The series itself would change nearly as often as its writers over the years as it made the transition into more modern stories.
Even with these changes the series has remained popular throughout its entire lifetime. Today the books sell more than a million copies annually, and have even been adapted into a multitude of mediums, such as movies, television, video games, and plenty of merchandise. It’s hard to pin down exactly why the Hardy Boys have been in the spotlight for so long, but most say they just simply enjoy the all American adventures that the boys go on as well as the triumph of good over evil.
The series follows the adventures of Frank and Joe Hardy, two teenage boys who have a knack for solving mysteries that have otherwise stumped every adult who has been assigned to them. They live in the town of Bayport, and are the sons of an actual detective, Fenton Hardy, who sometimes asks them for assistance on his cases. The boys are constantly facing danger and adventure, but always seem to come out on top. The town of Bayport is the host to a whole slew of mysteries and conflicts that the boys tackle, such as espionage, drug smuggling, murder, diamond thieverey, and even horse kidnapping. All in all the Hardy boys never seem to run out of challenges to overcome.
In order to better understand The Hardy Boys I decided to revisit the very first one. This one was written by Leslie Macfarlan who was renowned as one of the most talented authors to write for the series. He has a unique and detail oriented style of writing that is rarely seen in children's books. He would be followed by the writer John Button who was a bit more eccentric. His writing was known for having a number of inconsistencies, featuring exotic locations, and even gadgets from the future. His period of writing for the series is referred to as the “Weird” period.
The first book of the series is called the The Tower Treasure. The story takes off immediately as the two Hardy brothers are nearly hit by a car driven by a man with bright red hair. They later find out that the same man had committed a robbery in town and then steals a yellow car called the Queen from their friend Chet. A witness tells the brothers that the man actually had dark hair so the boys surmise that the thief was wearing a red wig during the robbery.
Thanks to the help of a couple friends the Hardy’s are able to find the missing car abandoned in the woods with a red wig inside. They don’t get to enjoy their success for long as the find out that there has been another robbery at the nearby Tower mansion. The boys assume that the thief from the precious robberies is tied to this one, but the owners of the estate accuse someone almost immediately, the father of boys friend Perry. The only proof tying Perry’s father to the crime is that he was able to pay off a large debt suddenly, and refused to explain where the money came from.
The Hardy brothers take the wig to their father, Fenton Hardy, who uses his contacts to find out that the wig was made in New York, and that there is a well known thief named John “Red” Jackley, who is fond of using disguises. The boys accompany their father to New York where they find that Jackley has been gravely injured in a train accident. On his deathbed Jackley admits to committing the tower robbery and with his last words say that he hid the goods “in the old tower”. Everyone is stumped as to what the cryptic message means, but the boys decide to explore the train yard where Jakley was injured.
Joe and Henry arrive at the trainyard and immediately notice that there are two old water towers. They decide to explore further and soon find the Jackleys stash inside one of them, but just as they are about to leave the brothers are locked in the tower by a man who calls himself hobo Johny. Johny claims that everything in the tower is his and leaves the brothers stranded inside the tower. Luckily, the boys break out of the tower and alert the authorities of their discovery. The Hardy Boys receive a thousand dollar reward and all the goods are returned to the Tower mansion. The story ends back in Bayport as the goods are returned to their proper owners, and the Perry’s father is rehired with an increased salary.
The story made for a delightful read and I could certainly pick up on Mcfarlane's mature writing style. The style of writing painted a wonderful picture and made the story easy to follow and enjoy.
Bundles of The Hardy Boys can be purchased directly from The Book Bundler at a great price. This children's series makes for a great read for people who love a good mystery filled with adventure. It would also make a great option for reading to kids as the writing style is more mature and well written than other series, that way the parents and children alike will get plenty of enjoyment out of the experience.
