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Rating: 
Summary: An Average Book
Review: Hi guys! This is my all time fav book and I am a 36 year old woman! I have loved the Hardy Boys for years and own quite an extensive collection of them. I like all the Characters but for some reason I am drawn to Joe as my very favorite in the gang. Hey mabey it was because I had a mad crush on Shaun Cassidy who starred as Joe on the TV show hmmm? anyway, I have read Both versions of "what Happend At Midnight" and enjoy rereading them often. Plus I am a nanny and have tried to expose"My babysitter Kids" to the Hardy Boys Mysteries. I will continue to collect and read the books as long as possible and I am not ashamed to admit to that. Thanks F.W.D.!
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Summary: My boys beg for these books!
Review: I have never seen my two youngest boys, ages 10 and 12 so eager to pick up a book. They take them everywhere and share them with their classmates. Also, they cannot wait to finish a chapter so they can tell me all about it. Amazing reading. Thank you Franklin W. Dixon!!
Rating:
Summary: the amazing book
Review: The odd thing about this book is that all the action occurs at the stroke of twelve midnight. The book starts with the Hardys breaking into a house, with Mr. Hardy's permission! They take a top-secret invention to hide for the owner. This is when the action begins. Then while at a party, Iola spots someone snopping around the brothers' car. When Joe goes after him, he ends up being kidnapped. Follow the adventure as Frank tries to find his brother and crack the case! This is one of my personal favorites!
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Summary: This review is for the original text version by Applewood.
Review: The Plot: Bayport's got one of those new-fangled Automats and Chet Morton (who else?) brings the Boys and the rest of the gang down to sample it's culinary treats. The lads engage in some "innocent" horseplay with some farmboys from Crabb Corners and Joe stumbles into a large, blond man (Chris) who becomes enraged and makes a scene that the manager of the Automat is forced to break up. Shortly thereafter, more "innocent" horseplay with the same farmboys causes Joe to stumble into the same guy again, causing him to drop his package, which breaks open in the gutter. Doubly enraged now, the man threatens Joe and only the intervention of Frank prevents a nasty street brawl. That night, the Boys and the rest of the gang attend a party at the Morton farm. Joe and Iola go for a stroll and, at the stroke of midnight, Joe gets abducted! Their chums suspect a practical joke by the Crabb Corners crew, Frank doesn't agree and they conduct a search. When Joe doesn't turn up by the next morning, Frank is forced to tell his mother.... The end --- hey wait a minute! It's only Chapter 11!... Comments: This isn't a bad story but, for a number of reasons, it's never been a favorite of mine. For one thing, Leslie McFarlane seems to be pandering to his audience here. The "innocent horseplay" that is so glibly dismissed as youthful hijinks in the first two chapters is only slightly short of criminal behavior and certainly is not what we expect of our heroes or their chums. And how about that party at Chet's for 15 to 17 year olds that goes on until 2 AM, complete with orchestra and in the middle of the greatest economic depression in the country's history? For another thing, Aunt Gertrude is at her obnoxious, overbearing worst in this story. For whatever other faults the villian Chris may have had, one can only admire his audacity for standing up to the old hag. Just once I'd like to see perennial jellyfish Laura Hardy get enough gumption to stand up to Gertie and say something along the lines of "Gertrude, you old battle axe, this is my house and these are my boys, so kindly shut up and mind your own business if you wish to continue sponging off us!" but, alas, Laura has never said a word. Another odd thing is the complete absence of Fenton, who is out west on a case. Not a word from him or to him, even when Joe is kidnapped! I kept expecting him to show up and somehow tie his current case into the plot but he never did. Instead, those two dopey government agents show up for the climax. It would have been just as easy to tie Fenton into the plot, so why use those two dopes at all?.... We also discover another Hardy relative, a "Cousin Hattie" of Gresham. Just who she is related to is open for speculation but it is Gertie who refers to her as cousin. We also learn the Gertie is 65 years of age, which has to make her Fenton's elder, if not eldest, sister. The one part of the story I particularly enjoyed was the Boys' trip to the city. Their adventures there are plausible and well written. The recounting of their trek back to Bayport (sleeping in Central Park, taking trollies etc.) lends an air of authenticity to the story. Rating: B- Originally reviewed by me in my Bayport Times Issue #23
Rating:
Summary: the amazing book
Review: This book is about a secret invention that has to be taken good care of while Mr.Hardy and the inventor are out of town. While the hardy boys are protecting it throughout the book ,many things happen and happen to them. Then finally near the end they arest people of the smuggler/kidnapper gang and get a clue as they go along.Read it and find out what happens in the end.my opinion about the book is that it is very interesting and entertaining. I like it because as you go along it gives you a clue and makes you think like a investagator. Then in the end it all comes together and you get the whole meaning of everything.
Rating:
Summary: An Average Book
Review: This review concerns the original 1931 edition. At the stroke of midnight, Joe is kidnapped from a party at the Morton farm and Frank and his chums set out, not only to find Joe, but to discover why he was kidnapped. I'd more accurately give the book a rating of 3.5 stars. The writing, like with all previous volumes, is excellent and the mystery is alright, but the book doesn't quite live up to the intriguing title. Mr. Hardy does not make an appearance in the book as he is said to be on a case out West and, in my opinion, his omission only hurts the story. Most readers would probably not rate this book as one of their favorites in the set, but they probably wouldn't rate it as one of their least favorites either.
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Summary: Better Than The Original Edition
Review: This review concerns the revised 1967 edition. Mr. Hardy asks Frank and Joe to "break into" the house of a neighbour and retrieve a secret invention to prevent it from being stolen by a gang of thieves he is currently investigating. Later, at a party at Chet's home, Joe is kidnapped at the stroke of midnight. Frank, along with some friends, must find Joe and learn why he was kidnapped; as well, the Hardy's have to keep the gang from stealing the invention. Personally, I preferred this edition to the original. The original edition was better written; although, that is true in most cases. However, I found that revised edition had a more interesting mystery and it had a lot more action. I don't consider this book to be one of the best of the series, but it is far from being one of the worst.
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