These were the five books they gave me. I loved them. I read them multiple times. I found out my neighbor had others. I read those. I found out more were at the library. I read those. That summer, I rode my bike to the library every day, checked out 8-10 books (all that my basket would hold) rode home and read all day. I read every chapter book in the children's section and started reading adult mysteries. I have been an obsessive reader ever since. I became a speed reader that summer.
An added result was that my parents sent us to camp every summer after that. I think I may have scared them by becoming a hermit that summer. I could not even focus my eyes further than 2 feet away by the end of each day. Too much reading.
Besides the Nancy Drew books, I received a few Dana Girls (same author), and a few Judy Bolton books. I started saving my allowance and buying Nancy Drew books whenever I could afford it. I continued to do so because, during the 1960s, they rewrote most of the books but kept the title the same. I now have all of the hardcovers in both original story and rewritten where both exist. Sometimes the changes were minor, other times the entire story except the title changed. They said it was done to modernize the stories since they started them in 1929.
While I was reading these, my sister was starting on the Bobsey Twins. I never liked them as much as Nancy Drew but they were ok. The next year, Mom joined a book club for me and I got 2 Happy Hollister books every month. For years, those books would cheer me up when I was down or worried. I still enjoy them.
After that, Mom joined the Mystery Guild and let the primary books come every month. Most of them were way over my head. Some were not. I became an Agatha Christie fan. I got many of them from the book club and purchased others over the years. Then, Bantam came out with a matched set. It includes all her mysteries, her autobiographies, and works she wrote as Mary Westmacott.
I discovered the world of police procedurals from the Mystery Guild and still enjoy them. I have some books from back in grade school when they first came out. Most of those authors are no longer alive.
Eventually, we added in the Little House books and Louisa May Alcott to my growing library. My cousins gave me 'The Secret Garden' when I was 10, which I think I reread at least three time per year until I was a teenager. I bought her other books when I got older. I still love them. I still have a huge collection of children's books which I still love to read.
As a result of all this, when I buy a house, one of the first considerations is space for the books. I have way too many books. But they are like friends. I re-read them and would not want to lose them.
This all helped when I had 3 history classes in college one term and had about 900 pages of assigned reading each day for over a month. At least I could get through it all.
While Nancy Drew and the other books of that ilk are not great literature, they fired up my imagination. I learned a lot and increased my vocabulary. They did not dumb them down for kids. I was exposed to lots of different cultures through these books. Because Nancy was the one who solved everything, I always supposed that I could do anything I set my mind to. She was probably a premier role model for me.
I am grateful my parents supplied my 'habit.' Now, I mix online books with regular books. I still prefer the feel of a book in my hands. But ebooks are very convenient. I am grateful I was able to pass on this habit to my daughter and that she too loves to read. This is my way of escaping to another place. Most of those places are ones I want to visit often. Thanks to the authors who take me there.
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