The House on the Cliff (Hardy Boys #2) by Franklin W. Dixon

 

What is your favorite book about smugglers?  Mine is Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier.

The House on the Cliff, which is the second book in the Hardy Boys series, is a thrilling adventure and mystery involving smugglers.  The Hardy Boys and their crew of friends try out their new telescope and notice some strange happenings both at sea and at the house on the cliff.  After their father disappears investigating a smuggling ring, they are on the case to determine what has happened to him.  Is the house on the cliff haunted or is there more than meets the eye?

It has been hard to get Daniel to read with me lately as he’s obsessively reading through the Harry Potter books on his own lately.  As a twelve-year-old, he feels the Hardy Boys books are formulaic, but he likes the mystery and how most chapters end with a cliff hanger.  They are entertaining books.  I think for this one we both in particular really liked the underground tunnels and Daniel really liked the speed boat. At times we had to remind ourselves that this book came out in 1927 and that is why things were the way they were. 

Overall, The House on the Cliff is a good clean entertaining mystery for both kids and adults.

The Tower Treasure (Hardy Boys Mystery #1) by Franklin W. Dixon

I was a Nancy Drew fan when I was a kid and somehow, I missed the Hardy Boys.  I believe it is because my local library had the entire Nancy Drew series, but I don’t remember them having the Hardy Boys series.  I loved to check the books out and read them.  As an adult, we read the first Hardy Boy novel for a book club I used to be in over ten years ago.  I purchased a set of the first ten Hardy Boys from Costco last year for my then 11-year old son Daniel for Christmas.  He sadly was not enthused about them, but we picked up the first book a month ago to try it out and he was quickly hooked.

 Joe and Frank Hardy stumble onto a mystery when their friend Chet’s beloved “jalopy” is stolen by a mysterious man in a red wig.  The mystery in their town of Bayport deepens when their Detective father Fenton is hired to solve the mystery of stolen jewels and other articles from a local mansion that has two towers.  The boys are on the case and through many twists and turns they are able to solve it to help out their father and the wrongly accused father of one of their “chums.”

 This is the first novel that started the Hardy Boys long running series that was written by ghost writers.  It was written in 1927 which you could tell by the use of certain phrases like “chums.”  Daniel and I both like old books so this was fun for us. Like Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys also have a fat friend, Chet, whose weight and stoutness seem to be commented on throughout the book.  This was annoying to me, but Daniel and I just joked about it.  The now 12-year old Daniel does not like horror or scary books, therefore the low stakes mystery in this book was perfect for him.  He at first pointed out that it reminded him a lot of The Boxcar Children, which he liked in his younger years.  He wasn’t sure if this book was too young and formulaic for him.  I think Frank and Joe being older teen boys (17 and 18) helped him out on this and their constant adventures.  He was both annoyed and intrigued at the end when he kept thinking they found the treasure but did not.  A fun mystery with adventure, teens riding on motorcycles, and treasure were all a good COVID read for both Daniel and me.  We’ve already started on the second book in the series.

 Overall, The Tower Treasure was a fun vintage mystery to read together with my son.

 
Book Source:  I purchased this set of Hardy Boys books from Costco last fall for Danny’s Christmas present. 

 

The Hardy Boys #1: The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon

Why is Laura reading the Hardy Boys you might ask. Well, it's actually for my Kewaunee book club this month. John, one of the book club members, says that he's getting spring fever and is thinking about gardening therefore he wanted to read a quick mystery. When I look out the window and see the snow falling today, spring is far from my mind - but whatever! We had been discussing childrens' novels previous to that and found out John had never read a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys novel. We thought that was a crime and decided to have "read any Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys novel" this month.

When I was a kid, I LOVED Nancy Drew novels. Luckily the Union City library had all of the originals (and the paperback 1970's ones too) and I read them all. I also loved the updated (well at the time) Casefiles and read them too.

Although I loved Nancy Drew, I never actually read a Hardy Boys novel. So for my book club pick, I chose to start from the beginning and learn what the Hardy Boys are all about.

The Tower Treasure was an enjoyable book. I enjoyed the simplicity of the plot, and the innocence of the Hardy Boys. For those of you, like me, that don't know anything about the Hardy Boys, Frank is the oldest with dark hair and is 18, while Joe is 16 with blonde hair. Their father is the famous detective Fenton Hardy, and was once on the New York Police Force. Their mother, Laura, is a homemaker. They live in the fictional city of Bayport.

In this book, their first mystery, Frank and Joe are almost run over by a crazy driver as they ride their motorcycles on a mountain. They later spot this car smashed along side the road. The mystery driver then steals their friend Chet's bright yellow car, nicknamed "The Queen." The beginning of the book is focused on locating "The Queen," until a robbery at the Tower mansion. The owner of the mansion, Hurd Applegate, accuses his gardener, Mr. Robinson, of the crime and fires him. Mr. Robinson's son, Slim, is a classmate of the Hardy Boys. He is a smart guy and wants to go to college, but has to quit school to support his family after Mr. Robinson is fired. The Hardy Boys want to help out the Robinson family and win the $1000 reward from Mr. Applegate so they are on the case.

I enjoyed reading the novel, but I still think that Nancy Drew is better than the Hardy Boys . . .anyone else beg to differ? Also, does anyone else think that the picture of the Hardy Boys on "The Tower Treasure" makes them look like they are about 10 years old, not 16 and 18?