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Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew #11
Ski School Sneak
Snowy situation!
Nancy, George, and Bess are on a ski trip! They are having tons of fun, and Bess proves a natural for the slopes. She even wins a special award! But when the ski supply room is suddenly trashed, all eyes turn to Bess. It looks like she's a suspect this time around.
Nancy is sure Bess is innocent, but how can she prove it? And just when it seems things can't get any worse, a snowstorm closes the road home. The Clue Crew is trapped at the ski lodge! Can Nancy find a way to clear Bess's name...and will they ever get home?
Nancy, George, and Bess are on a ski trip! They are having tons of fun, and Bess proves a natural for the slopes. She even wins a special award! But when the ski supply room is suddenly trashed, all eyes turn to Bess. It looks like she's a suspect this time around.
Nancy is sure Bess is innocent, but how can she prove it? And just when it seems things can't get any worse, a snowstorm closes the road home. The Clue Crew is trapped at the ski lodge! Can Nancy find a way to clear Bess's name...and will they ever get home?
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2007
36 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
948 books3,854 followersCarolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 28, 2023
This was a great book! It was fun trying to find out the clue.
February 8, 2022
Another cute Nancy Drew! Nancy accompanied by her friends, George and Bess, are at a ski resort for a special kids day. Nancy is along with George's family to enjoy the ski day, where Bess shines as a beginning skier. While at lunch, the ski shed is vandalized, which leads to finger pointing. Will Nancy be able to find the culprit(s)? With the help of her Clue Crew, she works to exonerate her accused friend (not saying who!) and determine who wrecked the ski shed. And, just in time to enjoy one more journey down the bunny slope! A cute mystery with a couple of surprises at the end of the book.
January 23, 2011
Emily saw this book in her Scholastic Book order form from school and since it was only $2 I agreed after all Nancy Drew has been around forever. The book is cute enough and my daughter seemed to enjoy it but I am always so sad when authors feel they have to use "hip" language for their readers. In this case the word, "jerk" appeared several times and this is why the book has such a low rating from me. Why do authors use such words in books directed toward an audience of 8 year olds? I would guess over 90% of mothers do not allow their children (among other words I see sprinkled in other such books) so why is it there? Grrrrrr....... If Emily wants to read another book in this series I will get it for her but she knows that we skip over these words! I won't actively suggest it to her though.
January 22, 2011
We are gradually working our way through the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series of mysteries for young readers. We have really enjoyed them so far and this was a pretty interesting story. I was a little irritated at the poor way that a few of the children behaved and spoke to people, but we used this dialogue as an opportunity to talk about manners and kindness. The mystery was pretty easy to solve and we enjoyed sharing this story together.
September 15, 2015
A Quickie Review
Same story as the previous one I read, except for a disappointing ending this time.
Score: 2/5
Same story as the previous one I read, except for a disappointing ending this time.
Score: 2/5
July 23, 2016
See my review of the other edition.
December 21, 2023
Nancy Drew has become my reading salve this year. I’ve always read mysteries in between tougher books as a palette cleanser; however, the mysteries I am currently reading *are* the tougher books. The Gamache series becomes progressively darker and Agatha Christie weighs in on more social issues toward the end of her career. After reading these series, I still need to turn to mysteries in between other mysteries. The solution: Nancy Drew. The best part is that Nancy has been around for over ninety years so there are hundreds of books featuring her and her detecting crew at various stages of their lives. As the ages change, Nancy becomes available to kids of all ages…and their adults.
Nancy and Bess join George and her family for a ski trip. In this series, the girls are eight and in the third grade. This book does not mention their ages but I discovered the correct age in a different book in the series. It is never too early to start detecting, and it is apparent that Nancy has been doing so for awhile: listening to her father discuss his cases, working out challenging crossword puzzles, and, of course, solving age appropriate mysteries. The cases aren’t as advanced as the ones that a teenaged Nancy solves, but even at age eight, Nancy Drew and her friends, also known as the clue crew, have been solving mysteries for a long time.
