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Nancy Drew: Girl Detective #9
Secret of the Spa
When I scored tickets to the grand opening of a new spa in town, I knew I had to take Bess. George came along, too, but she's been acting so weird. I knew this wouldn't be her idea of a total blast, but she's just been no fun at all. It's unlike her to be such a grouch!
But then, this new spa isn't turning out to be much fun, either. Deirdre's here, for starters. And someone's tampering with the food, and trying to take the "luxury" out of this otherwise luxurious place. Something stinks in this spa, and if I can't sniff it out, my name's not Nancy....
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
19 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,270books3,718followersCarolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
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February 25, 2009THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A DETECTIVE SHE IS SOLVING DIFFERENT THINGS
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January 29, 2025Dnf because i have to return it to the library😭
March 30, 2012
This book is about yet another adventure that has found Nancy Drew. When Carson Drew get's free passes to the new spa the three friends, Nancy, Bess and George thought that it was going to be a relaxing day and a day of totally being vegetarian as the spa also had a pure vegetarian food court. But an unknown person put cockroaches in the mud bath, turned up the heater of the steam room and added fish in the food. Who is behind all this?
April 28, 2015
I was very pleased with this book. It was suspenseful and kept me on edge and i just couldn't stop reading it! The only thing i don't like is that the mystery with George was pretty lame, but it was nice to see Deirdre Shannon get what she deserves at the end! So overall, i really enjoyed this book, and i give it 4 stars!
November 30, 2020
“Something stinks in this spa, and if I can't sniff it out, my name is not Nancy�.�
When someone is trying to take the 'luxury' out of the otherwise luxurious, new spa, Nancy Drew must save the day again. Nancy, her best friends, Bess and George, enter the new spa in town on its Grand Opening Day, something which has been the talk of their little, sleepy town for months. However, Nancy's inner sleuth comes out to play when their day turns into not-so relaxing after all� someone's tampering with the food, turning up the temperature at the wrong place, protesters are protecting outside the spa, there is sabotage going on work, and on top of that George is acting unusually grouchy. It is chaos, and it's up to Nancy to settle everything down.
Nancy Drew has always had a special place in my heart. It's amusing how I used to put my greedy hands on any and every Nancy Drew book at my school library. Unlike most of these books I've read, this one was completely from the protagonist's point of view. It was a little strange reading it that way but enjoyable nonetheless. The crew searching for the clues and Nancy's cleverness was fun to read. Not to mention, Dierdre's attitude and Thomas Jr.'s shenanigans were pretty funny too.
George's weird behavior was on the top of my mind from the start and I was itching to find out why she was acting so. By halfway, I even started thinking she might be connected to the sabotaging of the spa somehow. However, I was disappointed to learn the actual reason in the end. To be honest, I was not satisfied with the way the plot turned out at the end. I was waiting for the culprit to delve into a crazy explanation of why they did everything but I was severely discontented by then.
Another thing that irritated me was the repetitions. Nancy (in her pov) repeats that George was acting unusual and it wasn't the way she normally is, like a broken record. I got it that she doesn't act that way usually but do something about it, Nancy! Or give me more, different insights on her behavior. I think the author made the mistake of letting George's behavior confuse us more and more as the ploy moved, only to be dissatisfied at the end.
However, this book is for children so I think it works for them. I had no problem with it a couple of years ago, though looking back now I am stupefied with how I could be satisfied with such an ending to a book. But little kids like simple things, so it does a good job with them, I think. I am thankful for Nancy Drew's stories for building my love for books from a young age and it's nice to hear similar things from fellow bookworms on the internet.
When someone is trying to take the 'luxury' out of the otherwise luxurious, new spa, Nancy Drew must save the day again. Nancy, her best friends, Bess and George, enter the new spa in town on its Grand Opening Day, something which has been the talk of their little, sleepy town for months. However, Nancy's inner sleuth comes out to play when their day turns into not-so relaxing after all� someone's tampering with the food, turning up the temperature at the wrong place, protesters are protecting outside the spa, there is sabotage going on work, and on top of that George is acting unusually grouchy. It is chaos, and it's up to Nancy to settle everything down.
Nancy Drew has always had a special place in my heart. It's amusing how I used to put my greedy hands on any and every Nancy Drew book at my school library. Unlike most of these books I've read, this one was completely from the protagonist's point of view. It was a little strange reading it that way but enjoyable nonetheless. The crew searching for the clues and Nancy's cleverness was fun to read. Not to mention, Dierdre's attitude and Thomas Jr.'s shenanigans were pretty funny too.
George's weird behavior was on the top of my mind from the start and I was itching to find out why she was acting so. By halfway, I even started thinking she might be connected to the sabotaging of the spa somehow. However, I was disappointed to learn the actual reason in the end. To be honest, I was not satisfied with the way the plot turned out at the end. I was waiting for the culprit to delve into a crazy explanation of why they did everything but I was severely discontented by then.
