Girl Sleuth:Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak. Published by Harcourt, 2005. 364 pages.

First time author Melanie Rehak takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey through the history of Nancy Drew and her creators. Girl Sleuth explores how Nancy Drew came to be an American icon and why her popularity has endured for generations. The character and her stories are minutely chronicled, from her creation in 1929 by Edward Stratemeyer through two writers and several editors; all who tried to imbue the fifty-six original books with their own beliefs and styles.

Using little-known source material, the equally intriguing lives of Stratemeyer, his daughters Harriet and Edna, and original author Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson are interwoven with the evolution of the detective series. The success of this book lies in the insights provided regarding the connections between these individuals and the contributions each made to this publishing phenomenon.

An excerpt of the book, Reading and Teacher Guides, Discussion Topics and Activities, Nancy Drew facts, and an interview with the author are available on the Harcourt website: www.harcourtbooks.com/GirlSleuth/default.asp

Jan Militello