Sources:
http://www.hardyboysonline.net/content.php?page=home
http://www.keeline.com/Hardy_Boys.pdf
https://archive.org/details/secretofstratem00caro
List of Books:
- The Tower Treasure
- The House on the Cliff
- The Secret of the Old Mill
- The Missing Chums
- Hunting for Hidden Gold
- The Shore Road Mystery
- The Secret of the Caves
- The Mystery of Cabin Island
- The Great Airport Mystery
- What Happened at Midnight
- While the Clock Ticked
- Footprints Under the Window
- The Mark on the Door
- The Hidden Harbor Mystery
- The Sinister Signpost
- A Figure in Hiding
- The Secret Warning
- The Twisted Claw
- The Disappearing Floor
- The Mystery of the Flying Express
- The Clue of the Broken Blade
- The Flickering Torch Mystery
- The Melted Coins
- The Short-Wave Mystery
- The Secret Panel
- The Phantom Freighter
- The Secret of Skull Mountain
- The Sign of the Crooked Arrow
- The Secret of the Lost Tunnel
- The Wailing Siren Mystery
- The Secret of Wildcat Swamp
- The Crisscross Shadow
- The Yellow Feather Mystery
- The Hooded Hawk Mystery
- The Clue in the Embers
- The Secret of Pirates' Hill
- The Ghost at Skeleton Rock
- The Mystery at Devil's Paw
- The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
- The Mystery of the Desert Giant
- The Clue of the Screeching Owl
- The Viking Symbol Mystery
- The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior
- The Haunted Fort
- The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
- The Secret Agent on Flight 101
- The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo
- The Arctic Patrol Mystery
- The Bombay Boomerang
- Danger on Vampire Trail
- The Masked Monkey
- The Shattered Helmet
- The Clue of the Hissing Serpent
- The Mysterious Caravan
- The Witchmaster's Key
- The Jungle Pyramid
- The Firebird Rocket
- The Sting of the Scorpion
- Night of the Werewolf
- The Mystery of the Samurai Sword
- The Pentagon Spy
- The Apeman's Secret
- The Mummy Case
- Mystery of Smugglers Cove
- The Stone Idol
- The Vanishing Thieves
- The Outlaw's Silver
- The Submarine Caper
- The Four-Headed Dragon
- The Infinity Clue
- Track of the Zombie
- The Voodoo Plot
- The Billion Dollar Ransome
- Tic-Tac-Terror
- Trapped at Sea
- Game Plan For Disaster
- The Crimson Flame
- Cave-In
- Sky Sabotage
- The Roaring River Mystery
- The Demon's Den
- The Blackwing Puzzle
- The Swamp Monster
- Revenge of the Desert Phantom
- The Skyfire Puzzle
- The Mystery of the Silver Star
- Program for Destruction
- Tricky Business
- Sky Blue Frame
- Danger on the Diamond
- Shield of Fear
- The Shadow Killers
- The Serpent's Tooth Mystery
- Breakdown in Axeblade
- Danger on the Air
- Wipeout
- Cast of Criminals
- Spark of Suspicion
- Dungeon of Doom
- The Secret of the Island Treasure
- The Money Hunt
- Terminal Shock
- The Million-Dollar Nightmare
- Tricks of the Trade
- Attack of the Video Villains
- Panic on Gull Island
- Fear on Wheels
- The Prime-Time Crime
- The Secret of Sigma Seven
- Three-Ring Terror
- Demolition Mission
- Radical Moves
- The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals
- Sabotage at Sports City
- Rock 'n' Roll Renegades
- Baseball Card Conspiracy
- Danger in the Fourth Dimension
- Trouble at Coyote Canyon
- The Case of the Cosmic Kidnapping
- The Mystery in the Old Mine
- Carnival of Crime
- The Robot's Revenge
- Mystery with a Dangerous Beat
- Racing to Disaster
- Reel Thrills
- Day of the Dinosaur
- The Treasure at Dolphin Bay
- Sidetracked to Danger
- Crusade of the Flaming Sword
- Maximum Challenge
- Crime in the Kennel
- Cross Country Crime
- The Hypersonic Secret
- The Cold Cash Caper
- High-Speed Showdown
- The Alaskan Adventure
- The Search for the Snow Leopard
- Slam Dunk Sabotage
- The Desert Thieves
- Lost in Gator Swamp
- The Giant Rat of Sumatra
- The Secret of Skeleton Reef
- Terror at High Tide
- The Mark of the Blue Tattoo
- Trial and Terror
- The Ice Cold Case
- The Chase for the Mystery Twister
- The Crisscross Crime
- The Rocky Road to Revenge
- Danger in the Extreme
- Eye on Crime
- The Hunt for Four Brothers
- A Will to Survive
- The Lure of the Italian Treasure
- The London Deception
- Daredevils
- A Game Called Chaos
- Training for Trouble
- The End of the Trail
- Skin and Bones
- Crime in the Cards
- Past and Present Danger
- Trouble Times Two
- The Castle Conundrum
- Ghost of a Chance
- Kickoff to Danger
- The Test Case
- The Trouble in Warp Space
- Speed Times Five
- Hide-and-Sneak
- Trick-or-Trouble
- In Plane Sight
- The Case of the Psychic's Vision
- The Mystery of the Black Rhino
- Passport to Danger
- Typhoon Island
- Double Jeopardy
- Warehouse Rumble
- The Dangerous Transmission
- Wreck and Roll
- Hidden Mountain
- Farming Fear
- One False Step
- Motocross Madness
38 comments
https://fullservicelavoro.jimdosite.com/
http://treeads.nation2.com/
https://jumperads.yolasite.com/
http://jumperads.nation2.com/
http://transferefurniture.hatenablog.com
https://atar-almadinah.weebly.com/
https://allmoversinriyadh.wordpress.com/
https://allmoversinriyadh.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%b8%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b6-%d9%85%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a8%d8%a9/
