Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Riverdale is SO last week! This week, Brenna and Joe are solving mysteries - with convenient expertise - in River Heights, as we both tackle our first ever Nancy Drew mystery in advance of the new CW series. Just to make things extra complicated, we're discussing the first two books by Carolyn Keene (The Secret of the Old Clock & The Hidden Staircase) as well as two movies - Andrew Fleming's Nancy Drew (2007) and Katt Shea's Nancy Drew  and the Hidden Staircase (2019).Up for discussion: how post-war American history contributed to changes in Nancy's characterization in the 30s and the late-50s, speculation about why the character has endured and some of the many challenges in modern attempts to adapt the teen sleuth for film and TV. Plus: the wild swings in tone of the 2007 film and the more successful, grounded characters in the 2019 version.In Homework: Joe excitedly introduces the news that Julie Murphy is writing a Faith adaptation, as well as the title of the new Suzanne Collins Hunger Games prequel.