When a final summer fishing trip lures four friends into the fog, they discover that the river’s murky depths hide something far more dangerous than a big catch.
Florida-based author and illustrator Michael Regina delivers Deepwater Creek, a standalone graphic novel that blends middle-grade horror with a coming-of-age adventure. The story follows brothers Wade and Andrew as they embark on one last fishing trip before the school year separates them. Along with their friends Camilla and Tommy, the group drifts into a dense fog where Andrew hooks something that is definitely not a fish. After a near-drowning incident, Andrew returns home withdrawn and haunted by the encounter. Convinced that a recent hurricane has disturbed a river monster, the four friends band together on a risky quest to find proof and stop the beast before it causes harm.
For classroom libraries serving students who need high-interest content without the barrier of dense prose, this title is a strong fit. The horror elements actively engage reluctant readers, while the graphic novel format supports comprehension through visual context. Regina’s full-color watercolor illustrations greatly aid comprehension here; they clearly convey the eerie mood and character emotions, allowing students to track the plot even if they stumble on specific vocabulary like “murky” or “hurricane.” While the text primarily uses simple and compound sentences, it introduces complex structures during high-tension moments—such as describing the fog creeping over the creek—which naturally scaffolds reading stamina. The dialogue includes idioms such as “last hoorah” and “way over their heads,” but the accompanying artwork helps English learners decode these figurative phrases within the context of the scene. With accolades from School Library Journal highlighting its genuine scariness and emotional depth, this book offers a manageable yet thrilling experience for readers 8 to 12 years old who might otherwise shy away from text-heavy chapters.