https://allmoversinriyadh.wordpress.com/2022/04/07/%d8%a7%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%b8%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b6/
https://allmoversinriyadh.wordpress.com/2022/05/13/%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%b9%d9%81%d8%b4-%d9%88%d8%ba%d8%b1%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d9%88%d9%85-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b6/
https://companymoversinjeddah.wordpress.com/
https://moversfurniture2018.wordpress.com/2018/12/30/%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%A8-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86/
https://moversriyadhcom.wordpress.com/
https://moversmedina.wordpress.com/
https://moversfurniture2018.wordpress.com/
https://moversmecca.wordpress.com/
https://khairyayman74.wordpress.com/
https://companymoversmecca.home.blog/
https://companymoverstaif.home.blog/
https://companymoverskhamismushit.home.blog/
https://whitear.home.blog/
https://companyhouseservice.wordpress.com/
http://bestmoversfurniture.wordpress.com/
https://companymoversjeddah.wordpress.com/
https://companycleaning307819260.wordpress.com/
https://companymoversriydah.wordpress.com/
https://ataralmadinah662300791.wordpress.com/
https://groups.google.com/g/moversfurniture/c/wwQFSNvgyAI
https://groups.google.com/g/moversfurniture/c/4L1oHETS4mQ
https://nowewyrazy.uw.edu.pl/profil/khairyayman
https://companyhouseservice.wordpress.com/2022/08/06/%d8%a7%d9%81%d8%b6%d9%84-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%b8%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b6/
http://www.domyate.com/2019/08/27/transfer-furniture-north-riyadh/ نقل عفش شمال الرياض
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/05/movers-company-khamis-mushait/ شركات نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/05/10-company-transfer-furniture-khamis-mushait/ شركة نقل العفش بخميس مشيط
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/05/all-transfer-furniture-khamis-mushait/ شركات نقل اثاث بخميس مشيط
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/05/best-company-transfer-furniture-khamis-mushit/ افضل شركات نقل اثاث بخميس مشيط
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/05/company-transfer-furniture-khamis-mushit/ شركات نقل اثاث بخميس مشيط
http://www.domyate.com/category/%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%B4-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A9/ نقل عفش جدة
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/25/movers-furniture-from-jeddah-to-jordan/ نقل عفش من جدة الي الاردن
http://www.domyate.com/2019/10/03/price-cleaning-tanks-in-jeddah/ اسعار شركات تنظيف خزانات بجدة
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/25/movers-furniture-from-jeddah-to-egypt/ نقل عفش من جدة الي مصر
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/24/movers-furniture-from-jeddah-to-lebanon/ نقل عفش من جدة الي لبنان
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/22/%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%ac%d8%ad-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d8%ab%d8%a7%d8%ab-%d8%a8%d8%ac%d8%af%d8%a9/ شركات نقل اثاث بجدة
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/22/best-company-movers-jeddah/ افضل شركات نقل اثاث جدة
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/22/company-transfer-furniture-yanbu/ شركات نقل العفش بينبع
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/21/taif-transfer-furniture-company/ شركة نقل عفش في الطائف
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/21/%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%81%d8%b4/ شركات نقل العفش
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/21/%d8%b7%d8%b1%d9%82-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%81%d8%b4/ طرق نقل العفش
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/%d8%ae%d8%b7%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%81%d8%b4-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ab%d8%a7%d8%ab/ خطوات نقل العفش والاثاث
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/best-10-company-transfer-furniture/ افضل 10 شركات نقل عفش
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/%d9%83%d9%8a%d9%81-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%85-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%86%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%81%d8%b4-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ab%d8%a7%d8%ab/ اختيار شركات نقل العفش والاثاث
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/cleaning-company-house-taif/ شركة تنظيف منازل بالطائف
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/company-cleaning-home-in-taif/ شركة تنظيف شقق بالطائف
http://www.domyate.com/2019/09/20/taif-cleaning-company-villas/ شركة تنظيف فلل بالطائف
https://emc-mee.com/blog.html شركات نقل العفش
اهم شركات كشف تسربات المياه بالدمام كذلك معرض اهم شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام والخبر والجبيل والخبر والاحساء والقطيف كذكل شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة وتنظيف بجدة ومكافحة الحشرات بالخبر وكشف تسربات المياه بالجبيل والقطيف والخبر والدمام
https://emc-mee.com/cleaning-company-yanbu.html شركة تنظيف بينبع
https://emc-mee.com/blog.html شركة نقل عفش
اهم شركات مكافحة حشرات بالخبر كذلك معرض اهم شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام والخبر والجبيل والخبر والاحساء والقطيف كذلك شركة رش حشرات بالدمام ومكافحة الحشرات بالخبر
https://emc-mee.com/anti-insects-company-dammam.html شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة الجوهرة من افضل شركات تنظيف الخزانات بجدة حيث ان تنظيف خزانات بجدة يحتاج الى مهارة فى كيفية غسيل وتنظيف الخزانات الكبيرة والصغيرة بجدة على ايدى متخصصين فى تنظيف الخزانات بجدة
https://emc-mee.com/tanks-cleaning-company-jeddah.html شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة
https://emc-mee.com/water-leaks-detection-isolate-company-dammam.html شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالدمام
https://emc-mee.com/ شركة الفا لنقل عفش واثاث
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-jeddah.html شركة نقل عفش بجدة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-almadina-almonawara.html شركة نقل عفش بالمدينة المنورة
https://emc-mee.com/movers-in-riyadh-company.html شركة نقل اثاث بالرياض
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-dammam.html شركة نقل عفش بالدمام
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-taif.html شركة نقل عفش بالطائف
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-mecca.html شركة نقل عفش بمكة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-yanbu.html شركة نقل عفش بينبع
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-alkharj.html شركة نقل عفش بالخرج
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-buraydah.html شركة نقل عفش ببريدة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-khamis-mushait.html شركة نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-qassim.html شركة نقل عفش بالقصيم
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-tabuk.html شركة نقل عفش بتبوك
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-abha.html شركة نقل عفش بابها
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-najran.html شركة نقل عفش بنجران
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-hail.html شركة نقل عفش بحائل
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-dhahran.html شركة نقل عفش بالظهران
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-kuwait.html شركة نقل عفش بالكويت
https://emc-mee.com/price-transfer-furniture-in-khamis-mushit.html اسعار شركات نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
https://emc-mee.com/numbers-company-transfer-furniture-in-khamis-mushit.html ارقام شركات نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
https://emc-mee.com/new-company-transfer-furniture-in-khamis-mushit.html شركة نقل عفش بخميس مشيط جديدة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-from-khamis-to-riyadh.html شركة نقل عفش من خميس مشيط الي الرياض
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-from-khamis-mushait-to-mecca.html شركة نقل عفش من خميس مشيط الي مكة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-from-khamis-mushait-to-jeddah.html شركة نقل عفش من خميس مشيط الي جدة
https://emc-mee.com/transfer-furniture-from-khamis-mushait-to-medina.html شركة نقل عفش من خميس مشيط الي المدينة المنورة
https://emc-mee.com/best-10-company-transfer-furniture-khamis-mushait.html افضل 10 شركات نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
https://emc-mee.com/%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%87-%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%87.html
https://emc-mee.com/%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9-%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%87.html
شركة مكافحة حشرات بحائل وكذلك شركة كشف تسربات المياه بحائل وتنظيف خزانات وتنظيف الموكيت والسجاد والكنب والشقق والمنازل بحائل وتنظيف الخزانات بحائل وتنظيف المساجد بحائل شركة تنظيف بحائل تنظيف المسابح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/anti-insects-company-hail.html شركة مكافحة حشرات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/water-leaks-detection-company-hail.html شركة كشف تسربات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-surfaces.html شركة عزل اسطح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-sewage.html شركة تسليك مجاري بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-sofa.html شركة تنظيف كنب بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-mosques.html شركة تنظيف مساجد بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Carpet.html شركة تنظيف سجاد بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-tanks.html شركة تنظيف خزانات بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-swimming-bath.html شركة تنظيف وصيانة مسابح بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Furniture.html شركة تنظيف الاثاث بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-home.html شركة تنظيف شقق بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Carpets.html شركة تنظيف موكيت بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company.html شركة تنظيف مجالس بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-house.html شركة تنظيف منازل بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-curtains.html شركة تنظيف ستائر بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-cleaning-company-Villas.html شركة تنظيف فلل بحائل
https://jumperads.com/hail/hail-company-tile.html شركة جلي بلاط بحائل
I recommend this spell caster who can fix all relationship issues,.
My lover who broke up with few months ago is back for good,
This lovespell is unbelievable.
Email ((robinsonbuckler11))@gmail.com
Chicago, Illinois, United States