Another thing that irritated me was the repetitions. Nancy (in her pov) repeats that George was acting unusual and it wasn't the way she normally is, like a broken record. I got it that she doesn't act that way usually but do something about it, Nancy! Or give me more, different insights on her behavior. I think the author made the mistake of letting George's behavior confuse us more and more as the ploy moved, only to be dissatisfied at the end.
However, this book is for children so I think it works for them. I had no problem with it a couple of years ago, though looking back now I am stupefied with how I could be satisfied with such an ending to a book. But little kids like simple things, so it does a good job with them, I think. I am thankful for Nancy Drew's stories for building my love for books from a young age and it's nice to hear similar things from fellow bookworms on the internet.
March 23, 2020
This book is about Nancy, Bess, and George receiving free passes from Nancy's dad to a new spa in River Heights; chaos ensues on its opening day, and George is acting strange. I really enjoyed reading this book; I couldn't stop reading once I started a new chapter, and I had no idea who the culprit could be. The books that came before this one, the suspects and their motives were somewhat easy to guess. Onto the next book!
February 1, 2017
it was an amazing book. it was a book in which Nancy and Ned's relationship undergoes a change. i love the book as it was thrilling to read about a crime in a spa . everyone could be suspected. i loved the gang of Nancy , Bess and Gorge.
August 23, 2022
I love this book, it kept me interested, and having a twist at the end is not what I was expecting. This was the first Nancy Drew book I have ever read and the first book of enjoying reading (reading used to put me to sleep) My mom read it too and she loved it.
October 6, 2022
this was such an easy read and it felt like a childrens book (idk if it is or isnt tbh dont come at me) BUT I LOVED IT??? its so cute i picked up the book in my school’s library and decided to read it bc its NANCY DREW??? IN MY SCHOOLS LIBRARY??? so yes i liked it. very lighthearted and cute
August 18, 2018
It's a good book for ages 10-13, not for a teen though...
December 16, 2018
If you are a teenager and fan of detective stories, then go for it.�
October 23, 2019
This was another cute book in the series, although the reason behind George’s bizarre actions was odd. It was nice to see another side of Deirdre, though.
Want to read
February 16, 2020it is so bad don't read it lol
August 17, 2022
Nice book.
November 14, 2021
This book right here is a MASTERPIECE! Nancy Drew, in the first place, inspired me to act like a detective!
not me being a school detective cuz of her *blinks innocently*
not me being a school detective cuz of her *blinks innocently*
February 4, 2013
I have read the book called "Nancy Drew and the Sevret of the Spa" and it was fantastic.
The book had a lot of adventurous suspense in it and a lot of details that can make the book really interesting. The book was full of wonder and creativity. Carolyn Keene had created a great book. I can't wait to read more of Nancy Drew's series of books and feel like I am in her adventures. I hope you get the book at the bookstores and love it as much as I did.
The book had a lot of adventurous suspense in it and a lot of details that can make the book really interesting. The book was full of wonder and creativity. Carolyn Keene had created a great book. I can't wait to read more of Nancy Drew's series of books and feel like I am in her adventures. I hope you get the book at the bookstores and love it as much as I did.
March 16, 2016
I thought it was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. It was interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out if any more clues or evidence found :) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery stories or short stories. The good thing about Nancy Drew books is you don't have to read them in order because they're all about a different plot/mystery.
September 21, 2022
Always fun and sweet reading books from franchises I loved as a young kid! As for Nancy Drew, I've loved her forever <3 This particular book wasn't as fun as a lot of other Nancy Drew books I've read but surely served the purpose I bought it for- feeling how good I felt reading these stories as a schoolgirl so many years back. :)
January 13, 2016
Nancy Drew is a great read for any young girl. This book was fun and brought me back to my childhood. This wasn't the best of the bunch but enough to earn the three stars. Defiantly a good series for a young reader to enjoy.
September 4, 2024
Meh. I was really hoping for some High Shenanigans, because mystery books set at spas tend to be bananapants, but this wasn't NEARLY bananapants enough. Like, yawn, hissing cockroaches in the mud bath. No one's faking their own murder or stealing someone's face about it.
January 12, 2008
I really think these new ND books have the old nostalgic tone of the originals.
February 27, 2008
Good book and funny
April 9, 2008
I don't know why the formula for these books was changed into such a modern format. So much of the goodness of the REAL Nancy Drew books was lost! Carolyn Keene, what's wrong with you? :)
September 9, 2010
I loved this book!
December 16, 2010
Boring...
Read
March 8, 2011pretty good i hated the suspense
May 4, 2012
Only have it because it is Nancy Drew.
December 24, 2012
really good book! it is very unpredictable! I am kinda scared to go to a spa now though.. :)
January 13, 2013
First Nancy Drew book I ever read!
Read
July 22, 2014I think reason I didn't like this was it was so fast. It all happened in one morning. And the thing with George was lame
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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