Nancy and her friends Bess and George take part in the filming of a movie by a couple of film students from the nearby university. When rumors that her father looses and client and those two film students turn up missing suspicions arise. From an incident with a wild animal and an incident with people who should be considered wild animals Nancy Drew is kept on her toes in this mystery, but, true to form she always catches her criminals.
Bibliographic Citation:
Petrucha, S. (2005). Nancy Drew graphic novel: The demon of river heights. New York, NY: Papercutz.
My Impression:
I chose to read this book because growing up I loved all Nancy Drew books. That being said, because this was one of my first graphic novels this book was a little different to me. There were things I liked and didn't like, but I need to say up front that I am somewhat of a traditionalist. The format of the story was hard for me to follow and it took at least ten pages for me to figure out which bubble to read first. I got lost in the images and while I could somewhat follow by just the illustrations the words were absolutely necessary for me as a reader. The mystery and the characters (for the most part) were very similar to the original characters and I appreciated that as a Nancy Drew fan. I would only recommend this book to a graphic novel fan or a reader who wasn't a fan of the Nancy Drew series because I think my loyalty to the original got in the way of my enjoyment.
Reviews:
Reviewed with Scott Lobdell's The Ocean of Osyria. These graphic-novel-style versions of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew adventures will appeal to young graphic-novel fans as well as readers new to the venerable amateur sleuths. The pocket-size books, first in their respective series, are appealingly presented. The manga-influenced art is very colorful, and the brisk pacing, with just a few frames per page, makes for an easy read--perfect for reluctant readers. In The Ocean, those well-mannered Hardy boys, Joe and Frank (reimagined as tech-savvy crime solvers), return to fight a new generation of foes, the majority of whom appear to be Middle Eastern and French. Here, the young sleuths travel around the world in an attempt to recover a stolen artifact and save their best friend, who has been framed for the theft. Although this is a modernized version of the classic capers, with the Internet and cell phones playing key roles, the wholesomeness of the boys' principles remains the same. In The Demon, Nancy, the classic American teenage heroine, manages to solve cases that baffle local police. This time she becomes involved in a student film about a local monster legend, which may turn out to be real, and a suspicious stranger arrives in town. For the most part, the artwork is crisp enough, but several pages appear to be substandard reproductions of original art. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2005, Papercutz, $7.95. Gr. 4-6.
Carlos Orellana (Booklist, May 15, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 18))
How to use this book in your library:
Graphic novels are an excellent way to get kids reading but they are also an excellent way to get kids writing and drawing. Mysteries are always exciting and I would pair this graphic novel mystery with an introduction on the art of comics and making your own graphic novels. There is a great site produced by Scholastic with instructions on making your own graphic novel and what fun it would be with students!
http://www.scholastic.com/amulet/makeyourown/
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