Meet Shelli and Jane!My mom, Jane, grew up in Speedway, Indiana. As a young girl, she frequently read Nancy Drew books (w/o dust jackets..in fact, she didn't even know that they books had covers until later) and traded them with friends. While attending IU, she and some friends re-read some of the books again for fun. She loved the settings of the books as well as the adventures of Nancy, Bess and George.
I spent most of my childhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA. Around age 8 or 9, an older neighbor gave me her Nancy Drew books - Volumes 1 and 2. Once I started reading the books, I was hooked. I still have the two books that got me started on Nancy. I loved reading so much that I turned my walk-in closet into a library, aptly titled "Shelli's Public Library"...in fact, most of my childhood books have SPL stamped in them. I was a library aide in elementary school. Mrs. Martin, the librarian, encouraged me to never stop reading. I remember reading almost every Nancy Drew book in the library. After reading most of the original 56 books, I got into the Nancy Drew Files as a teenager. Something inside of me would never let me get rid of my ND books. I am so happy that I've kept them over the years. My collection has now grown to over 400 books as well as memorabilia.
In July of 2007, Mom and I went to a local bookstore to meet ND artist Rudy Nappi. That event lead to the formation of the Carolina Sleuths club. It is fun to talk "Nancy" with other fans. To this day, Mom and I always take a few ND books on our travels so that we will have pictures reading them in different cities.
This will be the first convention for us. This past fall, I was part of the panel that spoke on "The Mysterious Allure of Nancy Drew" to help launch the Girls Studies minor in the Women's Studies program at ASU.Shelli and Jane
7 comments:
Shelli & Jane: I love that as mother/daughter you share the special bond of Nancy Drew. Enjoy those adventures. The only thing better than being a Nancy Drew enthusiast is having someone special to share that enthusiam with you.
That is wonderful that you share Nancy Drew together. I'm also glad I didn't get rid of my collection when I was tempted to. See you in Charlotteville.
Hey,those look like ITALIAN Nancy Drew books you two are reading!
Lea, you are right..Italian Nancy Drew books! I look forward to meeting everyone in a few weeks!
I wish I had shared a bond of loving the Nancy Drew books with someone. My sister never had a love of reading as I did. My mother was from Europe and we shared different likes, not those of reading. So I envy your bond of being able to share Nancy Drew and her adventures. I truly look forward to meeting you at the convention in Charlottesville. I hope you will take a minute and give an interview to the convention videographer about why you two are Nancy Drew Fans. Thanks!
Chris Webb
Mother of 3 boys
But my son's know of and love
Nancy, Bess and George
(and our Gerbil's are named Bess and George!)
I'm looking forward to seeing Shelli again (we were on the ND panel together at ASU in NC) and meeting her mom! :)
Lisa Kwong
I didn't even realize they were Italian Nancy Drew books. On 2nd thought, I see. Good call Lea!
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