on>
MISSING MILLIE BENSON
The Secret Case of the Nancy Drew Ghostwriter and Journalist
MISSING MILLIE BENSON
By
Julie K. Rubini
BIOGRAPHIES FOR YOUNG READERS
Ohio University Press
Athens
Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio 45701
© 2015 by Ohio University Press
All rights reserved
To obtain permission to quote, reprint, or otherwise reproduce or distribute material from Ohio University Press publications, please contact our rights and permissions department at (740) 593-1154 or (740) 593-4536 (fax)
Printed in the United States of America
Ohio University Press books are printed on acid-free paper
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 5 4 3 2 1
Frontispiece: Mildred A. Wirt. From the private collection of the Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson family.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
available upon request.
Contents
The First Clue. Ghostwriter Reappears
The Case of the Missing Ghostwriter
The Second Clue. Little Ladora Girl with Big Dreams
The Case of the Wandering Feet
The Case of the Developing Writer
The Fifth Clue. New Name, New Character, New Beginning
The Case of the Young Detective
The Seventh Clue. Different Characters/Similar Lives
The Case of the Prolific Writer
The Eighth Clue. Sad Loss & New Beginning
The Case of the Budding Journalist
The Case of the Flying Reporter
The Final Clues. The Nancy Drew Conference, Recognition & Legacy
Millie’s Chronological List of Works
Author’s Note
THE BOOKCASE is long gone. So too are the books that used to sit on its shelves. Their disappearance is a mystery to me. The yellow bindings beckoned me with their intriguing titles: The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery.
My collection was not large. I was raised in a family with six children, and my father’s was the only income. A purchased book was a rare gift. The bookmobile that arrived weekly near my home provided the solution in my quest to read about Nancy Drew’s latest adventures.
I would pedal my banana-seat bike over the hot tar-covered road, with the basket carrying what I had read the week prior. I couldn’t get to the library on wheels fast enough. I’d scan the shelves from floor to ceiling, hoping for a new work by Carolyn
