NANCY DREW: Murder on ice

By VIKTORIA SUNDQVIST

There's something special about Nancy Drew. Those of you who have read the teen series know what I'm talking about.

My family wasn't much into reading, so except for a few books tucked away in the attic, we didn't keep many around the house. Perhaps that's why my first book that I got one Christmas, a Nancy Drew book, was extra special.

I remember reading "Murder on Ice" (in Swedish) as I was crawled up in bed under warm blankets on a very cold Christmas Day.

Nancy and her boyfriend Ned Nickerson, along with friends Bess and George, go on a ski weekend in the snowy mountains of Vermont. But a strange set of circumstances leads Nancy to believe someone is trying to hide something, and it could have dangerous consequences.

When I first read the book, I had never been to Vermont. But it sounded like a magical place with small, charming towns, steep mountains and lots of areas available for skiing.

Of course, many years later as I started to ski regularly at Mt. Snow, I remembered my childhood book and just had to find another copy of it (the original Christmas present ended up with a younger cousin).

Thanks to the internet and the ability so search for very specific terms (Nancy Drew + Vermont + skiing), I quickly found myself a used copy and ordered it.

I've re-read it every winter since, just out of nostalgia. Since it's written for the younger readers, it's a very quick read. But it gives me the same warm, fuzzy feeling inside every time. Almost like if I was home again for Christmas, in my childhood bedroom, with a comforting blanket on my lap.