The ski resort hosts a day for kids to try out the slopes. Bess is a natural, and Nancy and George are quick learners as well. A sore loser kid named Jack is jealous of Bess because he has always been the best athlete on whatever team he is on. He is supposed to be the best new skier, but Bess is ahead of the curve. At lunch, resort owner Mr Samuels announces that there has been an avalanche and all the guests must stay overnight. Meanwhile, a vandal has made a mess of the ski room. Bess discovers that one of her mittens is missing and someone discovers it in the ski room. All eyes point to her as the crook, prompting the clue crew to spring to action. Will they have enough time to solve the case?
Geared toward elementary students, the clue crew books are only around eighty pages in length and include pictures to keep the readers engaged. This is enough time for eight year old Nancy to discover a crime, look for clues, and solve a case. Like the modern diary series, Bess and George are also involved in solving the mysteries. The girls work today and I have never seen hard feelings arise between them. This is important for elementary school aged girls, who develop friendships but also rivalries, especially as they move toward adolescence. Strong female friendships devoid of jealousy become all the more important in this age where it’s me first and girls compete as much as they work together. This is why, I believe, that Nancy Drew has remained timeless over all these years. The times change but the friendships and methodology of working together to solve mysteries do not.
In the end, Nancy solves the case. Bess is cleared and the friends can go on with their skiing weekend. I have been reading so much Nancy Drew recently that my reading compass keeps dragging me back to River Heights. I’d rather return to Nancy Drew over and over again than go into a reading rut, which is why I have always read mysteries in between other books in the first place. If you have moved on to adult series, I highly recommend that you return to the famous detective. Over time, I have a feeling even more series will be developed featuring the timeless sleuth as Nancy Drew remains relevant to readers of all ages, teaching valuable lessons to kids in all stages of development.
4 stars
Nancy and Bess join George and her family for a ski trip. In this series, the girls are eight and in the third grade. This book does not mention their ages but I discovered the correct age in a different book in the series. It is never too early to start detecting, and it is apparent that Nancy has been doing so for awhile: listening to her father discuss his cases, working out challenging crossword puzzles, and, of course, solving age appropriate mysteries. The cases aren’t as advanced as the ones that a teenaged Nancy solves, but even at age eight, Nancy Drew and her friends, also known as the clue crew, have been solving mysteries for a long time.
The ski resort hosts a day for kids to try out the slopes. Bess is a natural, and Nancy and George are quick learners as well. A sore loser kid named Jack is jealous of Bess because he has always been the best athlete on whatever team he is on. He is supposed to be the best new skier, but Bess is ahead of the curve. At lunch, resort owner Mr Samuels announces that there has been an avalanche and all the guests must stay overnight. Meanwhile, a vandal has made a mess of the ski room. Bess discovers that one of her mittens is missing and someone discovers it in the ski room. All eyes point to her as the crook, prompting the clue crew to spring to action. Will they have enough time to solve the case?
Geared toward elementary students, the clue crew books are only around eighty pages in length and include pictures to keep the readers engaged. This is enough time for eight year old Nancy to discover a crime, look for clues, and solve a case. Like the modern diary series, Bess and George are also involved in solving the mysteries. The girls work today and I have never seen hard feelings arise between them. This is important for elementary school aged girls, who develop friendships but also rivalries, especially as they move toward adolescence. Strong female friendships devoid of jealousy become all the more important in this age where it’s me first and girls compete as much as they work together. This is why, I believe, that Nancy Drew has remained timeless over all these years. The times change but the friendships and methodology of working together to solve mysteries do not.
In the end, Nancy solves the case. Bess is cleared and the friends can go on with their skiing weekend. I have been reading so much Nancy Drew recently that my reading compass keeps dragging me back to River Heights. I’d rather return to Nancy Drew over and over again than go into a reading rut, which is why I have always read mysteries in between other books in the first place. If you have moved on to adult series, I highly recommend that you return to the famous detective. Over time, I have a feeling even more series will be developed featuring the timeless sleuth as Nancy Drew remains relevant to readers of all ages, teaching valuable lessons to kids in all stages of development.
4 stars
August 1, 2024
This was a fun story and mystery. It is predictable about half-way through, but it was still really good.
I didn’t like how everyone picked on Eddie for being clumsy. Actually, most of the books in this series point out, Nancy is clumsy, too.
Things to be aware of in “Ski School Sneak”
Language:
- 5 “stupid”
- 1 “gosh”
There’s quite a bit of name calling in this book including: “jerk,” “brat,” “klutz,” and “Miss Prissypants.”
