Training For Trouble Review

[Bigfootman]

I figued you would look for the review for this book here, but this book is in fact not what it seems:

Writing: The first thing that told me that this was no odinary digest was the writing, It's in the casefile style. Even though the put Ioa back in tough she blew in the Files, it could be that she replaced Joe's other girlfreind in the casefiles (forget her name). The book seems to be darker then most digests.
9

Myistery: Once again this isn't your nomal digest. From electical shocks, to arrow attacks, and even people being shot, this book is very dark.
9

Supsects: This book was quite interesting in this way. There were a lot of supects, and it was quite shocking at the end.
9

Action: This is the main reason why I'm sure this was suppoed to be a casefile, it's to volent to be a digest. Joe gets stabbed and sent to hopsetal, Frank gets in a fight with a myisterouis bad guy, and a guy gets shot with a gun. I'm quite worried that a parent will read this to their young kids.
8

Reread Value: Good, but once agian is not your averge digest, so anyone younger then 10 may want to avoid this book.
8

Pros:
-Last book in Casefile Format
-Action
-Fighting

Cons
-Shouldn't be labeled as a digest, in case a young kid wants to read it.
-Joe geting stabbed

Peplexing
-Why make this into a digest and not Expolive Force?

Rating
8.6
Great

[tomswift2002]

I'll have to get the book out and re-read it again, but I still don't recall the writing style in those one being anywhere near the writing style of the Casefiles.

[Bigfootman]

The book was to violent to be a normal digest, esapilly with Joe getting stabbed.

[tomswift2002]

I just reread Training For Trouble yesterday.  Here's what I think.

Plot:The Hardys and their girlfriends go to new Olympic Training facility on its opening night.  While testing out the fencing lane, Iola receives a nasty shock when Callie's foil comes in contact with Iola's chest plate.  While the management of the facillity believe it to be an accident the Hardys do not. 

Then, after uncovering evidence, one of the suspects pokes Joe with a sharpened fencing foil, causing him to need stitches and a night at the hospital.  While there, someone tries to feed Joe a mouth full of pillow.  If the fencing incident was an accident then why is someone trying to cover it up?   

Meanwhile across town Frank gets attacked in the van while driving home.  Who was his attacker and what did they want?  Are the two working together or seperately?  And is there possible more people involved in this case?

Review I haven't read this book since it first came out in May 2000 so a few of the details were hazy and sketchy in my mind.  But I must say that this book had way more action and fun than any of the books that have been released in the past five years have had.  Plus I liked how the author actually had Frank and Joe going all over Bayport to find the clues and not just sticking to the Sports Facility.  You actually got to read about them going home, interacting with their mom, and then you got to read about Frank going by himself for biathalon target practice with another character, who was not Joe.  While the violence was a little higher than most Digests, if this had been meant for a Casefile it had the right writing consistency with the Casefiles that came out between 1994 and 1998, of course we will never know unless someone finds a copy of the manuscript that actually has the title The Hardy Boys Casefiles #1XX Training For Trouble on it or a plot outline with that title.

I did notice one spelling error on page 68 when it said Flank studied the end of the sword when it should've been Frank studied the end of the sword.  I'm surprised that the author and editor's didn't pick this up since on an American keyboard the "R" and the "L" are on opposite ends of the keyboard.

Also, as I was reading this book I was remembering what people were like in High School, since when I first read this book I was in Grade 10 and I remember finding that a lot of kids in High School acted in a very similar fashion to Frank and Joe plus the "sports" students acted in a very similar manner to the way the athletes at the Training Facility acted, and it was in a very mature way, although I will admit that there were some students who were still immature, but most high schoolers in 2000 at Fellowes High School were at that point where they still had a little immaturity in them but they were mature, just like Frank and Joe, and even though the Digests at this point were not written as well as the Digests of the early 80's, I found that I could still relate to the Hardy's.

Rating:  I'm giving Training For Trouble a 7.5 out of 10 or a B+. 

