no, my thesis is not available online as far as I know, unless my university library did something like that with it after I left!

I actually highly recommend Melanie Rehak’s book on the subject. It is in many ways a much more comprehensive examination of the topic than my thesis. Rehak’s book is called Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, and I referenced it heavily throughout my introductory chapter. The book gives a very clear view of the sort of people who shaped Nancy, and as a result it becomes easier to understand (though not laud) the reasons such disgusting stereotypes found their way into the books.

When it comes to fiesty heroines in pre-war girls’ series, Judy Bolton is a hands-down favourite of mine. In all the JB books I have read (admittedly I have not read them all) there were no offensive portrayals of other races, and she is actually a thinking, caring character who faces a much more realistic growth and evolution of her personality than Nancy ever did (and I say this as a die-hard devotee of Nancy Drew!) There are still certain gender stereotypes present but they number very few, and are so concrete that I consider this a mark in the books’ favour because it provides a jumping-off point for discussion with young readers (eg. “why do you think Judy believed a girl could not expect to have a job as a detective, especially when she was so good at being a detective herself?”) whereas the Nancy books presented such concepts in deed rather than word, and don’t really give any discussion topics to grab onto.

Trixie Belden is another great option for fans of books featuring girl sleuths; I met both Trixie and Nancy when I was in first grade and digging through a box of books that had belonged to my mother. I’ve not been able to let go since!