So, I just read the first 2 books of the series, and I was sorely disappointed. Both Frank and Joe didn't seem like the original Frank and Joe, it seemed like two different characters with the same name. The mystery was weird, there was almost no action. I'm usually more fond of Frank and Joe being more cerebral, but this one didn't even have that. I really want them to come up with something like case file, and then really should get done with that first person narrative.
I agree. I've been saying for awhile they should redo, or relaunch the Casefile series.
As I pointed out in another topic, the Adventures series seems aimed at the 8-12 year-old market (or roughly the Grade 2 to 6 market) whereas the Original series, especially the hardcovers and Wanderer books were aimed at the 10-14 year old (or Grade 4 to 8) market. The Casefiles were primarily aimed at Grade 6-10 readers.
But I also wonder if the number of school shootings and school violence incidents have led to S&S trying to make the books tamer so that no one could blame them for possible having suggestive literature. Since to me, the amount of violence in the G&D hardcovers that are on the market is pretty tame, but next to an Adventure story, you might as well be reading a Casefiles, while an Adventure story is closer to A Secret File or Clues Brothers in terms of violence.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on April 10, 2017, 08:16:51 AM
As I pointed out in another topic, the Adventures series seems aimed at the 8-12 year-old market (or roughly the Grade 2 to 6 market) whereas the Original series, especially the hardcovers and Wanderer books were aimed at the 10-14 year old (or Grade 4 to 8) market. The Casefiles were primarily aimed at Grade 6-10 readers.
But I also wonder if the number of school shootings and school violence incidents have led to S&S trying to make the books tamer so that no one could blame them for possible having suggestive literature. Since to me, the amount of violence in the G&D hardcovers that are on the market is pretty tame, but next to an Adventure story, you might as well be reading a Casefiles, while an Adventure story is closer to A Secret File or Clues Brothers in terms of violence.
That shouldn't be any reason for them not to redo the Casefiles...that series never had a school shooting in it. I'd buy them in a heartbeat.
I don't think the Casefiles ever dealt with a school shooting- wow, I think that would be a really touchy subject for the Hardys to deal with....but the Casefiles did have numerous situations where the Hardy Boys were fighting against criminals with guns, including terrorists, and often trying to stop gun violence. (Hostages of Hate comes to mind as one such example- the book involved Frank and Joe stopped an airplane hijacking.) I think the point tomswift2002 was trying to make was that the spate of recent school shootings (there was just one today in San Bernadino, CA sadly :() might be one reason Simon & Schuster has tried to tone down the violence level in the Adventures books.
I tend to agree on this. I'm not blaming gun violence (or any other kind of violence) all on such books or TV shows, movies, video games, songs, etc. (It's a heart matter ultimately- it comes down to sin bound up in our hearts. That's why we need a Saviour from that sin- which is what I celebrate this weekend at Easter when Jesus died and rose to do just that. :))
I don't personally care to see a Casefiles relaunch, but I don't want to dash the hopes for those who would enjoy it. I do feel though that the current comics from Dynamite is probably the closest you will get- but you never know.....
Quote from: MacGyver on April 10, 2017, 10:38:26 PM
I don't think the Casefiles ever dealt with a school shooting- wow, I think that would be a really touchy subject for the Hardys to deal with....but the Casefiles did have numerous situations where the Hardy Boys were fighting against criminals with guns, including terrorists, and often trying to stop gun violence. (Hostages of Hate comes to mind as one such example- the book involved Frank and Joe stopped an airplane hijacking.) I think the point tomswift2002 was trying to make was that the spate of recent school shootings (there was just one today in San Bernadino, CA sadly :( ) might be one reason Simon & Schuster has tried to tone down the violence level in the Adventures books.
I tend to agree on this. I'm not blaming gun violence (or any other kind of violence) all on such books or TV shows, movies, video games, songs, etc. (It's a heart matter ultimately- it comes down to sin bound up in our hearts. That's why we need a Saviour from that sin- which is what I celebrate this weekend at Easter when Jesus died and rose to do just that. :) )
I don't personally care to see a Casefiles relaunch, but I don't want to dash the hopes for those who would enjoy it. I do feel though that the current comics from Dynamite is probably the closest you will get- but you never know.....