Possibility of the book having been written as a Casefiles:  I'm still not convinced that it was originally meant to be a Casefile since the writing style is a very strong Digest writing style, but the later Casefiles from 1994 to 1998 also had a writing style that was very similar to the Digests, so it could mean that the book was written as a Casefile, but at the same time it could just be that, as Sigmund Freud might've said 'a cake is just a cake', or in this case 'a Hardy Boys Digest is just a Hardy Boys Digest'.

[Bigfootman]

Well, I wouldn't have guessed that the Crisscross Crime was suppoed to be a Casefile if I hadn't heard about it on a website. Because that book aslo has a digest like style of writing. The only reason why I agree that's It's suppoed to be Casefile is because of the action.

Same thing with Training for Trouble. I find impossible to belive that any book that has Joe getting stabbed is a normal digest. And not only that but blood is mentioned several times, when Joe gets stabbed and a guy gets shot, that happens in CASEFILES not digests, at least not the way the blood apeared.

And should I point out that at the time right before the Casefiles ended, meny could be disgued as digests (Mission: Myhem in perticular), and no one would notace.

[Bigfootman]

Oh yeah, here's the reading leavel:
7.5

Sounds like a casefile reading leavel to me!

[tomswift2002]

The Hardy Boys #112 The Demolition Mission
Printed: February 1992
Reading Level: 7.1

Oh yeah, here's the reading leavel:
7.5

Sounds like a casefile reading leavel to me!

As you can see, there were other Digests, The Demolition Mission having been printed in towards the end of the Casefiles heyday, were also up in the 7.0 and above reading level.

[Bigfootman]

The Hardy Boys #112 The Demolition Mission
Printed: February 1992
Reading Level: 7.1

As you can see, there were other Digests, The Demolition Mission having been printed in towards the end of the Casefiles heyday, were also up in the 7.0 and above reading level.

That's interesting, however, I do belive that Traning for trouble at least was based on one of the unpulshed casefile plot summeries for 131-134 (I think it was).

[Bigfootman]

I've read Training for Trouble again, and the high violance leavel still sticks out. Frank is attacked by a man in a mask (I think) leading to a Casefile like fight. Then, Joe is nearly suffocated with a pillow,oh and he gets STABBED before that. Then there's the gun man that attacked Frank and someone else. I'm frimly belive this book was suppoed to be a casefile, in fact, I've read this book three times, and every time I'm more convinced. However, it will be a mystery until I get a reply from S@S

Oh yeah, the athor would no trouble changing Vannesa to Ioa, as Ioa is not described very much, except for her gray eyes.

The other thing that sticks out is that this seems to be a Frank book, as Joe is in the hospital for a lot of the book. I didn't like that. I'm a big Joe Hardy fan.

[tomswift2002]

Well, I remember that in Casefiles #103 Campaign Of Crime, Frank is out of action for about 5 or 6 chapters since he gets a concussion to the head at a political rally.  So there's the heavy Joe Hardy book.

[Bigfootman]

Well, I remember that in Casefiles #103 Campaign Of Crime, Frank is out of action for about 5 or 6 chapters since he gets a concussion to the head at a political rally.  So there's the heavy Joe Hardy book.

I'm reading Hot Wheels (not finnished, but it's already one of my faves) and it is a heavy Joe Hardy book. A lot of the book features Joe racing.

[4567TME]

The authors do show their liking for their favorite character!

[tomswift2002]

The authors do show their liking for their favorite character!

But you also have to remember that sometimes, even though the series is about the two boys, sometimes a story will come along where the author will find that Frank or Joe will have the most time in the spotlight because that's the way the story goes and it is not because the author likes one or the other.

[hardygirl847]

But you also have to remember that sometimes, even though the series is about the two boys, sometimes a story will come along where the author will find that Frank or Joe will have the most time in the spotlight because that's the way the story goes and it is not because the author likes one or the other.

I agree. I am a big Frank fan but I enjoy Joe story lines as well. However, I always prefer when they are together. The character development and story arcs that revolve around one more than the other are sometimes necessary. There are so many books that it's near impossible to have good quality plots with them together all the time. It makes for a stronger series if they deviate from the typical "both brothers" formula once in awhile.

[4567TME]

That's definitely true.  Some books are fairly balanced, and some are drastically different on the Equality Scale.