“Rubini frames the story as a mystery, asking why, despite Nancy Drew's fame, most people have never heard of Benson and tracking down clues and evidence to uncover more information about the life of this little-known author…. VERDICT A solid option for those interested in the ’Nancy Drew’ mysteries.”
School Library Journal
“Digging into archives and the memories of surviving acquaintances as well as published histories, Rubini spins an account of Benson's long and active life that throws a strong light on the source of Nancy Drew's own admirably intrepid and independent spirit.…An enlightening peek behind the curtain for Nancy Drew fans.”
Kirkus Reviews
“The biography is eminently readable and well organized…Appended with an impressive wealth of back matter (‘Extra Clues’) including a timeline, a chronological list of Millie’s books, a glossary, source notes, and an extensive bibliography.”
Horn Book Magazine
“Though this biography is written for young adults, there’s plenty to interest adult readers, especially the successful, albeit formulaic, system Edward Stratemeyer used to create so many young adult series. Rubini brings Millie’s world to life.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Growing up in Ladora, Iowa, Mildred “Millie” Benson had ample time to develop her imagination and sense of adventure. While still a journalism graduate student at the University of Iowa, Millie began writing for the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which published the phenomenally popular Hardy Boys series, among others. Soon, Millie was tapped for a new series starring amateur sleuth Nancy Drew, a young, independent woman not unlike Millie herself. Under the pen name Carolyn Keene, Millie wrote the first book, The Secret of the Old Clock, and twenty-two other Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. In all, Millie wrote more than a hundred novels for young people.
Millie was also a journalist for the Toledo Times and the Toledo Blade. At sixty-two, she obtained her pilot’s license. Follow the clues throughout Missing Millie to discover the story of this ghostwriter, journalist, and adventurer.
Julie K. Rubini is the founder of Claire’s Day, a children’s book festival in honor of her late daughter. She is the author of Hidden Ohio, Missing Millie Benson: The Secret Case of the Nancy Drew Ghostwriter and Journalist, and Virginia Hamilton: America’s Storyteller. But most of all, she cherishes her roles as wife to Brad and mother to daughter Kyle and son Ian. More info →
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Paperback
978-0-8214-2184-0
Retail price: $14.95,
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Release date: September 2015
36 illus.
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136 pages
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6 × 9 in.
Rights: World
Hardcover
978-0-8214-2183-3
Retail price: $28.95,
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Release date: September 2015
36 illus.
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136 pages
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6 × 9 in.
Rights: World
Electronic
978-0-8214-4541-9
Release date: September 2015
36 illus.
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136 pages
Rights: World
“There are several helpful appendices, including a glossary of the key terms that have been presented in bold face in the earlier text. From ‘alma mater’ to ‘writing credits,’ and including ‘Gallup Polls,’ ‘penchants,’ and ‘ratified,’ this list delighted me with its obvious respect for children’s capacity to understand complex matters. … In sum, this is a delightfully quirky read. … The book has the potential to develop a new generation of literary scholars.”
International Research Society for Children’s Literature
“Rubini’s book is geared for younger readers, but the best part of the book is that Rubini slyly teaches children what scholarly historical research and writing looks like… the book still offers much for adults in its insight into book syndicates and in the life story of an under-discussed but important author in children’s literature.”
The Annals of Iowa
“Historical photographs and interesting sidebars enhance the story of this Toledo treasure whose identity as a ghostwriter remained a secret until she testified at a court case between two publishers claiming rights to new Nancy Drew stories.”
Toledo Blade
“Missing Millie Benson is as lively and compelling as a Nancy Drew Mystery Story. For anyone who loves Nancy, getting to know the woman who first brought her to life in this wonderful biography is not just a treat but a necessity—an inspiration to young writers and sleuths alike!”
Melanie Rehak, author of Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her
“Julie Rubini’s charming, accessible style delivers just the right details, building clues and setting up and solving mysteries in every chapter. Simply amazing.”
Dandi Daley Mackall, author of the young adult novels The Secrets of Tree Taylor, My Boyfriend’s Dogs, and others
“Millie Benson is an American treasure. Her fascinating story is brought to life in Julie Rubini’s enchanting new book, which will inspire a new generation of Nancy Drew fans.”
Christine Brennan, USA Today sports columnist and author of Inside Edge and Best Seat in the House
Kammie on First
Baseball’s Dottie Kamenshek
By Michelle Houts
Dorothy Mary Kamenshek was born to immigrant parents in Norwood, Ohio. As a young girl, she played pickup games of sandlot baseball with neighborhood children; no one, however, would have suspected that at the age of seventeen she would become a star athlete at the national level. The outbreak of World War II and the ensuing draft of able-bodied young men severely depleted the ranks of professional baseball players.
Biography (Juvenile Nonfiction) · Baseball History · Ohio and Regional · Ohio
The Secret of the Hardy Boys
Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate
By Marilyn S. Greenwald
The author of the Hardy Boys Mysteries was, as millions of readers know, Franklin W. Dixon. Except there never was a Franklin W. Dixon. He was the creation of Edward Stratemeyer, the savvy founder of a children's book empire that also published the Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew series.
The Jerrie Mock Story
The First Woman to Fly Solo around the World
By Nancy Roe Pimm
In the third installment of our series Biographies for Young Readers, Nancy Roe Pimm gives us the life of Jerrie Mock, who in 1964 became the first woman to fly solo around the world. Mock, born in Newark, Ohio, received little attention for her feat, despite accomplishing what her childhood heroine Amelia Earhart died trying. Meticulously researched, Mock’s story as presented by Pimm is engaging, accessible, and packed with inspiration for middle-grade readers aspiring to adventure.
Biography (Juvenile Nonfiction) · Aviation History · Ohio and Regional · Ohio
Virginia Hamilton
America’s Storyteller
By Julie K. Rubini
Long before she wrote The House of Dies Drear, M. C. Higgins, the Great, and many other children’s classics, Virginia Hamilton grew up among her extended family near Yellow Springs, Ohio, where her grandfather had been brought as a baby through the Underground Railroad. The family stories she heard as a child fueled her imagination, and the freedom to roam the farms and woods nearby trained her to be a great observer.
