Is This a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys Book Title?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Beth Hendricks

6 Min Quiz

Image: Glen A. Larson Productions / Universal Television

About This Quiz

It's time for a complete confession. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys had us seriously considering a career as a private eye. Fast-forward to adulthood, and we ended up in more mainstream career fields, but we still have a serious longing for the adventure and intrigue that filled the lives of our favorite fictional sleuths.

Can you believe it's been almost nine decades since Nancy Drew's character was first introduced? (She's still doing some good detective work at the ripe ol' age of 90!) And the Hardy Boys have been around even longer; they were first introduced to audiences in 1927.

Titles like "The Secret in the Dark" and "The Prime-Time Crime," both released in 1991, have since been joined by books for a new generation, like "Hunting for Hidden Gold" and "The Sign in the Smoke." More current interpretations of the teen detectives have evolved with the times, including things like graphic novels and even TV spinoffs. 

But all of it harkens back to the original Carolyn Keene and Franklin Dixon (those were pseudonyms, by the way) titles and characters — Nancy, Frank and Joe. Can you guess which books in this quiz belong to which sleuth series? Can you solve "The Case of this Quiz's Hidden Clues?" (We made that one up.) Channel your inner detective and get to the bottom of these questions!


We've never seen an attic that wasn't creepy, but which franchise claims "The Secret in the Old Attic?"

"The Secret in the Old Attic" is part of the Nancy Drew collection, and details a case in which Nancy helps an elderly man find an attic treasure that could net him a lot of money. Suddenly, the attic is not nearly as scary.

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After while, crocodile! "Mystery of Crocodile Island" belongs to which sleuth?

Nancy Drew goes on a trip to Florida and visits Crocodile Island to help track down evil poachers. Things don't quite go as planned when Drew's group is kidnapped. "Mystery of Crocodile Island" was first published in 1978.

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"Footprints Under the Window" chronicles spies, smuggling and secret photos of blueprints. Which series would you find it in?

Frank and Joe had their work cut out for them in this book, dealing with spies, smuggling and top-secret information. Luckily, they're just the team for the case, and the bad guy goes down as usual.

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You'd think "The Melted Coins" would deal with coins, but it's actually a mask. Who's on the case?

In fairness, the mask itself came to be after the coins melted, so it all ties in together. The Hardy Boys are on the case, though, helping to find the missing Native American mask and return it to its rightful owners.

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The sleuth in "The Secret of the Old Clock" is on the hunt for a missing will. Which series is it from?

Nancy Drew's on tap for this one, working to help find a missing will to make sure the Turner family, rightfully, can lay claim to Josiah Crowley's estate. This story is one of the best-selling Nancy Drew mysteries of all time.

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A teenage boy is left in charge of a boarding school in "The Yellow Feather Mystery." What could go wrong? Who tackles this mystery?

The Hardy Boys are summoned to help find a will (sound familiar?) after a boarding school headmaster dies and leaves his grandson with unanswered questions. Presumably, the will holds the key to it all.

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"The Flickering Torch Mystery" involves a nightclub of the same name and a mysterious plane crash. Which franchise claims it?

"The Flickering Torch Mystery" is something of a mystery in itself. The original book involves the disappearance of silkworms from a lab while the revised edition delves into a plane crash and a nightclub. Either is a good read, though!

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Sometimes it pays to be nosy. A character in "The Clue in the Diary" works to uncover the book's mysterious entries. Who was it?

You just knew Nancy Drew had to be involved if there was a diary to explore, didn't you? "The Clue in the Diary" involves the appearance of a mysterious diary and both the clues from the book and the fire itself.

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In "The Crisscross Shadow," someone helps foil a plot to steal land from a Native American tribe. Who are we talking about?

It's the Hardy Boys again, back in "The Crisscross Shadow" to help foil a plot to steal from a Native American village. The boys locate a missing deed (and a host of valuables) and save the day.

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Art thieves are no match for the headliner in "The Secret of the Golden Pavilion." Who is it?

Nancy Drew jets off to Hawaii in "The Secret of the Golden Pavilion" to get to the bottom of an inheritance that may fall into the wrong hands and to figure out the secrets of the Kaluakua estate.

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You know "The Password to Larkspur Lane" has some age on it when it deals with carrier pigeons and not the internet. Who's at the center of the story?

Don't get excited; "The Password to Larkspur Lane" has nothing to do with the internet and a missing website password. Instead, it involves a message delivered by a carrier pigeon and the kidnapping of a whole group of people.

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Bayport is a hotbed of activity in "What Happened at Midnight," including a plane crash, a kidnapping and a stolen vehicle. What series is it from?

Is it odd that the Hardy Boys are breaking into a house at the same time they thwart a break-in attempt by someone else? If you like to read about burglary, kidnapping, getaway attempts and plane crashes, this is the mystery for you.

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"The Secret of the Lost Tunnel" involves stolen gold and a disgraced former soldier. Which franchise claims it?

A military general is seeking to clear his name in "The Secret of the Lost Tunnel" with Frank and Joe's help. All the Hardy Boys have to do is locate the missing gold that has long since been buried. Easy-peasy.

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The story of "The Sign of the Twisted Candles" centers on a roadside inn and a family fight. Who's involved?

The events of "The Sign of the Twisted Candles" take place at a roadside inn of the same name. There's lots of family strife, even for Nancy herself, in this ninth entry of the Nancy Drew chronicles.

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Leaked intel sounds like a modern story, but it's actually from "The Sinister Signpost." Which series claims this title?

"The Sinister Signpost" is a Hardy Boys mystery that involves proprietary information about a car engine potentially being stolen from its rightful owner. A horse farm also plays into the plot of the story. Seriously.

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A criminal and drug smuggling are the story behind "The House on the Cliff." Who's on the case?

