The Demon of River Heights (Nancy Drew Graphic Novels: Girl Detective #1) Library Binding – January 1, 2006

This book was awesome because it was totally my type which is the thriller crazy action funny type. This book was amazing. When my parents told me it was time for bed, I put it under my pillow when they weren't looking but they found it.

Nancy Drew, The Demon of River Heights, is Volume 1 in the full color graphic novel series. Since it is a graphic novel the drawings are absolutely critical. In that department the book is outstanding. The drawings are a treat in and of themselves. Artist Sho Murase, with 3D CG elements by Rachel Ito, creates drawings that pull the reader into the panels in a compelling fashion. One example: pages showing Drew inside a half darkened room, interrupted as she paws through private items, have sunlight passing through the half closed blinds and crossing the apartment-scape and characters in an eye-catching fashion. The effect is mysterious and rather uneasy. Not at all unusual for this graphic novel. The artists really know their craft and put together a mysterious feel that is worth the price of the publication. As this is the heart of a graphic novel, 4 stars.Sadly, the story itself is insubstantial and in no way lives up to the drawings; however, it is interesting to a point. The story line tends to be predictable and has a definite formula feel. Nancy and her two friends are engaged in an investigation into mysterious goings on with an upstart amateur movie company. They quickly encounter villains and danger without even trying. Ms Drew personally narrates the story and her friends somehow come to the rescue when the plot closes on Nancy's worst dilemma. So what else is new? Doesn't every mystery novel follow this path? Every 10 year old will recognize where this is headed even though the personal narrative keeps the reader in the dark as to what the friends are doing (only in the final instance however; up till then Nancy effectively tells us what the friends are up to even though she is not present when the events occur).Critically, The Demon of River Heights fails to show Nancy as especially bright. She is more tenacious and lucky than smart. This is the only Nancy Drew graphic novel I have read so I cannot tell if other novels in the series suffer from the same flaw. I think the author has dramatically underestimated the aptitude of the teen reader. Even the old Nancy Drew movies, black and white as they were, displayed Nancy as especially intelligent as well as bold. In The Demon of River Heights we find a bold Nancy Drew, ready to investigate the smallest clue, but she does not come off as super intelligent. That is a major difference in the "old" Nancy and this graphic adaptation. The old Nancy was smart almost beyond belief. This Nancy is pretty normal in the brainpower department.In my opinion the major appeal of Nancy Drew was her intelligence quotient. By failing in that area the writer has failed entirely. The artists alone make this volume worth buying, but they do their job so well I can recommend the book without hesitation.AD2

I loved Nancy Drew books when I was young and now my daughter does too. It gives us common ground. Plus, she loves that it's in comic style. More pictures, more fun.

I purchased this book for my daughter so she can have fun with the story while reading. This book is really easy for my daughter to read and understand.

This was an okay story, though the art isn't great. The characters all looked pretty similar. I won't be continuing on with the series.

Luna liked these books very much.

"The Demon of River Heights" is the first installment in the lastest reincarnaton of Nancy Drew, girl detective. This version takes the form of a graphic novel with rather dramatic comic book style artwork. Nancy Drew, her best friends Bess and Georgina, boyfriend Ned, and father Carson Drew have been reimagined into the 21st century. High tech gear plays its part in the story.The new series advertises itself as based on the original series by Carolyn Keene. The plot presented here is a new one, in which two art students are making a movie in River Heights based on an urban myth about a local demon. There is of course a mystery behind the movie, that plays itself out in a series of scary encounters with unexpected creatures. The story line is fast-paced and features Nancy's usual sleuthing skills and her talent for getting into trouble. The content is entirely safe for grade-school readers."The Demon of River Heights" is meant to appeal to the latest generation of Nancy Drew's young fans, and is recommended to that audience.

I read this book aloud for my tween boys. I felt a graphic novel was the only possible way to introduce them to Nancy Drew, a character I grew up with. We liked the story, although it didn't really grab my boys until the final chapter.I've read other graphic novels aloud, and it can be hard to keep the flow when there are too many textless drawings that you need to study in order to see what the point is. This Nancy Drew graphic novel was NOT a problem in that respect.The thing I liked least about the book was the illustrations. The girls wear tight clothes -- in fact, in a tan shirt, Nancy actually looked naked!Alot of the action takes place at night, so the illustrations are not only dark but the colors are also distorted. For example, a blonde has blue or green hair in some of the pictures. In another picture, Nancy steps on some rocks which look more like large blueberries.

I bought this for my 8 year old god daughter after her mother told me she was trying to encourage her to read more. She loved it and now wants to collect the whole series.... mission accomplished!