The Adventures series makes it like violence don't happen, like they're toning it down. :-\
Quote from: MacGyver on April 10, 2017, 10:38:26 PM
I don't think the Casefiles ever dealt with a school shooting- wow, I think that would be a really touchy subject for the Hardys to deal with....but the Casefiles did have numerous situations where the Hardy Boys were fighting against criminals with guns, including terrorists, and often trying to stop gun violence. (Hostages of Hate comes to mind as one such example- the book involved Frank and Joe stopped an airplane hijacking.) I think the point tomswift2002 was trying to make was that the spate of recent school shootings (there was just one today in San Bernadino, CA sadly :() might be one reason Simon & Schuster has tried to tone down the violence level in the Adventures books.
I'm not referring to the recent school shootings as the only things, but since the Original series ended in 2005, S&S seems to be taking the events of 9/11, the very terrorist attacks, the gun violence, the school shootings, the school bullying & cyber bullying and telling the authors to not include those subjects in the books.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on April 11, 2017, 07:15:54 AM
I'm not referring to the recent school shootings as the only things, but since the Original series ended in 2005, S&S seems to be taking the events of 9/11, the very terrorist attacks, the gun violence, the school shootings, the school bullying & cyber bullying and telling the authors to not include those subjects in the books.
Yes, I get that. But then why were they so into Russia (the USSR) and the wall coming down? That I gather was a big deal.
QuoteI'm not referring to the recent school shootings as the only things, but since the Original series ended in 2005, S&S seems to be taking the events of 9/11, the very terrorist attacks, the gun violence, the school shootings, the school bullying & cyber bullying and telling the authors to not include those subjects in the books.
Okay- yes, all those things collectively may well be reasons Simon & Schuster would prefer to avoid such touchy subjects.
Quote from: Katie on April 11, 2017, 10:15:30 AM
Yes, I get that. But then why were they so into Russia (the USSR) and the wall coming down? That I gather was a big deal.
When the Casefiles were launched S&S was modelling the series on the James Bond and Indiana Jones series. Just like the Original series had, originally, been modelled on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (which had just seen Doyle's last Holmes story published in Strand magazine in April 1927, and "The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes" would be published in June 1927 , while the first 3 Hardy's were released in May 1927.) And the 60's to 80's Bond was battling the Soviet Union, while Jones was battling 1940's Nazi's, so in both cases it made sense to have the Hardy's battling something that could be an allegory for the current political world.
I have no idea what series S&S were using to model either the UB or Adventures series on, but if it's the current James Bond franchise, then it is a very weak model, as I can only see a few things, but it's very weak. If it's an updating of the Sherlock Holmes stories, again it is extremely weak.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on April 11, 2017, 04:48:37 PM
When the Casefiles were launched S&S was modelling the series on the James Bond and Indiana Jones series. Just like the Original series had, originally, been modelled on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (which had just seen Doyle's last Holmes story published in Strand magazine in April 1927, and "The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes" would be published in June 1927 , while the first 3 Hardy's were released in May 1927.) And the 60's to 80's Bond was battling the Soviet Union, while Jones was battling 1940's Nazi's, so in both cases it made sense to have the Hardy's battling something that could be an allegory for the current political world.
I have no idea what series S&S were using to model either the UB or Adventures series on, but if it's the current James Bond franchise, then it is a very weak model, as I can only see a few things, but it's very weak. If it's an updating of the Sherlock Holmes stories, again it is extremely weak.
The Sherlock Holmes stories actually got a very good update. I'm think of BBC's Sherlock here. I loved it. But yeah, I'd like to know what S&S is doing with UB's and Adventures, they seem so kiddish compared to what I'm used to.
Quote from: Katie on April 13, 2017, 09:19:56 AM
The Sherlock Holmes stories actually got a very good update. I'm think of BBC's Sherlock here. I loved it. But yeah, I'd like to know what S&S is doing with UB's and Adventures, they seem so kiddish compared to what I'm used to.
Don't forget there are 2 updates of Sherlock Holmes running on TV right now. There's the BBC Sherlock Holmes, but then there's also CBS's Sherlock Holmes in "Elementary" where it is basically 'Sherlock Holmes in New York' rather than Scotland or the UK. Not to mention, but the CBS serious has actually brought back a plot element that Conan Doyle had put in the original stories, because it was legal back in the 1800's, but 20th century adaptations have dropped it, and that is Sherlock's drug use. In the Conan Doyle stories Sherlock uses cocaine and occasionally morphine.
That's interesting to hear about the CBS series- I didn't know they included Holmes' drug habit. Of course, this sort of thing has been seen before on US television- particularly on House, M.D. (For anyone who doesn't know, that show actually is very much inspired by the Sherlock Holmes stories, though obviously altered in setting.)
