Mystery

Picked this up from a charity store in Bristol, mainly for its cover (although not the one shown here - it had Joe Hardy about to step off the top of a ferris wheel blindfolded). I read it on the way back. It was good fun - enjoyable twists, mixed in with a couple of bits of hilariously bad writing. Totally preposterous of course. Not really ratable.

This represented another outing into nostalgia territory, prompted by having mistakenly received one of the Nancy Drew Diaries stories. I remember buying a copy of this book while on holiday in Ullapool with my parents, almost fifty yesrs ago. At the time I thought that this was almost as good as adventure stories could get.

Looking back from the jaded perspective of my late fifties, I still found it entertaining. The story fairly races along, and the characters are simply drawn, but no more two dimensional and hollow (although can something be both two dimensional and hollow?) than a lot of grown-up books (I felt that to say adult books might take us into all together different territory!) that I have read recently.

There is an overpowering wholesomeness about the books, which seems somewhat risible to me now. Even the crooks play by certain unwritten rules - no one is killed, and Frank and Joe Hardy represent the finest qualities of conscientious compliance and service to the community. And why not.

I doubt if I will pursue this particular brand of nostalgia any further down this route, but I am glad to have revisited this book, and would certainly recommend it to young readers who enjoy a good adventure story. ( )

This book is solely based upon the adventures of Joe & Frank Hardy sons of Fenton Hardy. While at a carnival searching for pickpockets. Something valuable is stolen from them. Some of the workers at the carnival as the boys notice have strange whale tattoos. The boys & their friends Chet, Tony, and Biff start of on another case. Unaware of the dangers that await them. The end outcome is extraordinary & I cant wait to read more of these books

This book was my second I've read in this series & I was so astonished at this mystery. I would recommend for the years eight & up to read this. This type of genre is my favorite because it's a mix of action and mystery. Everything is unexpected. This book was so much fun to read & the end outcome was fascinating with them finding the whale & all that good stuff. Probably if I could be either Frank or Joe I would be Frank. I cant wait to read more of this series. ( )