Nancy, Ned, Bess and George hunt for a young boy who is missing and also for a missing stone artifact that may prove that the Chinese arrived in America before Columbus.

Summary: This is Nancy Drew (that I grew up with) but updated with the use of technology and other more modern details. This book was about a boy that brought forth a really neat archeological artifact that might have proven that the Chinese were in america long before Columbus was. Nancy gets involved because she wants him to sell the artifact, and the boy ends up going missing, and so did the artifact. By the end, the criminals confessed and the artifact was retrieved.
Review: This was a fun read! Man, i used to love these back in the day. This is a good pass time book- I am not sure I would use it as a teaching tool in the classroom, but I would definitely have it available in a reading corner for kids to check out and take home or read on their breaks. One of the best things about these stories is that it draws you in and keeps you in because you want to figure out the mystery! ( )

Nancy Drew is babysitting Owen when a thunderstorm hits River Heights. As a result, a truck jackknifes and a SUV crashes into the truck. Just so happens, this accident happened near Nancy’s charge’s home. Charlie Adams, a tow truck driver and good friend of Nancy’s, calls in a favor of Nancy: he wants to bring the SUV driver by because he has precious cargo that he refuses to part with.

When Charlie arrives with Professor David Severe, an archeologist, he informs Nancy he has proof the Chinese were in America prior to Christopher Columbus. He shows her the artifact (or a “rock” as Owen calls it) and shares its history. Nancy asks Professor Severe to tell his findings at the museum fund raiser. He agrees.

The night of the fund raiser, the professor begins talking about his research and just when he’s about to show the artifact, he realizes it’s missing! And that’s not the only thing that is missing. Owen is missing too. Immediately Nancy is on the case hunting down clues. The first clue leads her to the museum security guard. Did he steal this “rock”? And if so, why? Nancy is determined to find the answers to these questions.

Like book one of this series, the mystery is light and Nancy does a fantastic job with solving the case. I have to say though, I love how the criminals just confess EVERYTHING to her prior to the police showing up. What is it about Nancy that just makes them want to talk??

Yes these graphic novels are not the Nancy Drew I grew up with. I do have to admit, though, I am enjoying them and for now will continue with the series. ( )

Nancy Drew solves the mystery of a missing boy and archaeological artifact. In this manga-influenced re-imagining of Nancy Drew, the River Heights detective stumbles into historical fraud when a visiting professor claims to have proof of Pre-Columbian cross-cultural contact with the Americas. When the mysterious disappearance of the artifact coincides with the disappearance of a local boy, Nancy must race to find both before someone ends up hurt! An engaging plot that draws on interesting academic theories but simplifies it to fit the high-low reader aspect of the graphic novel. A poor substitute for the classic series of novels, but this graphic novel series may act as a good gateway to full Nancy Drew novels for reluctant readers, but the plot merits less praise than the interesting illustrations. The artwork attempts to keep the focus on the characters by washing out the backgrounds so they take on the patina of a blurry snapshot. The indistinct settings are offset by CG elements that add an edge to the action scenes. For the price and quality, school librarians could better spend their money elsewhere, although I would consider buying this for public libraries. ( )