Of course, Elementary also changed Watson's sex so that there is a female Watson on the show. To me, that very much changes the whole dynamic of Holmes' and Watson's relationship as colleagues and friends and I don't know that I care for adding that romantic kind of angle.
I definitely prefer the BBC Sherlock series- or better yet, the Jeremy Brett series from the '80s.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on April 11, 2017, 07:15:54 AM
I'm not referring to the recent school shootings as the only things, but since the Original series ended in 2005, S&S seems to be taking the events of 9/11, the very terrorist attacks, the gun violence, the school shootings, the school bullying & cyber bullying and telling the authors to not include those subjects in the books.
I doubt S&S has a ban on cyber bullying stories as the GD Identity Mystery trilogy had Cyber Bullying as a major part of the second book. That being said, the ghostwriter might been able to convince them to make an exception.
I should note that in Ottawa at least, you can only borrow the first 3 books in the Adventures series at the library. (though you can borrow most of the Nancy Drew Diaries books) It's confusing as the third and fourth books are a two part story, and you can only get the first part from the library!
I will also say that despite borrowing some the Nancy Drew Diaries from the library, I never got around to reading them, nor have I read an Adventures book.
Quote from: Bigfootman on April 27, 2017, 02:33:53 PM
I doubt S&S has a ban on cyber bullying stories as the GD Identity Mystery trilogy had Cyber Bullying as a major part of the second book. That being said, the ghostwriter might been able to convince them to make an exception.
I should note that in Ottawa at least, you can only borrow the first 3 books in the Adventures series at the library. (though you can borrow most of the Nancy Drew Diaries books) It's confusing as the third and fourth books are a two part story, and you can only get the first part from the library!
I will also say that despite borrowing some the Nancy Drew Diaries from the library, I never got around to reading them, nor have I read an Adventures book.
I wish the UB series would have done a with a school shooting or something that we could relate to in today's times. Oh well, there's always fanfic that I guess I can write.
Quote from: Katie on April 27, 2017, 03:21:16 PM
I wish the UB series would have done a with a school shooting or something that we could relate to in today's times. Oh well, there's always fanfic that I guess I can write.
"Burned" and "Hazed"covered modern issues, but they were also two of the worst books in the series.
Edit: According to the "Hardy and Drew Mysteries" blog, swearing is back in the Adventures series. Specifically page 68 of Bound For Danger. It's odd, as the Adventures series, seems to be aimed at younger readers then the UBs, considering the chapter lengths and number of pages.
Well, that's a shame. :(
Thanks for the heads up on the return of the swearing issue though. I kinda thought that was one of the issues the Adventures series was trying to eliminate, based on fan feedback from the UB books.
Currently reading "The Madman of Black Bear Mountain", and I actually like it. It's a well paced suspense story, with some good cliffhangers once the action starts. I will say that it's more "cartoonish" then the Casefiles or Digests, but it's a lot better written then most UBs I've read. My only real issue is the book's portrayal of Frank as a somewhat cowardly nerd. This somewhat stops once the titular Madman appears, but it's some rather bizarre characterization. Also, how did Frank not know ahead of time that Max was a woman? You'd think that seeing as he was a fan of her work, he would have already known from reading about her.
QuoteMy only real issue is the book's portrayal of Frank as a somewhat cowardly nerd.
I could be wrong, but I feel like this is a characterization that the UB books did some too?
Quote from: MacGyver on April 28, 2017, 09:43:06 AM
I could be wrong, but I feel like this is a characterization that the UB books did some too?
Indeed they did have him as a nerd, but I don't remember Frank getting scared so easily in the UBs. Could be wrong about that though, as I haven't read a UB since the series got cancelled. I'm pretty sure Joe's characterization is exactly the same as the UBs.
Spoiler I've continued reading "The Madman of Black Bear Mountain", and my complaint about Frank not knowing that Max was a woman turned out to be explained in the book. It turned out to be part of a well done twist.
Keep in mind I've only read the first book in the Undercover Brothers series and I've yet to read any of the Adventures books (I'll get to at least the first one or two at some point- lol ;D)- but I feel like the Adventures books are basically just a retooling of the UB universe. (Much like the Secret Files books got retooled into the Clue Book series. They seem to be essentially the same universe with perhaps just some minor tweaking.)
Quote from: MacGyver on April 28, 2017, 02:30:43 PM
Keep in mind I've only read the first book in the Undercover Brothers series and I've yet to read any of the Adventures books (I'll get to at least the first one or two at some point- lol ;D)- but I feel like the Adventures books are basically just a retooling of the UB universe. (Much like the Secret Files books got retooled into the Clue Book series. They seem to be essentially the same universe with perhaps just some minor tweaking.)
I'm getting that impression too, but I'm only halfway through one adventures book, so its hard to judge. But save for the "deal" nonsense that I've been hearing about in the first two books, it seems like the Adventures series is an improvement. For one thing it's nice to see Frank and Joe going on a case without ATAC giving it to them. As I said in an earlier post, the book does seem to be aimed at a younger audience then the UBs. (There's some slipstick comedy, and some of the characters wouldn't look out of place in an episode of a kids cartoon) But while, its nowhere as action packed as the Casefiles, it still does have some fun scenes and quite a bit of action. That's more then I can say for the UBs.
Quote from: Bigfootman on April 28, 2017, 02:46:21 PM
As I said in an earlier post, the book does seem to be aimed at a younger audience then the UBs. (There's some slipstick comedy, and some of the characters wouldn't look out of place in an episode of a kids cartoon) But while, its nowhere as action packed as the Casefiles, it still does have some fun scenes and quite a bit of action. That's more then I can say for the UBs.
The series seems to be aimed at younger audience than even the Original Series. Period.
Plus with
Burned from the UB's, while it did deal with a modern crime it was also an updating of an older crime (record piracy), but at the same time it showed how the UB's were really short-sighted and had their crimes just be with gangs of one. With
Burned you had a story where, especially with an agency like ATAC, the Hardy's could've had a case that went global, due to the crime being illegal recorded music distribution. When you compare it to the older Hardy Boys TV episode
The Mystery Of The Flying Courier that dealt with essentially the same crime, just vinyl record piracy in the 1970's, digital CD pirates in the 2000's,
Burned turned out to fall far short.
QuoteThe series seems to be aimed at younger audience than even the Original Series. Period.
Really? Even younger than the Original Series? Interesting. I'm sure I'll better be able to judge whenever I get around to actually reading one of these books. And I will eventually...... but there are tons of other books I'd rather read first, honestly. I still love the Hardy Boys in general, but my enthusiasm for modern series has definitely waned- ever since the Digests ended in 2005, I haven't been a big fan of most all the series that have followed since.
Quote from: MacGyver on April 29, 2017, 10:59:21 PM
Really? Even younger than the Original Series? Interesting. I'm sure I'll better be able to judge whenever I get around to actually reading one of these books. And I will eventually...... but there are tons of other books I'd rather read first, honestly. I still love the Hardy Boys in general, but my enthusiasm for modern series has definitely waned- ever since the Digests ended in 2005, I haven't been a big fan of most all the series that have followed since.
Most of the Adventures you can get through in one sitting. The most recent one was only 104 pages in length.
But, yeah, the Adventures seem to be aimed at an audience just a little older than the Secret Files/Clues Brothers series. And the action/adventure is at about the level of a 2nd grade reader, whereas the Originals, you could easily mistake for being Casefiles in comparison.
Some of that discrepancy may also be reflective of the sorts of entertainment deemed suitable for children at different times in history. i.e. I wonder what Edward Stratemeyer would think of today's culture and children's entertainment versus what modern people might think of the culture of the early 1900s.
Quote from: MacGyver on May 01, 2017, 07:47:06 AM
Some of that discrepancy may also be reflective of the sorts of entertainment deemed suitable for children at different times in history. i.e. I wonder what Edward Stratemeyer would think of today's culture and children's entertainment versus what modern people might think of the culture of the early 1900s.
You mean to the point where they dumb down the books? Seriously though, even when you compare the Adventures to the Mystery Stories that were published between 2000 & 2005, the violence level has been toned down to where we are lucky enough to see Frank or Joe throw a punch. The Adventures more or less rely on the Hardy's having dumb luck to subdue the criminals.
Wow- I didn't know it was that bad. :o
Quote from: Bigfootman on April 27, 2017, 03:24:34 PM
"Burned" and "Hazed"covered modern issues, but they were also two of the worst books in the series.
Edit: According to the "Hardy and Drew Mysteries" blog, swearing is back in the Adventures series. Specifically page 68 of Bound For Danger. It's odd, as the Adventures series, seems to be aimed at younger readers then the UBs, considering the chapter lengths and number of pages.
I just came across a rather surprising use of cursing in the Files/Casefiles universe, and it was in a Nancy Drew book. on Page 120 (first page of Chapter 14) of the
Nancy Drew Files #12 Fatal Ranson one of the guest characters takes the Lord's name in vain by using the OMG phrase.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on May 02, 2017, 07:25:41 AM
You mean to the point where they dumb down the books? Seriously though, even when you compare the Adventures to the Mystery Stories that were published between 2000 & 2005, the violence level has been toned down to where we are lucky enough to see Frank or Joe throw a punch. The Adventures more or less rely on the Hardy's having dumb luck to subdue the criminals.
Yeah, the Casefiles they used guns, (disarming) bombs, knives and whatever else. Darn, I sure miss that! The most only time they used a knife was in that one UB where some girl wasn't breathing due to a swelled shut airway.
QuoteI just came across a rather surprising use of cursing in the Files/Casefiles universe, and it was in a Nancy Drew book. on Page 120 (first page of Chapter 14) of the Nancy Drew Files #12 Fatal Ranson one of the guest characters takes the Lord's name in vain by using the OMG phrase.
Well, that's sad and disappointing. :(
Quote from: Katie on May 23, 2017, 10:24:24 PM
Yeah, the Casefiles they used guns, (disarming) bombs, knives and whatever else. Darn, I sure miss that! The most only time they used a knife was in that one UB where some girl wasn't breathing due to a swelled shut airway.
Even in the Originals and Revised texts the boys use guns and knives. Even in the Digests the boys know how to use guns and knives.
I don't think they ever really talked about bombs and terrorists until the casefiles so openly. It was kind of just mentioned in passing, then dropped.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on May 23, 2017, 08:16:05 PM
I just came across a rather surprising use of cursing in the Files/Casefiles universe, and it was in a Nancy Drew book. on Page 120 (first page of Chapter 14) of the Nancy Drew Files #12 Fatal Ranson one of the guest characters takes the Lord's name in vain by using the OMG phrase.
Thanks for that info, tomswift2002. If it's not a prayer to God, then it's literally profanity and I don't like that.
Quote from: MacGyver on April 29, 2017, 10:59:21 PM
Really? Even younger than the Original Series? Interesting. I'm sure I'll better be able to judge whenever I get around to actually reading one of these books. And I will eventually...... but there are tons of other books I'd rather read first, honestly. I still love the Hardy Boys in general, but my enthusiasm for modern series has definitely waned- ever since the Digests ended in 2005, I haven't been a big fan of most all the series that have followed since.
Check this out for
Bound For Danger. Simon & Schuster actually lists the Grade Reading level for the book as being between Grade 3 & 7. Even
Attack of the Bayport Beast is listed with a Grade 3 - 7 reading level. And this is what G&D lists for the classic hardcovers: http://www.penguin.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/books4boys/series_hardyboys.php
Well, that sounds about the right age level.
I just finished "The Secret Of The Lost Tunnel", revised text, and that is one book that definitely would not fit in the Adventures. For one thing, Joe (who is a minor) actually enters a gun shooting competition with no questions asked and wins first place and gets a new top-of-the-line rifle. And scope given to him.
That doesn't sound like an unlikely scenario particularly in some parts of the USA- but yes, it probably wouldn't be happening in an Adventures book.
I thought they did gun computations in the Casefiles as well? Joe was underage in that series too.
Then there was also, what we would considered a terrorist attack. Chet lets off a bag of atom crackers in front of a police station and gets off with a warning about disturbing the peace. Then later Joe also buys atom crackers, again with no questions asked, and then they use them at the old plantation to scare off the crooks.
But in terms of the Adventures, can you imagine those Frank and Joe carrying, much less shooting a gun, or Joe being allowed to buy fireworks? By the current editorial standards, those are scenes that are too violent for the Hardy's, even though Frank at 18 is an adult.
Times were different in the 1950s and 1960s too and laws were not as restrictive....
Quote from: MacGyver on July 05, 2017, 11:17:42 PM
Times were different in the 1950s and 1960s too and laws were not as restrictive....
