Captive Witness facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Carolyn Keene |
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| Cover artist | Ruth Sanderson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Nancy Drew stories |
| Genre | Detective, Mystery novel |
| Published | November 11, 1981 |
| Publisher | Wanderer Books |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 186 |
| Preceded by | The Twin Dilemma |
| Followed by | Mystery of the Winged Lion |
Captive Witness is the 64th book in the exciting Nancy Drew Stories series. It was first published in 1981. The book was written by Richard Ballard, but it was published under the name Carolyn Keene. This was a common practice for the Nancy Drew series. The first edition had a cover by Ruth Sanderson.
Contents
What the Story is About
Nancy Drew is on a student trip to Austria. She is with a group from Emerson College. Their trip leader, Professor Raymond Bagley, has a secret mission. He plans to help ten children, aged six to thirteen, escape from a country where people are not free to leave. These children need to reach their families in England, France, and the United States.
Another student, Eric Nagy, is also part of this secret mission. His thirteen-year-old cousin is one of the children. Eric uses a wheelchair because of an accident.
When the group arrives in Salzburg, their hotel rooms are gone! A rude man named Herr Gutterman offers them rooms at another hotel. Professor Bagley has no other choice but to accept.
At the hotel, Nancy also has a task from her father. A famous film director, Kurt Kessler, made a powerful movie called Captive Witness. This film shows how people are treated unfairly in his home country. But the film was stolen! The studio where the original film was kept also burned down. So, the stolen film is the only copy left. Kurt Kessler needs to show his film at a contest in five days. If Nancy cannot find it, his important work will not be seen by the world.
Nancy thinks the stolen film is in Vienna. The tour group won't get there for a few days. So, Nancy convinces her boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, to drive with her to Vienna. They can't find a rental car. Nancy then talks Herr Gutterman into taking them in his car.
As soon as they leave, Nancy realizes something is wrong. Herr Gutterman and his driver, Herr Burger, are kidnapping her and Ned! Herr Gutterman is the same person who tried to steal Professor Bagley's luggage earlier. They drive Nancy and Ned high into the Alps mountains. Herr Burger is a careless driver, and the car almost falls off a cliff!
Later, Gutterman and Burger stop at a small cabin in the Alps. They question Nancy. But Nancy quickly escapes and steals their car. The car can also go in water! Nancy and Ned drive it into a river that leads to a waterfall. They make it safely to Vienna.
Nancy tries to find the film but fails at first. She later meets Gutterman and sees half of the Captive Witness film. She returns to the hotel to meet Ned. Soon, the rest of the tour group arrives.
While they are eating lunch, a man tries to give Professor Bagley a message about the children. But before he can speak, he has a heart attack. As he is put into an ambulance, the man keeps looking at Eric. Nancy suddenly gets an idea! She takes apart Eric's wheelchair. Inside, she finds an envelope with information about how to get the children across the border.
Then, Nancy meets Emile Popov. He asks for help with the rescue mission. Two couples who were supposed to help have been arrested. The refugee group has no one else to send. Eric then reveals that he can actually walk!
Nancy creates a brave plan. She sends her friends on a fake mission to trick Gutterman. Nancy and Eric, with the help of Emile Popov and his wife, successfully rescue the children. Nancy then finds the stolen film, Captive Witness. It is shown at the film festival and wins first prize!
Behind the Scenes
Captive Witness was written by Richard Ballard. This means someone else wrote the book, but it was published under the name Carolyn Keene. Because the story is about secrets and spies in countries that were not very open (like those behind the "Iron Curtain"), some people think it might have been planned for The Hardy Boys series first.
In 2005, the publisher, Simon & Schuster, allowed this book and seven others to be printed again. They were released in a special hardcover edition. This was done to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Nancy Drew character. It also marked the 100th anniversary of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the company that created many popular book series.
Main Characters
- Nancy Drew: A smart and brave teenage detective.
- Ned Nickerson: Nancy's loyal boyfriend who helps her on adventures.
- Professor Raymond Bagley: The leader of the student tour. He secretly plans to rescue children.
- Eric Nagy: A student on the tour who is involved in the rescue mission. He has a secret about his ability to walk.
- Herr Adolph Gutterman: The rude villain who tries to stop the rescue and find Kurt Kessler's film.
- George Fayne: Nancy's best friend, who is adventurous and practical.
- Bess Marvin: Nancy's other best friend and George's cousin. She is often more cautious.
- Burt Eddleton: George's boyfriend and a student who helps Nancy.
- Dave Evans: Bess's boyfriend and a student who helps Nancy.
- Emile Popov: A man who helps Nancy and Eric with the rescue mission.
- Kurt Kessler: A film director who made an important movie about his home country.
- Herr Burger: Herr Gutterman's driver, who is not very careful.
Artwork in the Book
The first edition of Captive Witness had cover art by Ruth Sanderson. It also had six drawings inside the book by Paul Frame. This edition was published by Wanderer Books.
Later, the book was republished with new covers. In 1986, Wanderer released it with a cover by Hector Garrido. In 1990, Minstrel Books published it with a cover by Linda Thomas. These later versions did not include the internal drawings. Scholastic also released the book in 1981 under the title "Captive Witness Mystery," with different cover art by Kinuko Craft.
Video Game Adaptation
A video game called Nancy Drew: The Captive Curse is loosely based on this novel. It is the 24th game in the Nancy Drew point-and-click adventure game series by Her Interactive.