Additional Notes:
- A character (Jack) makes some unkind comments: “‘That kid should be banned from the slopes,’ he said. ‘He’s a safety hazard. Especially to himself!’”
- A kid says, “I guess I’m not too great at skiing yet.” And Jack replies, “No duh.”
- Another character (Gina) is sassy with parents on various occasions.
- There is a lot of eye-rolling.
- “Next time I fall down the hill, I’m going to try to fall on him.”
- Statements similar to “my parents will kill me if . . .”
I didn’t like how everyone picked on Eddie for being clumsy. Actually, most of the books in this series point out, Nancy is clumsy, too.
Things to be aware of in “Ski School Sneak”
Language:
- 5 “stupid”
- 1 “gosh”
There’s quite a bit of name calling in this book including: “jerk,” “brat,” “klutz,” and “Miss Prissypants.”
Additional Notes:
- A character (Jack) makes some unkind comments: “‘That kid should be banned from the slopes,’ he said. ‘He’s a safety hazard. Especially to himself!’”
- A kid says, “I guess I’m not too great at skiing yet.” And Jack replies, “No duh.”
- Another character (Gina) is sassy with parents on various occasions.
- There is a lot of eye-rolling.
- “Next time I fall down the hill, I’m going to try to fall on him.”
- Statements similar to “my parents will kill me if . . .”
January 28, 2025
3.5 stars. I liked this one and it made me want to go skiing, but the mystery was weak. There is a wrecked storage room and the kids get stranded on a mountain due to an avalanche so they have to figure it out.
December 24, 2017
Fun. There are enough clues for the kids to figure it out.
February 15, 2018
This story is adorable. I would recommend it for 3rd graders. I believe it is my first Nancy Drew story.
March 20, 2018
A great book
November 8, 2019
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew is full of children's idea of a mystery. Carolyn Keene's books deserve each a 5-star rating.
November 20, 2020
Yet another cute book in this adorable series!
January 15, 2022
Again, the culprit was already obvious
December 10, 2022
4 star review by 8 year old.
January 14, 2023
I liked when they crashed into another bad skier and when they thought who broke all the supplies was bess.
December 11, 2024
It was fine for the little ones
March 14, 2015
I'm not going to say anything about the quality of writing, since I'm not the target audience and can't judge it the way it was intended (though it does make me think, 'Gosh, even I could've written that'). I'm sure I would've enjoyed it when I was the target audience.
The plus:
I will admit this is a great idea. This would be a perfect introductory series for those just to young for Nancy Drew. I could teach them a little about the characters, and introduce them to a love of mysteries.
The cons:
-The way the three girls talk is completely modern. 'Awesome,' 'guys,' 'slobber,' 'stupid,' 'obnoxious,' etc, are all words that are used by the girls. This brings up one of the biggest problems with the series, it is supposed to be about Nancy and her friends when they are eight. Using a simple math word problem:
Nancy is eighteen years old when the first book about her is published; The Secret of the Old Clock. Assuming that it was meant to represent the present day, we can conclude that she was eighteen years old in the year 1930. Knowing this information, what year was it when she was eight years old?
I rest my case.
-The technology they use in the books is also completely out of date if it is supposedly set in 1920. In this book, a boy character has his own cell phone. In the first book, the girls use a computer to put their clues down in front of them (what's wrong with pencil and paper?). In fact, George is supposed to be the computer whiz of the team.
-These books don't really line up with the real Nancy Drew books. I'd think you'd kinda want them to. For example, Nancy only meets Ned Nickerson in the book, The Clue in the Diary, but yet, he's mentioned in the first book. This really bothers me.
-Who is this new Carolyn Keene? Surely it can't be the three original authors under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, so why use the same name? If the author wants to be familiarized with the author of the actual Nancy Drew books, then he or she should use something like 'Cathy Keene,' or 'Charlie Keene.'
What would make it better:
-It would be great if the girls were fans of Nancy Drew, or her descendants, or something like that, instead of the characters themselves, only younger. This change would clear up most of the problems, and make it a good introduction to the Nancy Drew series.
The plus:
I will admit this is a great idea. This would be a perfect introductory series for those just to young for Nancy Drew. I could teach them a little about the characters, and introduce them to a love of mysteries.
