I don't know why I haven't added these before. I read the Hardy Boys books at the same age I read all the Nancy Drew books (between 8-12) and I enjoyed them just as much. Obviously, as with Nancy Drew, I read a lot more than just six out of the series. But this addition to my shelf will have to stand for all of them.

Nancy Drew is better.

I read 50+ of these things, they were what got me started into books!

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It's hard to rate this period it was written so very long ago that the cultural norms are completely different from what we would have now. Detective fiction come or even for children, has come a long way. For instance, nobody would write about a police chief asking to teenage boys to go undercover in a fairly dangerous situation. But over all, I have to say that the book was fun, and it brought me back to my early reading. I enjoyed it, but I'm not going to go search out the rest of the old Hardy boys books. May be Nancy Drew…

I've read this collection before. A long time ago. And I was still able to remember some of the details! So the mystery wasn't as much of a mystery to me. I still enjoyed it though and was thoroughly entertained. 

The Hardy Boys are great. Frank and Joe are like the dynamic duo. They have fun and have a penchant for solving  mysteries. And this love seems to stem from their retired cop father and loving mother. Love it.


The Caribbean Cruise Caper (#154)

The Hardy Boys are invited by a teen magazine to be advisors in an amateur detective contest they are sponsoring. The contest is being held aboard a yacht traveling through the caribbean. From the onset, problems arise. It seems that someone is trying to bring the contest to an abrupt end. With each antic getting more dangerous. Luckily, the Hardy Boys are on the case.

What I particularly like about this story was the mystery within a mystery. The other teen detectives were able to see firsthand how the Hardy Boys work together. The dynamic duo bounce ideas off of one another, they tackle different aspects of the case, effectively working together. 

An entertaining trip!

Daredevils (#159)

The Hardy Boys and their family are helping an old family friend, Terrence McCauley. Terrence is a young stuntman working in Hollywood, California. And someone seems to have it out for him. Danger is lurking everywhere, not just on the sets. Who is trying to hurt him and why is what the Hardy Boys have to figure out.

This is a fast-moving, action-heavy mystery. The Hardy Boys have to work hard to keep Terrence safe. But doing so puts their own lives at risk, as they quickly find out. An exhilarating story, for sure. Although, the discovery of the who and why is a bit anticlimatic, in my opinion.

There was a line in this book that made me laugh. Frank Hardy has just confronted a suspect. As he's getting ready to leave, he says: "Then you'd have to start looking for a new job... I hear they need ghostwriters for kids books." Ha! Don't you just love that self-awareness? Kudos to the writer! :D



Skin and Bones (#164)

The Hardy Boys are vacationing in San Francisco. They're staying with Sergeant Chang, a friend of their father's. The boys are quickly involved in a mystery when Cody, Sergeant Chang's son, confides that he needs their help. His store Skin and Bones, which specializes in exotic animal specimens, has been robbed and ransacked multiple times. Cody has also been receiving threatening emails. He's hesitant to tell his father, so he wants the Hardy's to uncover what they can.

This was an interesting little mystery. From the onset the boys have a likely suspect. Although, certain things don't add up. And before they know it, the real culprit is unmasked. But not before everyone's life is put in danger.  

While the story was entertaining, I didn't really like how the case was resolved. I mean, they figured out who the real criminal was after he took a gambit and showed his hand. Which is probably why criminals always get caught. Taking unnecessary risks. Hm.

Great mystery series good for starters.

During Summers of my elementary school days, My mom would always take us to the library. I was addicted to these classic Mystery series set in the 50's, both Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. As a kid, I was probably very close to have read almost all of them. I love the characters and admire them for they were daring and very witty! A fun Mystery series to read, you develop a sense of adventure and critical thinking skills by trying to solve clues or the crime before these legendary teen sleuths do. It keeps you at the edge of your seat, a thrill, every new mystery is full of adventure, intelligence, secrets are revealed, the bad are punished, the good prevail, and justice is served! This began my love for Mystery. It can help you discover the inner sleuth in you and teaches you the importance of being resourceful. I even thought I was a spy and for my birthday, I was given real binoculars and a spy kit!

Got me reading mystery novels, (especially 1,5(and 8, not included))

An amazing series filled with thrill, action, and adventure as well as puzzles yet to be solved which could be shocking you continue the series non-stop!

From the mist of memory... I read tons of Hardy Boys fiction as a kid. These probably cover many of them. ANd mine were the editions printed in the 1930s. My cousin Richard gave me his hand-me-downs.

In the The Shore Road Mystery you are excited at every little move that the Hardy boys do. Every time they run into a problem they some how figure it out. In the book they figured out a big mystery. They figured out who was stealing the cars, how they were stealing them, and where they were storing them. The book is also written very well. It uses good language, descriptive information, and a mysterious tone.