The Terrifying Tales of Vivian Vance

Gr 7 Up–Urban legends and nightmarish creatures will know the name of the fearless Vivian Vance! Raised on fairy tales and stories much like any other kid, Vivian wants to turn the tales her father read to her as a child into a career as a detective investigating the supernatural. Honing her skills by doing small jobs for the kids at school, Vivian is known for always being able to solve the case. While tracking a stolen baseball into The Pillars, a dark neighborhood located under the highway, she comes across her first story-made-flesh—a skin-taker—but is thankfully rescued by a group of kids. This case goes deeper than she ever thought possible, and her new friends will stop at nothing to help expose the horrible creature. Ulrich has the beginnings of a series that could follow the paths set by previous young female sleuths like Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars. The art style is easy to follow, but also allows for shocking scenes reminiscent of the horror genre. Modern mystery fans have a new heroine to save them from the creatures that go bump in the night.