Graphic Novel Review: NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW #2: SECRET SAND SLEUTHS

NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW is a graphic novel series from publisher Papercutz turns back the clock and modernizes Nancy Drew and her friends by setting them in a modern setting as elementary school students. In this story, NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW #2: SECRET SAND SLEUTHS, Nancy and her classmates are on a field trip to the Modern Museum of Art. Nancy is really excited to see a Buddhist monk finish a sand picture he’s been working on for a month called a “mandala”. However, after arriving at the museum, Nancy and her friends discover that the exhibit is closed because the mandala has been damaged and no one knows how are why. So, Nancy and her friends Bess Marvin and George Fayne (the Clue Crew) set out to solve the mystery. I’m not sure why Nancy Drew needed to be updated in such a post-modern way. However, the biggest thing about the story that I didn’t understand was this: why is a Buddhist monk making sand art in a Modern Museum of Art?  A regular museum I could understand or a museum dedicated to both folk and contemporary art I could understand. But I just don’t understand why he’s at a modern museum of art: there’s not much about it that seems very modern to me. Anyway, the illustrations are drawn in a style similar to comics such as "Archie." NANCY DREW AND THE CLUE CREW #2: SECRET SAND SLEUTHS is aimed at young girls. The story isn't as interesting as the original Nancy Drew books, but it might inspire really young female readers to seek out the original series.