Interesting version of the classic Hardy Boys as a graphic novel in 2005. Overall, the original series from the 1920s and 1930s were much better but I did enjoy this version! ( )

The Ocean of Osyria is the first of the Hardy Boys graphic novels. It is a fictional novel written by Scott Lordell and illustrated by Daniel Rendon. Joe and Frank Hardy are teenage boys whose dad is one of the most respected private detectives in the world. They are normal teenagers who go to school every day, but they take any opportunity they can to do a good deed for someone else.

In The Ocean of Osyria, Joe and Frank's best friend Chet finds himself in jail because someone used his account on an online bidding site to sale the Ocean of Osyria, which had been stolen. Joe and Frank are determined to prove their friend's innocence. They meet with Agent Magnum from the D.I.S., and he agrees to let Chet free if the Hardy boys find the Ocean of Osyria. The boys, along with their girlfriends Callie and and Iola, embark on an adventure through Osyria and France in a attempt to find the national treasure and to clear Chet's name.

I thought the book was just alright. The beginning seemed very slow and difficult to get into. There also seemed to be some scenes that didn't really have anything to do with the main point of the story. For example, there is a short scene of the boys in gym that's one page long that shows Joe picking one of the non-athletic guys for his basketball team in P.E. I just felt like this disrupted the story. One good thing about the book is that the author encourages readers to help their friends when they are in need. The Hardy boys knew Chet was innocent, so they wanted to help him out. I think this is a good lesson for adolescents who read this book. They should learn to be selfless and help those around them. Even though it seems very unrelated, the Hardy boys caring and giving personalities reminded me of The Giving Tree. In that book, the tree keeps giving and giving to the boy and expects nothing in return. That seems to be the attitude that the Hardy boys have. We might not all have to go to such a large extent to help out someone else as the Hardy boys did, but I think it's important to be mindful of those who are in need of a helping hand. This book teaches this in a more exciting way than normal.

- One concern I have with the book is that it may be difficult for some students to follow. There were some parts that confused me, so if a struggling reader were to read it, it might pose some problems for them. It would probably be better if students read it with a partner or in a group to prevent any kind of confusion.
- An idea I have for this book is for students work in groups to create a scene that they think might happen after the story ends. With the way the story ends, it leaves the reader wanting to know more, so the students could use their imagination to come up with their own addition to the story.

This book did start out somewhat slow, but once I got further into it, it did get more enjoyable. I think boys would enjoy it more because of the adventure that it offers. It is a great book to teach students about helping others, and it does it in a way that students will actually enjoy reading about. Even though this wasn't my favorite book, it did have great pictures and I great message, and I think there are some students who would really enjoy it. I don't think I would read this book together with the whole class, but I would make it available to my students in case they wanted to read it independently. ( )