{{Short description|Genre of detective fiction, based around a young female crime-solving protagonist}} [[File:The_Secret_of_the_Old_Clock_(1930)_cover_art,_1953_printing.jpg | thumb | right | The Secret of the Old Clock (1939) a [[Nancy Drew]] mystery]] '''Girl detective''' is a genre of [[detective fiction]] featuring a young, often teen-aged, female protagonist who solves crimes as a hobby.
==History== The term “girl detective” appeared in ''New York Nell, the Boy-Girl Detective'' (1854) by [[Edward Lytton Wheeler|Edward Wheeler]], which featured a teenage girl who dresses as a boy to sell newspapers and solve crimes.<ref>Matthew Solomon, "Movies and Other Media", André Gaudreault, ''American Cinema 1890-1909: Themes and Variations'', André Gaudreault, 2009, 202-224, p. 220.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title=The Enduring Appeal of the Teen Detective |url=https://crimereads.com/teen-detectives/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=CrimeReads |language=en-US}}</ref>
A professional female detective appeared in the popular stories ''[[Miss Madelyn Mack]], Detective'', written by Hugh Cosgro Weir in 1909.<ref>{{cite news |title=Great Mystery Stories |date=December 12, 1909 |newspaper=The Gazette Times |publication-place=Pittsburgh |at=Illustrated Sunday Magazine, p. 20 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55605238/great-mystery-stories/ |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> But the earliest published version of a girl sought out as an amateur detective appears in the story collection ''The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange'', by [[Anna Katharine Green]], published in 1915. The latter featured a debutante who secretly solves crimes while taking part in New York high society.<ref>Stephanie Gorton Murphy, Smithsonian, March 8, 2016, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/secret-history-girl-detective-180958311/#u5jyvKPVylObzILW.99</ref><ref>Erika Janik (2016). Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction. Beacon Press.</ref>
Several novels for young readers by [[L. Frank Baum]] also had young female characters involved in crime solving, especially in cases involving protecting their family. [[Phoebe Daring]] was a 16-year old who took on the task of proving her twin brother's innocence in ''[[The Daring Twins|The Daring Twins: A Story for Young Folk]],'' published in 1911.<ref>Katharine M. Rogers, ''L. Frank Baum, Creator of Oz: A Biography'', New York, St. Martin's Press, 2002; p. 189, {{ISBN|0-312-30174-X}}</ref> Baum's character of Mary Louise Burrows was a fifteen-year-old girl who works to reveal her grandfather's innocence in his book series [[The Bluebird Books]] begun in 1916 under the pseudonym [[Edith Van Dyne]].<ref>Katharine M. Rogers, ''L. Frank Baum, Creator of Oz: A Biography'', New York, St. Martin's Press, 2002; p. 220. {{ISBN|0-312-30174-X}}</ref>
One of the best known and longest-running girl detective series was the [[Nancy Drew]] mystery series, started in 1930 and running under a number of subseries titles, including ‘’Nancy Drew: Girl Detective’’ (2004-2012) and the ‘’Nancy Drew Diaries’’ (started in 2013). She is often cited as the most influential of the girl sleuth characters.<ref>Bobbie Ann Mason, (1975). ''The Girl Sleuth: A Feminist Guide.'' The Feminist Press, New York: SUNY.</ref> The original series was published by the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate|Stratemeyer]] publishing company. The books appeared under the author name of [[Carolyn Keene]], a pseudonym used by a number of authors for the series over the years.<ref>Jeannie A. Ferriss, A Sleuth of Our Own: A Historical View of Nancy Drew, Girl Detective, ''SLIS Connecting'', Volume 3 Issue 1 Article 7 2014 https://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=slisconnecting</ref><ref>Melanie Rehak (2005) ''Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her''. New York: Harcourt, Inc.</ref>
The popularity of the Nancy Drew series spawned many mid-20th-century detecting heroines such as [[Judy Bolton Series|Judy Bolton]] (1932 – 1967), created by [[Margaret Sutton]]; [[Kay Tracey]] (1934 to 1942); and [[Trixie Belden]] (1948 to 1986).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keenan |first=Kathleen |date=2020-12-02 |title=Books Like Nancy Drew: 8 Other Classic Teen Sleuths |url=https://bookriot.com/books-like-nancy-drew/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=BOOK RIOT |language=en-US}}</ref>
A subgenre with middle-school heroines also developed, starting with Louise Fitzhugh’s novel [[Harriet the Spy]] written in 1964,<ref>The Feminist Writer as Heroine in Harriet the Spy Lissa Paul - The Lion and the Unicorn, Vol 13 (1989): 67-73.</ref><ref>Virginia L. Wolf, Harriet the Spy: Milestone, Masterpiece? '' Children's Literature'' Vol 4, 120-126 1975</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glaser |first=Karina |date=2016-09-26 |title=Middle Grade Girl Detective Books Beyond Harriet the Spy |url=https://bookriot.com/middle-grade-girl-detective-books-beyond-harriet-the-spy/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=BOOK RIOT |language=en-US}}</ref> and including the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, begun in 2009 with the book ''[[The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie]]'', and ''The Great Shelby Holmes'' by Elizabeth Eulberg, and ''Friday Barnes, Girl Detective'' by R.A. Spratt, both from 2016.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glaser |first=Karina |date=2016-09-26 |title=Middle Grade Girl Detective Books Beyond Harriet the Spy |url=https://bookriot.com/middle-grade-girl-detective-books-beyond-harriet-the-spy/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=BOOK RIOT |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Best Middle Grade Books of 2016 |url=https://ew.com/gallery/best-middle-grade-books-2016/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Film and television==
In films of the early 20th century, this character type was already seen, as in ''The Girl Detective'' (1915), a series of 2-reel thrillers directed by James W. Horner which featured a society girl who served as a special investigator for the police. [[Ruth Roland]] starred as the girl detective who worked on cases where her unique talents could help to solve crimes. Each short film was a complete story episode.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005386/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_lk3|title = The Girl Detective (1915) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>
Multiple versions of Nancy Drew were filmed. In the '30s there were a number of Nancy drew films: ''Nancy Drew: Detective'' (1938); ''Nancy Drew... Reporter'' (1939); ''Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter'' (1939); ''Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase'' (1939). On TV there were alternating episodes of ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' from 1977 to 1979, starring [[Pamela Sue Martin]] as Nancy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075513/|title = The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (TV Series 1977–1979) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref> A Disney movie was made in 2002, starring [[Maggie Lawson]] as a college student Nancy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329414/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1|title = "The Wonderful World of Disney" Nancy Drew (TV Episode 2002) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref> Another Nancy Drew movie was made in 2007, starring [[Emma Roberts]] as Nancy Drew.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nancy Drew (2007) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Nancy-Drew |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=The Numbers}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Crime fiction}}
[[Category:Crime fiction]] [[Category:Detective fiction]] [[Category:Fictional amateur detectives]] [[Category:Juvenile series]] [[Category:Literary genres]] [[Category:Women in fiction]] [[Category:Fictional female amateur detectives]]