The Demon of River Heights (Nancy Drew Graphic Novels: Girl Detective #1) - Softcover

Petrucha, Stefan; Murase, Sho

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1597070009 ISBN 13: 9781597070003

Publisher: Papercutz, 2005

Synopsis

Everyone's favorite girl detective makes her graphic novel debut!

An all-new series of full-color Nancy Drew graphic novels, with all-new comics stories based on the series by Carolyn Keene, starts right here! Join Nancy, along with Bess and George, as they search for missing student filmmakers and discover the deadly secret behind the local urban legend known as "The Demon of River Heights." Ages 8 to 12.

Papercutz is the exciting new graphic novel publisher that's building a huge following among the next generation of comics fans. Even the most reluctant readers are becoming addicted to the Papercutz approach of giving classic characters a modern makeover! Each Papercutz graphic novel features comics stories drawn in the style of the popular Japanese comics known as manga, and beautifully rendered with state of the art color. While educators rave about the high quality of the Papercutz writing and artwork, readers 8 and up are simply enjoying the great adventures found in each fun-filled volume. Be sure to check out other Papercutz titles such as The Hardy Boys, Zorro and Totally Spies.

About this title

From Booklist

Reviewed with Scott Lobdell's The Ocean of Osyria.

Gr. 4-6. 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. Carlos Orellana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-The latest incarnation of children's literature's most famous girl detective is this crisp, stylish graphic novel. Although fully updated with new stories; dark, edgy illustrations; and all the latest technological gadgets, the plot is drawn out in classic Carolyn Keene-style-all action at a brisk pace. Nancy tracks down two missing film students while uncovering a businessman's sinister plot to blow up a depleted iron mine. While investigating, she fights off a bear, gets lost in the woods, falls down a mineshaft, and reveals the identity of the Demon of River Heights, all without a scratch or a hair out of place. The sleuth's 21st-century makeover introduces traditional mysteries to the world of juvenile graphic novels, and is most welcome. Expect new titles in the series every three months.-Karen T. Bilton, Somerset County Library, Bridgewater, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Papercutz
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1597070009
• ISBN 13: 9781597070003
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96