The cons:
-The way the three girls talk is completely modern. 'Awesome,' 'guys,' 'slobber,' 'stupid,' 'obnoxious,' etc, are all words that are used by the girls. This brings up one of the biggest problems with the series, it is supposed to be about Nancy and her friends when they are eight. Using a simple math word problem:
Nancy is eighteen years old when the first book about her is published; The Secret of the Old Clock. Assuming that it was meant to represent the present day, we can conclude that she was eighteen years old in the year 1930. Knowing this information, what year was it when she was eight years old?
I rest my case.
-The technology they use in the books is also completely out of date if it is supposedly set in 1920. In this book, a boy character has his own cell phone. In the first book, the girls use a computer to put their clues down in front of them (what's wrong with pencil and paper?). In fact, George is supposed to be the computer whiz of the team.
-These books don't really line up with the real Nancy Drew books. I'd think you'd kinda want them to. For example, Nancy only meets Ned Nickerson in the book, The Clue in the Diary, but yet, he's mentioned in the first book. This really bothers me.
-Who is this new Carolyn Keene? Surely it can't be the three original authors under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, so why use the same name? If the author wants to be familiarized with the author of the actual Nancy Drew books, then he or she should use something like 'Cathy Keene,' or 'Charlie Keene.'
What would make it better:
-It would be great if the girls were fans of Nancy Drew, or her descendants, or something like that, instead of the characters themselves, only younger. This change would clear up most of the problems, and make it a good introduction to the Nancy Drew series.
February 22, 2015
I know it is weird to post and review one of these, but I wanted to remember them in the future. I like them pretty well... as far as children's chapter books go, they are quick reads, generally interesting, etc. Lucy, on the other hand, is in LOVE with them. She asks for one each time we go to the library, and we usually finish it within a few days after checking it out. We've finished three now. They are fun mystery books for very young kids-- no blood, nothing truly spooky so far, and the "crimes" are small or accidentally done. Plus they are a good type of book for encouraging age-appropriate critical thinking. Lucy's been going around talking about suspects and clues ever since we brought the first one home. :)
January 18, 2016
The three girls are at a ski lodge and are learning to ski. Bess has a hard time of it but gets better. All three girls are enjoying things but there's Jack, a young boy who seems to be far too sure of himself.
The main problem develops when a ski shed is messed up badly inside and Bess, for a particular reason, is suspected.
So it's up to the Clue Crew to investigate and solve the mystery and clear Bess's name. There are, as always, a number of suspects. But could the perps actually be something that is not human? A cute story.
The main problem develops when a ski shed is messed up badly inside and Bess, for a particular reason, is suspected.
So it's up to the Clue Crew to investigate and solve the mystery and clear Bess's name. There are, as always, a number of suspects. But could the perps actually be something that is not human? A cute story.
November 30, 2011
Nancy and her friends are on a ski trip and everyone is having fun. Bess wins a skiing award, and some skiers are jealous of her. When the ski equipment shed gets trashed, and suspicion falls on Bess, it's time for the Clue Crew to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Another entertaining Clue Crew story for middle-grade girls.
Another entertaining Clue Crew story for middle-grade girls.
August 12, 2016
Nancy drew found out that someone nocked over the skis. But who?
Only Bess's skis were still standing. So everybody thought it was Bess, but it wasn't!
If you want to find out how they found out who knocked the skis down, you have to read the book.
This book I really liked, but it was not awesome.
Only Bess's skis were still standing. So everybody thought it was Bess, but it wasn't!
If you want to find out how they found out who knocked the skis down, you have to read the book.
This book I really liked, but it was not awesome.
February 23, 2015
this one is the best in all of the clue crew books. there is this guy who keeps getting in the way and accusing everybody ther is this this guy who is clumsy. this girl disapears almost all the time. so who did it
June 23, 2009
This book was great-I really liked the ending!
November 21, 2009
good book
March 19, 2013
How smart of Nancy! I just love her~
December 28, 2011
Malcolm says, "I really like skiing and I also like Eddie because he's clumsy and he makes me laugh. And I also like the character named Jack because I have a friend Jack who goes to kindergarten."
May 31, 2013
I love the part when they have to find out who messed up the shack beacuse it makes me wonder who might have done such a cruel thing.
June 5, 2015
I liked that this was about skiing because I ski.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews