Nancy Drew Diaries #26 Superstitions of "The Scottish Play"

Publisher's summary:

When Ned is cast in a stage production of Macbeth, led by the famous but peculiar director Bear Larouche, Nancy volunteers to help with the set.  She's also allowed to sit in on a few rehearsals, where she gets an earful from the director about theater superstitions: never say "Macbeth" out loud—only refer to it as "The Scottish Play"—never wear blue, no peacock feathers onstage, and so on.

The play is off to a promising start until Ned breaks the most important rule and accidentally says "Macbeth" in the theater.  And then accidents begin happening during rehearsals.  It quickly goes from odd to scary, and the director is ready to cancel the show.

Nancy might not believe in superstition, but she does believe in intuition, and hers is telling her that the cause behind these incidents isn’t a curse, but someone in the cast.  It's up to her to find out who before opening night.

When I read a book, how much I enjoy the book is influenced by what I just read.  Unfortunately, I read Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore immediately before reading this book.  Don't Go to Sleep will likely be my favorite read of 2025.  For that reason, my reading experience with this latest Nancy Drew Diaries book was doomed from the start.

So, I read this book on the day of release.  When I finished, I thought about how I always do a review.  I wasn't interested.  I did not want to write anything about the book.  I mean... the book bored me.  What's the point?

Let's do it anyway.

Nearly the entire book bored me.  I quickly decided to speed-read the book so that my torture would end as quickly as possible.

How can they come up with so many boring books?

I found the subplot with Bess to be much more interesting than the main plot.  Yay, Bess!  The main plot didn't interest me until nearly two-thirds into it, and then it got boring again.

I do have to acknowledge that the books no longer mention Nancy's restroom habits.  I'm glad for that.  Nancy isn't depicted like an idiot.  The case is decent, although it's boring sabotage, and I never cared.

As I read, or rather, skimmed the book, I considered whether it was something that would appeal to children.  It very well might.  The director is eccentric, and children might get a kick out of that.

The book is okay, but it didn't do much for me.

Using AI to Help with a Minor Detail on a Post about Booksellers

I find that when I'm having trouble thinking of the right word to use in a post that AI can help get me started.  I don't take it any further than that.  This post gives an example from yesterday.

A high-end bookseller recently purchased a 1930A-1 Nancy Drew Hidden Staircase in dust jacket.  Fans are skeptical that this bookseller can turn a profit on a rough condition book and jacket that he purchased for $1,312.00.  I have no doubt that he will profit off the book.

Many people don't understand that a hierarchy of booksellers exists.  This bookseller is at the very top of the hierarchy.  He will be able to sell the book at an inflated price.

I am in the process of writing what will be either two or three posts about this situation.  I will cover convenience fees, the hierarchy of booksellers, and the auction itself.  Yesterday, I was working on the part about the hierarchy of booksellers.

I was struggling with how to describe the situation.  I was going to ask AI for help with what word or phrase to use, but I finally realized that "hierarchy" would be sufficient.  I then decided to use "tier" for each level.  But then I thought of the word "echelon," which I've always liked.

Since I had already started a question to AI, I decided to finish it by asking what it thought about "tier" and "echelon," knowing that I had already decided and didn't really need its help.  In fact, the process of composing my original question to AI caused me to figure out the answer on my own. 

I submitted this to AI:

I am writing an article about the types of booksellers.  Some booksellers purchase books from thrift stores and sell them online cheaply.  The next level consists of sellers who then purchase the cheap books online and then resell them online at higher prices at more exclusive sites.  The next level of bookseller purchases from the more exclusive sites and then marks the books up again to sell to wealthy clientele.  

I plan to refer to this as the "hierarchy of booksellers."  I want to use the word "tier" to describe each level.  The word "echelon" might also work.  Which term do you think would be better?

This is how AI responded:

That's a really interesting concept—you're capturing a kind of informal supply chain within the world of used and rare books.  Between "tier" and "echelon," the better choice depends a bit on the tone you want for your article.

Here's a comparison:

Tier

• Pros: Clear, accessible, and neutral.  Readers instantly understand that there are levels, like in a pyramid or pricing structure.  It also aligns well with modern language around commerce and services (e.g., "subscription tiers").

• Cons: Slightly more utilitarian or technical.  It may feel a bit flat if you're going for a richer, more literary tone.

Echelon

• Pros: Has a bit more elegance and nuance.  It can suggest social hierarchy, status, or exclusivity, which may work well for the idea of progressively more elite bookselling layers.

• Cons: Slightly more formal or military in origin, so it might feel too elevated or obscure for some readers.

Recommendation:

If your article has a journalistic, analytical, or blog-style tone, “tier” is likely your best bet—it’s clear, modern, and keeps the focus on the structure.

If your tone leans more toward the literary, cultural, or reflective, “echelon” might give your piece an extra layer of depth and sophistication.

Or—you could combine them!  For example:

"At each tier—or echelon—of this hierarchy, the value of the book is reshaped by context and clientele."

I find that AI can be useful for helping me to parse my thoughts.  I don't use it to write posts, since I want to write my own content based on what I think.  AI can't do that for me.

Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore

Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore was published by Sourcebooks Fire in 2022.

I used AI to create an image, seen at the left, that would be a better representation of what this book is.  I dislike the actual cover of the book and am certain that many of my readers, who aren't interested in teen fiction like I am, would ignore this review completely based solely upon the cover. 

Perhaps we shouldn't judge books by their covers, but I believe most of us do.  We can't help it.  I used the AI image on Facebook to draw the attention of series book fans, and I have placed it here for the same reason.

Here is what I put on Facebook on January 19:

I just read Don't Go to Sleep, a 2022 book written by Bryce Moore.  I used an AI image to evoke the atmosphere of the book.  I believe most of you ignore my YA posts, but this isn't one to ignore.  Please don't nitpick the faulty AI image.  I dislike the actual cover of the book, and it doesn't at all convey what the book is.

Don't Go to Sleep is an outstanding book.  I have no doubt that this book will be a top contender for the best book I read this year.  It's that good.

This book is set during late 1918 in New Orleans.  The deadly influenza is a looming threat, and an axe murderer is targeting Italian store owners.  17-year-old Gianna's family was attacked by the Axeman seven years before, and now Gianna has a strange psychic connection to him.  It's like Harry Potter's mental connection to Voldemort, and it's scary.  

I felt like I was reading a series book as I read this book.  It reads much like a May Hollis Barton or Blythe Girls book, except that an axe murderer is on the loose.  Gianna's family struggles to make ends meet as they worry that they will die of influenza or be killed in their sleep.  The book has some violence and murders, obviously, but fortunately, the author doesn't go into detail about the injuries.  (Note: I just read some reviews where they say that the gore is "intense," so your mileage may vary.  I thought it was fairly tame gore compared to other stuff I've read and nowhere near what it could have been.)

Publisher's summary:

It's 1918, WW1 is in full swing, and a Spanish Influenza outbreak is on the horizon.  In the midst of the chaos, families are being terrorized and people are being killed by a lone man with an axe.  As Gianna and her friend Enzo investigate the heinous crimes, she realizes she's connected to the killer in a way she could have never imagined.

Gianna is the average seventeen-year-old girl living in 1918 New Orleans.  She worries about her family's store, the great war, and a mysterious illness that's about to take hold of the city she loves.

It doesn't help that there also appears to be a mad man on the loose in her neighborhood.  The attacks started as burglaries but soon escalate to cold blooded murder.  There's a killer out there, and the police can't seem to figure out how to stop him.

Gianna enlists the help of her friend Enzo to investigate.  And as they study the crimes, they see a common link between the victims, and Gianna can't help but wonder if it's the same man who attacked her family years before.

As Gianna gets closer to the killer, she discovers a connection between them that she never would have suspected.

These are the ratings I use for books: did not like, good, very good, excellent, and outstanding.  I don't often describe books as outstanding, so I have given this book my top rating that I use only for the best of the best. I already know right now that this book will be either my top read of 2025 or will be one of my top two or three favorite books of 2025. Around a year ago, I read That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. I felt the same way when I finished that book, and I do consider it to be my top read of 2024. I don't find many outstanding books.

I felt a constant sense of foreboding while reading this book. The influenza virus could strike at any moment, and the axe murderer is targeting Italians. It's scary. As I mentioned in my Facebook post, Gianna has a strange psychic connection to the axe murderer which is just like Harry Potter's mental connection to Voldemort. By later in the book, it becomes apparent that the murderer also senses Gianna and is gaining information about her, so it is terrifying whenever Gianna is asleep and experiencing the connection. This is why the book is titled Don't Go to Sleep.

The book has some violence. The climax of the story is harrowing and violent. To me, the violence isn't that bad. The author doesn't go into detail about the injuries, although I cringed at least twice. Even a bare minimum description of an axe injury is gross.
The actual violence isn't the scary part.  The fear and horror about what might happen is quite intense.  This is a very scary book.  Violence is near the lowest level of what you can expect from books like this.  I've read some YA zombie books that are far worse than what is in this book.

One reader feels that the violence is inappropriate for teens.  The violence is fine for teens—children, not so much.  I was sheltered enough as a child that this book would have caused me to have nightmares.  It's definitely not a book for young children.

I also noticed a few readers said that the main part of the story is boring.  Vintage series books are all boring by modern standards.  This book nails the vibe of vintage series books, which I loved.  I found every bit of the story to be intensely interesting, and I felt nervous about what would happen as I was reading.  I didn't want to put the book down!  I had to force myself to go to bed for the night, and then resumed the book the next day.

I love this book.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 5 Eleanor Olivia Wright

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

The focus of this post is what we know and don't know about Eleanor Olivia Wright.

When Keefe asks Eleanor if she's Eleanor, she doesn't answer.  From the rest of the conversation with Keefe, we have to assume that this girl is Eleanor, but it strikes me as odd that she doesn't answer the question.

Eleanor's eye color is mentioned twice as green, probably to make sure that we know she's human.  But she could be someone in disguise.

Eleanor apparently knows what a pathfinder does.

After reading through the encounter with Eleanor several times and looking back through previous books, I realized that Keefe went to Ethan's home more than once.  On page 230, we learn that Alvar was supposed to deliver the letter and that Keefe was a last-minute substitution.  That could be, but Keefe definitely completed more than one delivery.

• Book 7, Page 423  Keefe remembers seeing a pair of green eyes that must have been human eyes.  This means he saw Eleanor.

• Book 8, Page 78  Keefe remembers seeing Ethan holding a letter that he had given him.  There is no mention of Eleanor.
  
  
• Book 9, Page 349  Eleanor saw Keefe drop a letter into the letter box.  Keefe didn't see Eleanor, but she saw him.

We can conclude that Keefe delivered a letter to Ethan at least twice and probably three different times.  Eleanor tells Keefe, "[Y]ou were the one making the deliveries."  That implies that she saw Keefe at her home more than once.  It also implies that Alvar never made any deliveries.

Page 350  "You're sure it was sealed?"  "Why?"  "I just really need to know, okay?"  She hesitated for a beat before she told him, "Yes, it was definitely sealed."

Why does Eleanor hesitate?  Is she lying?  Most likely, she knows that Keefe opened at least one letter.  She might be telling the truth about the instance he remembers, but she may know that he opened another letter, which caused her hesitation. 

Page 351  "So... someone erased some of my memories."  "Who?"  "Huh, I would've thought you'd start with 'How?' "

Why does Eleanor accept it as totally normal that someone erased Keefe's memories?

Eleanor admits that she saw Lady Gisela but refuses to give details.  She does say that Lady Gisela thinks she's dead and "it needs to stay that way."  Eleanor must know something about Lady Gisela.

Eleanor says that Ethan shut himself "in his office for days at a time."  This means that Ethan could have been an elf with multiple identities who was away doing other things.  He may not have been in his office the whole time he was locked in there.

Eleanor says that she doesn't have any pictures of her dad because he burned all of them.  Ethan was wiping the evidence of his existence.

And it's important that Ethan's obituaries don't mention his title.  It sounds like Ethan's death was very hastily staged via the obituaries.  

Page 360  His emotions kept clouding out hers, but he could still feel traces of fear.

Keefe can't detect most of Eleanor's emotions, but he does sense fear.  She's genuinely afraid.

A reader who posted in the Keeper wiki discussion forum suggested that Lady Gisela may have been tracking Keefe during the Eleventh hour and now knows that Eleanor is alive. 

1st comment: 

I have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that Gisela knows about Eleanor. I predict that she used the shadow ripple tracker to find Keefe before Tam removed it, the day he went to visit the graves.

2nd comment:

Twice a day she has the opportunity to track him, 11am and 11 pm, so if she checked on him at 11am that day, she could have found him and followed him on his way back to the hotel, which is where Eleanor confronted him.

I feel certain that this person is correct.  I checked Stellarlune.  After the Spyball locates Keefe, Dex fiddles with the Spyball for an unknown amount of time.  The kids decide to go to London.  Even though it seems to happen fast, the kids probably don't leave until at least 15 minutes after they locate Keefe.  It could even be longer.  The kids then have to run all the way to the hotel.  We don't know what the distance is, but the kids probably need 30 minutes or longer to make it to the hotel.  I figure it takes them at least an hour to get to Keefe's hotel room door from the time they locate Keefe with the Spyball.

Meanwhile, Keefe leaves Eleanor and walks to his hotel.  We don't know this distance or how long it takes.  Let's say 15 minutes.  Keefe speaks to Alvar and then takes a shower.  Let's say another 15 minutes.  He then spends 30 minutes fixing his journal, and that amount of time is stated in the book.  Within another 10 minutes, Sophie is pounding on his door.  Keefe's time is at 1 hour, 10 minutes.

The times are close enough that I bet Keefe was with Eleanor during the Eleventh hour.  As fate would have it, Gisela probably checked on him and got very lucky.  It's likely that Eleanor is now in Gisela's clutches.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Hidden Clues #11 Scarcity of Middle Volumes in a Series

We typically consider the final volumes in a series to be the most difficult to acquire. 

Hidden Clues #10 The Hardest to Find Books in a Series

While this is generally true for discontinued series, the middle volumes, while not usually difficult to find, often show up with less frequency.  There are multiple factors at play, including how long a series was in print and how often formats changed.  

I have noticed a pattern with many series, even the ones that were in print for many years after the publication of the final title or that remain in print to the present day.  The middle volumes in the set are slightly scarcer than the early volumes and the volumes well into the second half of the set with the final volumes being the hardest ones to find.  It goes something like this:

This is just a generalization based on observation of books that pass through my hands.  Let's start with Judy Bolton.

Judy Bolton Green Spine Picture Covers

Most of the Judy Bolton picture cover set is extremely scarce.  #5, 6, 8, 9, 11-29, 32, and 34 each went through just one printing.  The Judy Bolton picture covers that aren't as difficult to acquire are #1-4.  #35 is very slightly less scarce, and the rest of the set is quite scarce in this format.  Here's an approximate graph of the curve.

This is not scientific or exact.  It is just a rough idea of the scarcity of the volumes in the green spine picture cover format as compared to the rest.  The dip in the middle part of the set is likely a good bit lower than my estimate.  I didn't attempt to do that since I'm not sure where the truly scarcest books fall in the set. 

While #36-38 have always been priced high, volumes in the green spine format closer to the middle of the set are much, much harder to find than #36-38.  Collectors don't think about the middle books as valuable in this format since collectors who just want to read the books can settle for other formats.  

Those collectors who specifically want this format run into problems with completing their sets due to how uncommon the middle books in the set are.

Nancy Drew Revised Text Picture Cover Books

The first 34 Nancy Drew books were gradually revised from 1959 to 1977.  Books revised late in that period didn't go through as many printings, but they still aren't appreciably more difficult to find than the ones revised earlier.  This is because the print runs from the late 1970s were much larger because of the high interest in Nancy Drew due to the television series.  The massive print runs, particularly in 1978, made up much of the difference for the revised text stories that were revised last.

The revised text books that show up with slightly lower frequency are #14 to #34.  In particular, I find extra copies of #22 through 26 less often than the rest.  For the entire set of 56 books, #28 is the halfway point.  The slightly harder to find revised text books are in the middle of the Nancy Drew set.  

Nancy Drew Digest Books

The Nancy Drew Digest series consists of #57 through #175 in the Nancy Drew chronology.  The median volumes in the set are #115 and #116.  The very hardest to find volumes currently are #100, 114, 121, 122, 123, and 131.  Over the years, I have sometimes found #113, 115, and 124 to be scarcer than other books.  All of these books are no more than 15 books from the middle of the set, and the entire set has 119 books.  Many of the books towards the middle of the set are slightly harder to find than the rest.  There's a reason for this.

The Nancy Drew Digest series ran from 1979 to 2003.  Simon & Schuster dropped many titles as they continued to release new titles.  By late in the run, over half the set was already out of print.  Many of the middle titles went out of print much sooner than other titles.

Dana Girls Beige Spine Picture Cover Books

Some books in the middle of the Dana Girls set are more in demand in the beige spine picture cover format than you might expect.  I find that #19-26 are in lower demand than the rest of the beige spine set, aside from the very common early books in the set.  #19-26 are not hard to find in the beige spine edition, and they were also reprinted in the white spine edition.

#1-16, #17 in the original text, and #18 went out of print when the beige spine set ended.  This makes them more desirable.  The first six books are pretty easy to find in the beige spine set, then the books get a little harder to find.  

In short, #7 through #18 are the beige spine picture covers that are somewhat harder to acquire and may end up costing more than the low-numbered titles or the ones from #19-26.  

These same patterns tend to exist for many other series where collectors will find that certain middle volumes are somewhat harder to find than the average volume.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 4 Ethan Benedict Wright II

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I read this book twice immediately after it was released.  I was very confused about Ethan and Eleanor, although I did draw a few conclusions.  I deliberately kept away from the book for a month to distance myself.  I noticed so much about the Forgotten Secrets when I revisited them months later, and I wanted to create a similar situation for this book so that I would gain perspective.  I am making progress on Ethan and Eleanor, although I'm not there yet.

Ethan and Eleanor are ostensibly a human man and his human daughter.  Eleanor is alive, and according to her, Ethan is dead.  But we really don't know.  Let's go through what we know for sure, and what we don't know.

In Book 8, Mr. Forkle says that Ethan and Eleanor's deaths occurred in a gap in the Black Swan's surveillance.  Mr. Forkle agrees with the kids that it's odd.  

It cannot be a coincidence that the fake accident occurred where there was no surveillance.  Someone helped Ethan fake his and his daughter's deaths, and that person had to have been an elf who knew where the Black Swan's surveillance was located.

Since Ethan and Eleanor's deaths were faked to trick Lady Gisela, we can conclude that the Neverseen were not involved.  The only logical conclusion is that an elf associated with the Black Swan was involved.  Since that elf was hindering Lady Gisela and helping the two humans, I believe we can also conclude that this elf wasn't a traitor to the Black Swan. 

Page 356  "Three days later a stranger showed up at our door and told me my dad was dead and I had to leave because I needed people to think I was dead too... they had a letter from my dad.  Apparently he'd given it to them in case something like that happened... he'd made all these arrangements.  Obituaries.  Graves.  A new name.  New guardian.  A bank account."

Most likely, the elf involved was Forkle.  Since Forkle is the leader of the Black Swan and since Livvy once made a statement about the Collective going along with whatever Forkle wants, it's unlikely that Black Swan members would be involved in something like this without Forkle's knowledge.  

Page 168   And while Ethan Benedict Wright II had been called "prominent" in that obituary, Keefe had yet to find a single reference to his work.

Page 224  The only slightly interesting thing he'd found was a brief article that mentioned the "groundbreaking work of Dr. Ethan Benedict Wright II in the search for alternative energy sources."

Page 225  And yet, all of Ethan Benedict Wright II's obituaries had left off his title.

Ethan's work was "groundbreaking," yet there's very little information available for Keefe to find.  It sounds like very basic information was placed in a few articles to give Ethan a plausible backstory so that Lady Gisela would approach him.  The obituaries must have been hastily created, since they leave off Ethan's title.

We know that Forkle has the knowledge to create fake articles for human newspapers, since he did exactly that back in Book 1 when he replaced an article about the San Diego fires with the article he wrote about the "child prodigy."  My guess is that Forkle was involved with the Ethan backstory and obituaries.

In fact, Keefe tells Eleanor that he learned the location of Ethan and Eleanor's deaths from the newspaper obituary.  Whoever wrote the obituary knew that particular location was not covered by the Black Swan's surveillance.  Eleanor said that Ethan wrote the obituary.  This means we can conclude that Ethan knew that the Black Swan's surveillance did not cover that particular location.  Ethan had to be part of the Black Swan or in contact with someone from the Black Swan.  This points to Forkle as the contact.

When Forkle shows up to present the obituary to Sophie and Keefe, he acts nervous.  He must have known all about Ethan, since Ethan knew about the Black Swan's surveillance.  Forkle only supplied the article, since he had to give Sophie and Keefe something, but he knows more.

As I've written in my previous posts, I believe that Councillor Kenric faked his death and that he is Forkle.  Here is how Kenric is described:

Book 1, Page 57   Kenric was built like a football player, with wild red hair and a big, toothy grin.

And now, Ethan Benedict Wright II:

Book 8, Page 78   A really nerdy-looking guy.  Between the tweed blazer and the bow tie and the ruddy cheeks and the wild hair, he looked like some sort of professor stereotype.

Book 8, Page 78   and someone with deep smile lines and strands of gray peppered through his messy red hair.

Book 8, Page 80   And the man that Keefe had drawn was a pretty generic-looking British guy—from his bright ginger hair down to the elbow patches on his blazer.

Book 9.5, Page 163   Ethan Benedict Wright II looked exactly like Keefe had drawn him, with his wild hair, tweed jacket, and crooked bow tie. 

Kenric and Ethan both have red hair that is wild.  Ethan has "deep smile lines," and Kenric is always grinning.  What's interesting is how Shannon doles out the information about Ethan.  She separates it so that we don't put "wild" and "red" together.  She mentions Ethan's wild hair when she doesn't mention the color.  Other times, she mentions the color and not that the hair is wild.  Kenric, though, is stated to have "wild red hair."

I'm less sure about the anagram that I found in Ethan's name.  It could be a coincidence, but "Ethan Benedict Wright II" can be rearranged to form "grin teach tweed inhibit."  "Inhibit" is what I think Ethan was doing with Lady Gisela.  "Tweed" is part of Ethan's description.  "Grin" and "teach" are words that I pulled from the anagram I found in Kenric's name.  "Kenric Elgar Fathdon" rearranges to form the phrase "Forkle grin and teach."  It is all very curious.

Oh, yes—and the name Eleanor Olivia Wright rearranges to form the phrase "love Oralie with a grin."  Most curious.

Book 7, Page 431   Shockingly enough, he wove her hair into the most intricate braid she'd ever seen.  "Do I want to know why you know how to do this?" she asked.  "Of course—but that's a story for another day."

Ever since the first time I read through Book 7, I've wondered why Forkle knows how to weave an intricate braid in a girl's hair.  It's strange, and it's odd that Shannon mentions it.  If Forkle is Ethan, then he could very well have had practice braiding Eleanor's hair.

Book 9.5, Pages 355-356  "My dad was always paranoid.  Always preparing me for something he seemed afraid would happen.  But he got much weirder toward the end.  Started shutting himself in his office for days at a time.  Wandering around the house muttering under his breath about power sources and how he should've spent more time studying geology... he grabbed my arms and told me he'd made a huge mistake, and the only way to fix it was for us to disappear."

We know that Lady Gisela was attempting to recruit Ethan for a side project.  Since Lady Gisela knows about Elysian and since Ethan's research had to do with alternate power sources, then we can assume that Lady Gisela's side project had to do with power sources.  

Who all knows about Elysian?  By my count, as of the time when Lady Gisela tried to recruit Ethan, the only people who knew about Elysian were Fintan, Lady Gisela, and Kenric.  Apparently, Prentice also had information about Elysian via memories implanted by Forkle, but he likely didn't know that information was in his mind, so I'm not counting Prentice.  And yes, Forkle also knew, but I believe he's Kenric.

Fintan, Lady Gisela, and Kenric had all been to Elysian at one time or another.  I think it probable that Ethan is Forkle/Kenric.  Ethan certainly wasn't with the Neverseen, since he and Eleanor disappeared to trick Lady Gisela, which leaves Kenric as the remaining person who knew about Elysian.  If the anagram in Ethan's name is real, then Ethan was deliberately messing with Lady Gisela, trying to "inhibit" her scheme.

I also wonder about the timing.  When did Ethan say that he had made a mistake?  If he's Kenric, could it have been around the time that Kenric probed Fintan's mind and learned about Elysian?  When Kenric spoke to Oralie about Elysian, he said that the information needed to stay fragmented.  He was frightened.  It sounds like Ethan was frightened as well.

The problem with all of this is that Eleanor is very much real and alive, and not only that, she's a human.  At least, we think Eleanor is a human.  How can Ethan possibly be Forkle if he was a human with a human daughter? 

There's a lot we don't know.  Is Eleanor Ethan's biological daughter, or was she adopted?  She calls Ethan her father, but that doesn't tell us whether she always lived with him.  We don't know if Forkle washed some of Eleanor's memories or implanted memories.  Eleanor is evasive when she talks to Keefe, so we don't have the pieces to put the puzzle together.  

My next post focuses on Eleanor.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Hidden Clues #10 The Hardest to Find Books in a Series

Note:  This post pertains to defunct series that went out of print not long after the final book was published.  Defunct series that remained in print for many years after the final volume was published do not fit the pattern described here.

People often ask why certain books in defunct series are so hard to find.  The answer is simple: fewer were printed.  Decades later, many of the books have been destroyed, and the copies that remain are not enough to satisfy demand.  

Generally speaking, the hardest to find book in a series that is no longer in print is usually the final title.  The last book published usually went through one printing, and that was it.  

The first book in any series is usually the easiest to find, because it went through the most printings.

Take a hypothetical series consisting of four titles:  

#1 was published in its first printing.
#2 was published in its first printing, and #1 was printed a second time.
#3 was published in its first printing, #1 was printed the third time, and #2 the second time.
#4 was published in its first printing, #1 was printed the fourth time, #2 the third time, and #3 the second time.

The series ended shortly after the publication of #4, resulting in no additional printings of any of the books.

#1 had four printings.
#2 had three printings.
#3 had two printings.
#4 had one printing.  This would make #4 the hardest one to find.

This is a simplified version of what actually happens, since even more intermediate printings are involved, but it shows why the last book is the hardest one to find.  In addition to fewer print runs, a series usually declines in popularity, so the print run sizes decrease.  When the last book is printed in its one printing, the printing might be rather small.

I won't attempt to cover value, since it is constantly changing.  To get an idea of value, type the book into the search at eBay.com.  Filter the search to sold items, then see what the selling prices were.  Current listing prices do not indicate value.  Some sellers price items way too high, and those items will never sell.

Below, I have listed some examples of scarce titles for a sampling of series books.  The books are examples of titles that are considered to be the hardest to find title, usually by far.  The format matters as does the volume number.  For instance, the Dana Girls books were renumbered for a later format, so the same books with different volume numbers don't count.  If the book is in a different format than what I have indicated, then the book isn't scarce.

For series where I list more than one book, the scarcity is on a sliding scale where the highest-numbered title is usually the scarcest out of the group.

Scarce Last Titles (format matters)

Cherry Ames

27.  Ski Nurse Mystery

For the above book, the scarce book is the original hardcover with the Grosset & Dunlap imprint on the spine.  A modern reprint exists, and it is of minimal value.

Connie Blair

12.  The Mystery of the Ruby Queens

The scarce printing is the hardcover.  It was also printed in softcover, and that book's value is lower.

Dana Girls (Beige Spine Hardcover Edition Only)

27.  The Secret of the Silver Dophin
28.  Mystery of the Wax Queen
29.  The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar
30.  The Phantom Surfer

Dana Girls (White Spine Hardcover Edition Only)

14.  The Curious Coronation
15.  Hundred-Year Mystery
16.  Mountain-Peak Mystery
17.  The Witch's Omen

Judy Bolton (Green Spine Hardcover Edition Only)

This one is tricky.  Prior to modern reprints, Judy Bolton #35-38 were completely impossible to find.  For that reason, they are still considered to be hard to find titles.  However, they actually aren't as hard to find as the rest of the Judy Bolton set in the green spine picture cover. 

35.  The Hidden Clue
36.  The Pledge of the Twin Knights
37.  The Search for the Glowing Hand
38.  The Secret of the Sand Castle

Ken Holt

18.  The Mystery of the Sultan's Scimitar

Rick Brant

21.  Rocket Jumper
22.  The Deadly Dutchman
23.  Danger Below!
24.  The Magic Talisman

Tom Swift, Jr.:

33.  Tom Swift and the Galaxy Ghosts

Trixie Belden:

35. The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire
36. The Mystery of the Antique Doll
37. The Pet Show Mystery
38. The Indian Burial Ground Mystery
39. The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost

Vicki Barr

15.  The Mystery of Flight 908
16.  The Brass Idol Mystery

In the case of the two Vicki Barr books, Flight 908 is far harder to find than Brass Idol.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 3 Alvar

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I read the book for the third time in late January.  My opinion has shifted some, but I'm leaving the main body of this post as I first wrote it.  My current thoughts are at the end of the post.

In this post, I've collected interesting Alvar quotes from Unraveled.

Page 196  "But the longer I'm around humans, the more value I see to their way of thinking."

Page 199  "That's the thing about humans—most are pretty generous and helpful."

Page 202   "I'm done with the Lost Cities.  I have absolutely zero desire to ever go back again."  

Page 203  "I like where I am.  I like being insignificant.  No pressure.  No past.  No legacy."

But will his opinion change after he's healed?

Page 204  "Honestly, Keefe, I wish I had something worth sharing.  I could use a good bargaining chip right now."

This quote is in reference to Alvar wanting to bargain with Keefe to get Keefe to let him go back to his city.  But it occurs to me—Alvar overhears an important conversation Keefe has with Sophie later in the book.  What if Alvar uses what he knows to bargain with the Neverseen?

Page 241  "Stellarlune... apparently has something to do with... rocks."

Page 245  "Well, it's kind of pointless to speculate, but... I guess it would depend on how they tried to force me.  I'm not great with physical punishments."

So, Alvar isn't ruling out whether he could end up going back to what he did before with the Neverseen.

Page 281  "I actually liked not having an ability.  I know that probably seems hard to believe—and it definitely took a little getting used to.  But it kinda felt like proof that I belonged in the human world—and made it way easier to blend in."

Page 281  "It's like... there's a pool deep inside me.  Maybe it's something we all have.  Some sort of... inner reserve of energy that fuels our abilities." 

Alvar wants to fit in.  He did fit in with the humans, but with his ability back, he's going to want to be back in the elven world.  He doesn't have a lot of choices due to the bridges he's burned.  That's why I think it's likely that he'll end up doing something nefarious again.

Another thought I had was, How do we know Alvar isn't working for Lady Gisela?  Surely she's checked in on Keefe with her shadowflux tracker.  Is it possible that Gisela knew Keefe was going to libraries and that she had Alvar check libraries?

Gisela indicates near the end of Stellarlune that she still has a means to track Keefe.  Did Alvar place another tracker on Keefe somehow?

Also, there's this:

On page 234, Alvar says that Ethan Benedict Wright "had a weird name I can never remember."  Is he pretending?  He might have said that to throw Keefe off.

Alvar does seem sincere.  But we know from past experience that Alvar is a weak, needy person.  Since Keefe heals him, he knows what Keefe can do.  This is dangerous information for Alvar to have.  He also heard everything Sophie says about Kenric's cache.

Alvar and Keefe are like each other.  They parallel each other.  Both of them are "the boy who disappeared."  Alvar is that to Sophie, and Keefe is that to Eleanor.  Alvar was looking for an elf but thought Sophie was human.  Keefe thinks Eleanor is human.  What if she isn't?  Eleanor wants Lady Gisela dead.  Why?

Keefe thinks it's odd that he and Alvar just happen to show up in the same library at the same time.  It's very strange.

Alvar overheard all of Sophie's conversation with Keefe.  Let's see what Alvar knows:

• Keefe did something to Dex's family.
• Keefe has a voice ability.  He mentions it being a "voice command thing."  He then mentions "controlling humans."
• Keefe repeats the lie about using jewelry to pay for the hotel room.
• Lady Gisela had a shadowflux tracker placed in Keefe's chest.
• Sophie spoke of "a ton of memories they'd found in Kenric's cache" and that they had found out "about something called Elysian."
• Sophie was asked by Vespera to form a temporary alliance against Keefe's mom.
• Sophie didn't agree to the alliance, but they are going to find Elysian on their own.  Wylie is trying to find the starstone.  They mention the rocks being a power source.

Here are my thoughts after my third reading of the book.

I feel like Alvar is genuinely trying to help Keefe.  He seems to really care about Keefe and wants to help him overcome his problems.  He gives Keefe great suggestions and truly supports him.  I feel like Alvar is being genuine.  I really do.  However...

Page 245  "Well, it's kind of pointless to speculate, but... I guess it would depend on how they tried to force me.  I'm not great with physical punishments."

This quote is important and foreshadows what will likely happen.  Lady Gisela has probably been checking up on Keefe daily with her Eleventh hour tracker and may even have followed him around.  She could very well know that Alvar has been with Keefe in the Forbidden Cities.  In fact, she almost certainly does know.  She will most likely take Alvar captive and torture him into doing what she wants.

I have a different perspective now on why Alvar says that he can't ever remember Ethan's name.  I don't think Alvar ever met Ethan.  Even though Alvar says that Keefe was a last-minute replacement on that day, that can't be true.  Keefe went to Ethan's house at least three times.  I'll detail how we know this in my post about Eleanor.  

If Alvar never delivered anything to Ethan's house, then he would have never met him.  He wouldn't be as likely to remember Ethan's name.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories