Nancy Drew,

The mystery-solving girl written by the collective entity of writers under the pseudonym of Carolyn Keene, I want to thank you.

I will never forget the first time I was introduced to you, in the novel The Mystery at Lilac Inn. I was hooked. So hooked, that I stayed up way past my bed time. Given I was around 9 or 10, it must’ve been around 9:30 PM when I tried to sleep and proceeded to lay in bed paralyzed for another hour, convinced I was hearing ticks of bombs and whispers of ghosts. I never again read your books before bed, but thank you for providing a story worth staying awake for.

You were my first heartbreak, as I was exposed to the disappointing realm of book to movie adaptations. I made a special trip with my mom to the theater, and we got popcorn, candy, soda, the works. And we watched the 2007 Nancy Drew movie, where I was bitterly disappointed that it was “nothing like the book.” You taught me to go into book to movie adaptations with my expectations comfortably low. Though to this day, that very movie staring Emma Roberts provides me comfort comparable to pasta on a bad day.

You were truly my first fandom and obsession. I tore through every Nancy Drew book my local library had to offer, and then some, requesting certain titles from other branches. I read books spanning from the classic hard-cover 1960s novels to the worn 1980s Nancy Drew paperbacks. I dreamed of having my very own boyfriend like Ned (played in the movie by the dreamy Max Thieriot). I begged my mother for penny-loafers because they adorned your feet in the movie and novels. I wanted to be just like you.

Yes, Nancy Drew, you was everything an awkward and nerdy tween-to-be girl wanted to be. Smart, collective, stylish, and popular (with two best friends and a boyfriend). I will never forget the last time I read one of your stories. It was right around the time where my own hair and teeth started straightening out, make-believe was no longer cool, and your stories got to be too predictable.

But I still look back on those times I ran through my backyard solving mysteries of my own with a smile. You provided endless prompts for my imagination, and hours of joy as I followed you on your adventures. Thank you, Nancy Drew, for being my favorite heroine.

-Nancy Drew Fan Forever