Secret of the Red Arrow

[Lungbarrow]

Is the UB series the same spelling as the US versions?

Well, I've only read two UBs and they were in eBook format, presumably from the US version of the text. Only the first four UB books were published in separate editions in the UK - others have been US editions with new barcode stickers on the back.

For the book Running on Fumes, you can compare some of the text online with the Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com "look inside" features. I'd guess that if the text had been altered for the UK, the word "story" on page 3 would have been changed to "storey" and on page 5, "drapes" would probably have been changed to "curtains". Apart from chapter headings, the layout of the text looks exactly the same so I imagine no changes have been made for the British editions.

[tomswift2002]

According to the Hardy Boys UK website, aside from the removal of the graphics, and the changing of the chapter headings, apparently the the text is the exact same.  And even for the Casefiles Hybrids, apparently, they were printed right from the US plates.

[JoeHardyRocks]

Don't worry about that as an indication of what age range the books are written for - the S&S web page states this for each book. The ones for Secret of the Red Arrow (http://books.simonandschuster.com/Secret-of-the-Red-Arrow/Franklin-W-Dixon/Hardy-Boys-Adventures/9781442465855) and Curse of the Arctic Star (http://books.simonandschuster.com/Curse-of-the-Arctic-Star/Carolyn-Keene/Nancy-Drew-Diaries/9781442466104) state ages 8-12. That's the same as the digests and the Undercover Brothers. The Secret Files are aimed at ages 6-9 so if that's what you're worried about, they're definitely not taking them down to that reading level.

If it's actually Nancy's (and therefore Frank and Joe's) age within the stories that you're worried about, read the synopses at that blog I linked to. Nancy has gone on a cruise with her friends and "an old friend of Nancy's, is the Assistant Cruise Director". That would indicate to me an age of 17-18 at the very least.

Oh, good, thanks! I'm still excited!

[tomswift2002]

The ones for Secret of the Red Arrow state ages 8-12.  The Secret Files are aimed at ages 6-9 so if that's what you're worried about, they're definitely not taking them down to that reading level.

Ages 6-9 and 8-12 overlap, so we should be a little worried.

[Lungbarrow]

Ages 6-9 and 8-12 overlap, so we should be a little worried.

You've missed out the important part of my point - that the age range for the Adventures is the same as for the Undercover Brothers and indeed the Digests before that. The worry people seem to be expressing is that the new books are being aimed at a younger readership than in the past. In reality the age range that the main Hardy Boys books are aimed at hasn't changed.

[SDLagent]

You've missed out the important part of my point - that the age range for the Adventures is the same as for the Undercover Brothers and indeed the Digests before that. The worry people seem to be expressing is that the new books are being aimed at a younger readership than in the past. In reality the age range that the main Hardy Boys books are aimed at hasn't changed.

Yeah, I think you're right.

[tomswift2002]

You've missed out the important part of my point - that the age range for the Adventures is the same as for the Undercover Brothers and indeed the Digests before that. The worry people seem to be expressing is that the new books are being aimed at a younger readership than in the past. In reality the age range that the main Hardy Boys books are aimed at hasn't changed.

Well, with the Undercover Brothers they seemed to be aimed way lower than the Mystery Stories (either the Grosset & Dunlap books or the Simon & Schuster books).

[Lungbarrow]

Well, with the Undercover Brothers they seemed to be aimed way lower than the Mystery Stories (either the Grosset & Dunlap books or the Simon & Schuster books).

Well, there's another argument that could go back-and-forth without coming to any conclusion. There are however, a few indexes that can be run over texts which give a measure of reading age - perhaps an interesting experiment to do if anyone thinks it's worthwhile?

[SDLagent]

I would say the Digests are aimed at pretty much the same demographic as the Undercover Brothers. The brothers are a bit more immature in the UB so this might make the books feel like they're for younger readers.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

Well, there's another argument that could go back-and-forth without coming to any conclusion. There are however, a few indexes that can be run over texts which give a measure of reading age - perhaps an interesting experiment to do if anyone thinks it's worthwhile?

I'm game. How would you do that?

[Lungbarrow]

If folks are interested in trying it, I'll look out a decent instructional website and start a new thread for it.

[Hardy Boys UB Fan]

If folks are interested in trying it, I'll look out a decent instructional website and start a new thread for it.

I'm interested. I wonder who else is?

[MacGyver]

Now that Secret of the Red Arrow has been released, Amazon.com already has some reviews up for it. The general consensus from there and other places I've heard seems to be pretty much meh. Not bad necessarily, but not all that good either. It seems like it's trying to reach to both new and old fans and combine some things and it's coming up with mixed results. I haven't read the two books yet, so I haven't reached any firm conclusions just yet. I hope to read the first two books in the series soon though.

[P. Walker]

just caught a continuity error.
In the Red Arrow, page 62, Frank has his smartphone, and makes a mention of specifically going into his email and watching a video.
In Phanton Heist, page 2, Frank says the they couldnt have smartphones until they started college, which is why Joe is so crazy about his tablet cos it could surf the Web, email and the like.

I understand if its some books down the line, but lazy slip-ups like this shouldnt happen within the first 2 books.

[JoeHardyRocks]

just caught a continuity error.
In the Red Arrow, page 62, Frank has his smartphone, and makes a mention of specifically going into his email and watching a video.
In Phanton Heist, page 2, Frank says the they couldnt have smartphones until they started college, which is why Joe is so crazy about his tablet cos it could surf the Web, email and the like.

I understand if its some books down the line, but lazy slip-ups like this shouldnt happen within the first 2 books.

That's disappointing. Each ghost writer should have to read the other books, if that was the case here.