Language English Media type Print (Paperback) Genre Young adult fiction Country United States of America | Published 1995 - 1998 No. of books 25 Number of books 25 Publisher Simon & Schuster | |
Books New Lives - New Loves, On Her Own, Don't Look Back, Tell Me the Truth, Secret Rules | ||
Nancy Drew on Campus is a series of twenty-five books published as a young adult spin-off from the long-running Nancy Drew mystery series. The series was published between 1995 and 1998 by Simon & Schuster's Young Adult imprint Simon Pulse and followed Nancy and her friends as they attended college and dealt with issues such as date rape and drug usage.
Contents
Nancy Drew on Campus utilized reader interaction, most notably in the first two books where they were asked to call a 1-800 number to decide whether Nancy and her boyfriend Ned were to break up or stay together. Nancy Drew ends her relationship to Ned Nickerson in the second book in the series, supposedly based on reader feedback to the telephone poll in the previous book. This would not be possible, as the second book would have already been written and printed by the time the phone number was published for feedback in the first book.
The series was cancelled in 1997, when Simon & Schuster decided to cancel all Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys spin-offs.
Synopsis
The series followed Nancy and her friends George and Bess as they attend the fictional Wilder University. Nancy is attending in order to receive a degree in journalism, much to the chagrin of her longtime boyfriend Ned Nickerson, who wants her to attend Emerson College with him instead. Despite initial attempts to make their relationship work, the two break up in the second book On Her Own after Nancy decides that Ned is too controlling.
Reception
Reception to the series was mixed, with some critics viewing the inclusion of adult themes such as date rape "unsuccessful". In her book Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths, Carolyn Carpan commented that the series was "more soap opera romance than mystery" and that Nancy "comes across as dumb, missing easy clues she wouldn't have missed in previous series". The series was also criticized for focusing more on romance than on grades or studying, with one critic stating that the series resembled collegiate academic studying in the 1950s, where "women were more interested in pursuing ... the "MRS" degree."