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Vanishing Shadow Judy Bolton Mysteries Margaret Sutton Books

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Vanishing Shadow Judy Bolton Mysteries Margaret Sutton Books

I've now read the original 38 books in the Judy Bolton series and they are wonderful stories (I also read the 39th book, The Strange Likeness which was not published until 2012). While the mysteries are fun to read, what sets the series apart from others (like Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, the Hardy Boys) is that the mysteries tend to be more complex, the characters actually age, and throughout the series the author, Margaret Sutton, refers to past events covered in earlier volumes. All in all, the entire series is worth reading (I recommend doing so in order of publication). 5 stars!!!


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Vanishing Shadow Judy Bolton Mysteries Margaret Sutton Books Reviews

Reading through the reviews of "The Vanishing Shadow", I am somewhat saddened by those who have dismissed the character of Judy Bolton - and her author - on the basis of this one book, the first of more than three dozen titles in what is still the longest-running juvenile series in history written by only one person. (The Nancy Drew Mysteries, by comparison, were written by several authors through the years.) You see, Judy was a friend of mine during the span of my childhood, and we (literally) grew up together.

Judy's creator was Rachel Sutton (nee Beebe and later Hunting after her second marriage), who chose "Margaret Sutton" as her pen name. In "The Vanishing Shadow", Judy is introduced as a restless, adventurous, typically self-centered adolescent girl of fifteen, who doesn't quite understand herself or her family members. She is still grappling with her moral code of ethics, which is why, after she promises under duress never to speak of a dangerous secret she has learned, she seems paralyzed with indecision. Nonetheless, by the story's end, Judy's innate resourcefulness has enabled her to resolve the dilemma she has grappled with, and the stage is set for the next adventure in the series, "The Haunted Attic", which takes place in the months following "The Vanishing Shadow".

This foreshadowing is key to appreciating the difference in Judy Bolton and many of her contemporaries, for unlike the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew or the Dana Girls, Judy actually grows older and evolves with each book in the series, gradually turning from a pubescent high school girl into a mature (albeit humanly imperfect) young woman with grown-up responsibilities, including a home and a husband. Key characters in the series are introduced and grow older; some of them even sicken, and eventually die. Thus, "The Vanishing Shadow" is but a prelude - an introduction - to the rest of the series, which is fascinating indeed, and was published from 1932 through 1967 (with an additional volume, "The Talking Snowman", printed in the late 1990's), entertaining several generations of young fans.

"Grow up with Judy Bolton," read one of the advertising slugs which promoted the series in the fifties and sixties ... the lucky readers who continue to read the books in order of publication will do just that, and are destined to spend many pleasant hours as Judy's life of mystery unfolds before their eyes.
I wanted to like this book, but the story was a bit far-fetched and in the end didn't hold my attention. The character concept, a girl detective, and the 1930s era in which it was written, made it superficially similar to Nancy Drew, which I hoped it would equal. But Nancy Drew still has the edge.
Interesting. Not as good as I remember Nancy Drew, but wish I had had these when a teen.
I own an original copy of this book, written in 1932. I started reading the Judy Bolton books when I was ten years old and bought and read them as they were published. They are top of the line books about believeable people who have believeable adventures. I would recommend them to everyone. Even as an adult (70's +) I believe I will start reading them all over again and share them with my grandchildren.
I purchased "The Vanishing Shadow" last month (a very nice reproduction edition, including the illustrations from the original. I do wish that they had been placed throughout the book instead of all grouped together in the front, with a notation showing on what page the illustration appeared in the original book. I read many of the Judy Bolton mysteries in elementary school, but can't remember whether I had read this one. That's why I bought it -- I had a few of the other books in the series, but wanted to read, and own, the very first one. The town library is a short walk from my elementary school in Brownsville, Vermont -- a village in a town smaller than Roulsville. Judy's home town. One of the "critical" (read, negative) reviews of the story scoffs at the lengths to which Judy Bolton, the protagonist, goes to keep a promise, even though the promise was induced by duress and not revealing it could imperil the entire town. It6's hard to critique the book without creating spoilers, even though some of the action in the story is mentioned in subsequent stories. That is why I was generally aware of the plot outlines even though I did not know what actually happened in the story. There's an interesting red herring (if I gave it away it would be a spoiler) that had me wondering at the end why Ms. Sutton put it in, other than to keep us guessing. Unlike the much better known Nancy Drew mystery stories, the Judy Bolton series does not seem dated to me. There are the references to "sedans" and it seems hard to believe that Farringdon, Pennsylvania, population 12,000, could support three high schools and a University. I think it's worth noting that Rachel (pen name Margaret) Sutton wrote all these stories herself and that they were based on, or shall we say, inspired by, actual events.
The Nancy Drew stories were written by several people over time under the pen name of Carolyn Keane. In the Judy Bolton stories, people age, marry, have children, etc., whereas Nancy Drew is forever 18 years old and dating Ned Nickerson. (Actually, in the earlier novels, Nancy was 16, but she is 17 and then 18 in later books. In my state you get only a provisional drivers license when you are 16, meaning you can't drive with underage passengers or after a certain time of night, which would crimp Nancy's style. Anyway, I prefer Judy Bolton. She's flesh and blood, impulsive, and good-hearted.
I've now read the original 38 books in the Judy Bolton series and they are wonderful stories (I also read the 39th book, The Strange Likeness which was not published until 2012). While the mysteries are fun to read, what sets the series apart from others (like Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, the Hardy Boys) is that the mysteries tend to be more complex, the characters actually age, and throughout the series the author, Margaret Sutton, refers to past events covered in earlier volumes. All in all, the entire series is worth reading (I recommend doing so in order of publication). 5 stars!!!