Frank and Joe are on the case of a criminal and an illegal drug smuggling ring. The house mentioned in the book's title provides a good location for the Hardy Boys to keep an eye on things.

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If you're not a fan of ghosts playing instruments, you might want to avoid "The Ghost of Blackwood Hall," which is part of which series?

Blackwood Hall just sounds like a place where there would be ghostly sightings and unusual paranormal activities, doesn't it? Don't worry, though, Nancy Drew will figure out what's going on.

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A haunted house and a missing family member provide mysteries times two for which series in "The Hidden Staircase?"

"The Hidden Staircase" is double the work for Nancy Drew thanks to two mysteries, one involving a haunted house and the other involving her own father. A woman's work is never done.

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"A Figure in Hiding" involves a glass eye and, well, a figure in hiding. Which book series is it from?

The Hardy Boys claim "A Figure in Hiding," which tells the story of a glass eye, a dastardly group known as the Goggler Gang, and Frank and Joe's attempt to tie all of the unusual events together.

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It's called "The Quest of the Missing Map," and not because they found GPS. Who's on this case?

Nancy's problems could've been solved immediately if she'd had GPS to rely on. Of course, "The Quest of the Missing Map" was written well before GPS was even a thing. The book is entertaining, though!

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Someone dies thanks to "The Disappearing Floor," and it's up to whom to figure it out?

We know, the idea of a disappearing floor seems pretty preposterous, but the Hardy Boys are taking it quite seriously in the book of the same name. They also work to take down a jewel thief — all in a day's work.

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"The Clue in the Embers" takes a turn to Guatemala, dragging which of these answer choices along for the ride?

What seems like some innocent pieces of furniture creates a mystery that the Hardy Boys have to untangle. Oh, and there's a tie to Guatemala and a gang of hooligans from little old Bayport as well.

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A book titled, "The Invisible Intruder," which indulges in a bit of ghost-hunting, belongs to which of these franchises?

Of course, Nancy Drew has friends who want to go ghost-hunting and — of course — Nancy agrees to go. That IS her schtick, after all. Along the way, they encounter a haunted home, boat and horse. Really!

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Even royals need help from time to time, as evidenced in "The Clue in the Jewel Box." Who is involved?

Nancy Drew lends her sleuthing skills to Madame Alexandra in this title to help her find a missing relative. A secret in the jewel box and an old photo are all Nancy has to help her solve the case.

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A revised edition of "The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion" makes exploding oranges a key part of the plot. Which book series does it belong to?

As commonly done in the Nancy Drew series, "The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion" produces two different storylines — an original (this one written in 1941) and a revision (created 30 years later). Exploding oranges only appear in the 1971 edition, in case you were wondering.

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"The Wailing Siren Mystery" takes place aboard a ship amid a storm and, oh, there's a wallet with cash just floating alongside. Who's involved in this case?

The Hardy Boys must solve a mystery, this time, in the midst of a storm at sea. Clouding the clues are a wallet that appears suddenly and, well, of course, a wailing siren that drives everyone crazy.

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A prelude to problems in the Rocky Mountains, "Danger on Vampire Trail" actually involves credit card theft. Which series is it from?

You had to figure if the Rocky Mountains were involved, that is probably including some type of camping, which is more suited to Frank and Joe than Nancy. The real crime here involves credit card theft, which sounds a lot more 2019 than 1971.

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Someone is being impersonated in "The Mystery at Lilac Inn." Who is it?

Nancy Drew finds out she has an imposter in "The Mystery at Lilac Inn," with someone going as far as forging her signature around town. Interesting fact: The original version of this book was reconstructed in the early 1960s to remove potentially racist language.

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Nature takes center stage in "The Clue of the Screeching Owl," including a puppy who lends its help and, of course, an owl who won't shut up. Which franchise claims this title?

Frank and Joe must find clues in nature in the Pocono Mountains, including shrieking noises terrifying people during the night. Luckily, the boys encounter a pup who helps them out.

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Mardi party! Who is aboard "The Haunted Showboat" in New Orleans?

Other than that whole "haunted showboat" thing, we're pretty OK with a storyline that involves a trip to New Orleans and a Mardi Gras party. It won't be any party for Nancy, though, who must put together the clues to solve the case.

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There are two moonstones at play in this book, including a moonstone jewel and "The Moonstone Castle Mystery." What series it is from?

Nancy gets a moonstone in the mail from an anonymous sender, a great foreshadowing of what Nancy will go through as the book, "The Moonstone Castle Mystery," proceeds. Of course, it begins by Nancy trying to figure out where the mystery gift came from.

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In "Mystery of the Whale Tattoo," one of our answer choices is asked to work undercover at a traveling circus. Who is it?

The Hardy Boys are working the crowds at a traveling circus, trying to thwart pickpockets in the act. Whale tattoos are used to eventually help identify the bad guys in this 1968 works.

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"While the Clock Ticked's" original edition centers on the Purdy homestead and a series of death threats. Which franchise claims this title?

The Hardy Boys receive the case titled, "While the Clock Ticked," and find themselves dealing with an abandoned house and death threats left to their client in a protected room inside the house. Creepy.

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Someone makes a trip to Scotland in this book, "The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes." (Appropriate.) Which of these choices is it?

Nancy tags along with her father on a trip to Scotland and, of course, finds herself embroiled in mystery while she's there. Of course, she also gets to meet her great-grandmother, so there's a feel-good moment there.

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More than four decades before "The Blair Witch Project," this franchise gave us, "The Witch Tree Symbol." Which is it?

Nancy Drew tackles strange symbols and rumors that Nancy herself is a witch (what!) in "The Witch Tree Symbol." She manages to escape without being burned at the stake and solves the mystery, too.

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