By the Light of the Study Lamp by Carolyn Keene

But all this keeps the book fast-paced, meaning readers keep turning the pages. Much like the Nancy Drew books, pretty much every chapter has some sort of crash or scream or nearly fatal accident to keep things interesting–even if the bloodcurdling scream ultimately turns out to be something funny rather than dangerous.

However, if readers accept this, they will find that it has plenty of excitement to keep them engaged. The book, with its idealized view of white upper class young women, and its stereotyped depictions of just about everyone else, is undoubtedly a product of its time. Like Nancy, they get away with a lot that they probably should not, like borrowing a stranger’s car and sneaking out of school to solve their case. While they have an ongoing feud with a mean girl at school, they are able to prank her back, and receive admiration for it, rather than being viewed as petty and mean themselves. They also possess the charm that comes with being wealthy, beautiful, and young, making friends easily with strangers and earning the trust of everyone they know. Though orphaned, they are wealthy like Nancy, attending a fancy boarding school, and they are very popular with the teens in their town and the girls at their school. Jean and Louise Dana will appeal to fans of Nancy Drew, as they seem similar in many ways. Despite this, By the Light of the Study Lamp possesses many of the same charms as the Nancy Drew books: strong female leads, plenty of action and excitement, and a gripping mystery that can only be solved by our teenage heroines.

However, the books never took off in the same way. Written by some of the same ghostwriters who worked on those popular series, the Dana girls featured sisters who solved mysteries at their boarding school. The Dana Girls was a serialized mystery series that began in 1934 in an attempt to replicate the success of the Nancy Drew books and the Hardy Boys.

By the Light of the Study Lamp by Carolyn Keene