True. But in terms of how much violence the boys can show, in the Adventures it reminds me of the 1990's Fox Spider-Man cartoon and how Spider-Man wasn't allowed to punch anybody, and any guns had to be laser guns. In the Adventures the Hardy's can really only tackle people, or talk them into surrendering. In
The Secret of The Lost Tunnel the Hardy's, along with Fenton Hardy and General Smith (the person who had called in the Hardy's), were in a royal fist-fight with the gang right at the end of the story. it's interesting how Steven Grant, one of the Casefiles writers found writing the Casefiles when new editors insisted on less violence in the Casefiles
Quote from: Steven Grant http://web.archive.org/web/20020503205921/http://www.comicbookresources.com:80/columns/index.cgi?column=pd&article=1265[/I
HARDY BOYS CASEFILES was an interesting experience in groupthink. Because I'd previously worked with Mega-Books on the RACE AGAINST TIME series briefly published by Dell (#1 � REVENGE IN THE SILENT TOMB; #6 � EVIL IN PARADISE) and because the PUNISHER MINI-SERIES had established me as an action guy, I was brought in on the Hardy Boys revamp. See, they wanted to modernize the brothers into a two-boy War Against Crime fighting unit, to which end they blew up Joe's girlfriend so he'd have tough guy vengeance on his mind. They were outfitted with a van replete with various nasty weapons, including a hidden wall housing a variety of guns, and were briefly as dangerous as any other Rambo clone on the market at the time. The series was supposedly aimed at teenage boys, but I suspect marketing reports skewed the readership somewhat younger, because while they started out freely using guns, it wasn't long before they were allowed to use a gun if they took it from a bad guy, but they weren't allowed to carry them. Then they couldn't threaten bad guys with guns, but they couldn't shoot them. Then they couldn't use them at all, but they could use knives. Then they couldn't use knives, but they could defend themselves with their fists. It got to the point where the publisher didn't even want them getting involved in fist fights, so basically their physical activity became limited to running and jumping. Keeping literature safe for America, I guess, so the horror of Columbine could never happen.
Really,
The Hardy Boys Adventures are 2nd Grade readers disguised as books aimed at 6th graders and higher. By comparison the regular Hardy Boys are Young Adult novels, while the Casefiles are Adult novels. Also I've been finding that most of the Adventures A-plots could be B- and C-plots in the Grosset & Dunlap books. I was just recently reading
The Sign of The Crooked Arrow and I was thinking that the whole plot of
The Showdown At Willow Creek could've fit into one chapter in Crooked Arrow (since there was a similar scene that took place all within one chapter). Or
The Curse Of The Ancient Emerald was nothing more than a stripped down version of
The Mummy Case and
The Twisted Claw. Really the Adventures are trying to present the "Adventures" part of the Hardy Boys while removing the violent sections. I think
Attack of The Bayport Beast showed just how much the editors really tried to remove any "violence" from the story. The "bad guy" I found was really there for no reason, and sort of seemed forced.
Quote from: tomswift2002 on July 05, 2017, 07:10:41 PM
Then there was also, what we would considered a terrorist attack. Chet lets off a bag of atom crackers in front of a police station and gets off with a warning about disturbing the peace. Then later Joe also buys atom crackers, again with no questions asked, and then they use them at the old plantation to scare off the crooks.
But in terms of the Adventures, can you imagine those Frank and Joe carrying, much less shooting a gun, or Joe being allowed to buy fireworks? By the current editorial standards, those are scenes that are too violent for the Hardy's, even though Frank at 18 is an adult.
What Casefile had them using atom crackers? They even used Uzi's in the Casefiles, and not seemed to care. There was terrorism in the Casefiles all the time, and it sure makes for great reading today, knowing that would never, ever go today...darn it. ::)
Not that I'm happy about that, mind you! Just like, what do the publishers think we are, stupid?
The Hardy Boys Casefiles were clearly aimed at a teenage market though. The Adventures books, if I recall correctly, are marked as being at a reading level for 8-12 year olds.
The Adventure books are marked for 8-12 year olds (the same age as G&D is currently marking the Classic series at), and that's why I'm comparing the two. They are the only ones on the market right now, but in the Classics the boys can carry guns, knives and throw punches. In the Adventures it's either tackling people or talking them into surrendering.
In both the revised Lost Tunnrl and Secret At Wildcat Swamp I was also surprised at how many times the author changed from being with Frank and Joe, to being with Chet and General Smith or Cap Bailey or in Swamp the son of a woman that the gang was trying to swindle out of land.
By comparison the Adventures are simple, 2nd Grade readers versus the Classics that are complex and read more like an Star Trek novel than something along the lines of "See the dog. See the dog run!"
What? You mean you have a problem with, "See the Hardy Boys. See the Hardy Boys catch bad guys."? ;D