Like Twilight? Then Try These Books!

The Summoning
by Kelley Armstrong
Published 2008 by HarperCollins

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My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost--and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

11/01/2008 School Library Journal

Gr 6 UpA well-written opening to a paranormal series. Chloe, 15, has the ability to see dead people, but before she can figure out what is happening, she has a breakdown, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and placed in a group home. She befriends some of the teens at Lyle House and tries to accept her treatment. However, two of her more mysterious housemates suggest that maybe she isn't crazy. Derek tells her to look up necromancy on the Internet, and she finds out that it's the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead. He appears to have superstrength, and his foster brother has magical powers. Chloe's roommate, who causes things to fly around the room when she becomes angry, is taken away to a hospital and never heard from again. When she returns in Chloe's visions, Chloe suspects foul play, a misgiving confirmed when the dead speak to her again and reveal that they were "supernaturals" who were experimented on, killed, and buried in the home's basement many years before. Together with her new friends, Chloe escapes Lyle House, only to be betrayed. This suspenseful novel sets up a secret underworld where some people support and help supernaturals, while others persecute them. Armstrong combines bits of horror, teen relationships, and a dash of mystery to create a page-turner. Readers will look forward to the next installment."Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Tithe: A Modern Faeire Tale
by Holly Black
Published 2002 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

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Briskly paced and teeming with angst-ridden teens and capricious fairy folk, this intricate and chilling modern-day fantasy--complete with peer rivalries, sinister seductions, dashing dark heroes, and romance--will keep readers enthralled until the very last page. Welcome tothe realm of very scary faeries!Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.Newcomer Holly Black's enormously powerful voice weaves teen angst, riveting romance, and capriciously diabolical faerie folk into an enthralling, engaging, altogether original reading experience.

Publishers Weekly 10/28/2002

Tripping the dark fantastic with newcomer Black means pixie dust may very well include blood spatter, sharp thorns and bits of broken glass. At the center of this edgy novel is Kaye Fierch, a 16-year-old "Asian blonde" who spends most of her time taking care of a would-be rock star mom. When her mom's latest boyfriend turns homicidal, they return to Gram's house at the New Jersey shore, where Kaye hooks up with childhood friend Janet and her gay brother, Corny Stone. Stark images ripple through the third-person narrative, offering clues to Kaye's internal state (e.g., "She loved the serene brutality of the ocean"). A covert sexual overture from Janet's boyfriend precedes Kaye's nighttime encounter at the edge of the woods, where she meets and rescues Roiben, a mysterious Black Knight with silver hair. Throughout, the author subtly connects Kaye's awakening sexual feelings in the real world and Roiben's sudden appearances. Kaye soon discovers that she is a changeling-and that her one-time "imaginary" faerie playmates want her to pretend to be a human, so they can use her as the Tithe ("the sacrifice of a beautiful and talented mortal") to earn their freedom for seven years. The author's Bosch-like descriptions of the Unseelie Court, with its Rackham-on-acid denizens, and the exquisite faeries haunt as well as charm. When fate intervenes, sudden tragedy teaches Kaye about the high cost of straddling the faerie and human worlds (and sets the stage for a possible sequel). A gripping read. Ages 12-up.

10/01/2002 School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Kaye is 16 when she finally learns why she's such a strange young woman: she's a changeling pixie under a spell. A move home to the New Jersey shore brings her back in touch with her childhood friends, the solitary fey, who want to end their servitude to the higher-born faeries by foiling the sacrifice of human blood known as the Tithe. Kaye offers to masquerade as a human for the Tithe and is swept into a complicated net of politics and treason between two rival courts of faeries. Grim scenes from Kaye's life in the human world pile up at the beginning of the story in what initially seems a gratuitous manner (her mother is almost stabbed by her current boyfriend, Kaye steals for thrills, a new acquaintance tries to rape her), but the details all have explanations later on in the equally grim world of the faeries. The plot moves quickly, and the secondary characters are appealing, if not always entirely believable. Occasional awkward changes in point of view won't discourage readers who enjoy dark, edgy fantasy. However, the excessive use of obscenities adds little to character development. Thegreatest strength of the story lies in the settings, particularly the descriptions of the debased Unseelie Court.-Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Writ on Water
by Melanie Jackson
Published 2007 by Love Spell

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Jacket Notes:

A woman who dreams of an imminent murder can trust no one--not her kindly employer nor his sexy son, not the visions that dominate her mind, and certainly not her heart. Original.

Bloodline
by Kate Cary
Published 2005 by Sleuth RazorBill

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It's been 35 years since the demise of Dracula. When 19-year-old John Shaw returns from fighting in World War I, he is haunted by nightmares--not only of the ravages of war, but of the brutal, almost superhuman feats of his commander, Quincey Harker.

09/01/2005 School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up -This story is an interesting blend of mystery, horror, and romance, and readers who love vampire novels will find it a refreshing twist to the classic story. Mary Seward recognizes the patient who has just been brought into the Purfleet sanatorium. It is Lt. John Shaw, who lives in the mansion near the hospital along with his sister Lily. Hoping to help him, Mary begins to read his diary, written during his tenure in the trenches in France during the Great War. John describes his encounters with a Captain Quincey Harker, a brave but -bloodthirsty - leader. Lily meets Captain Harker during one of her visits, they fall in love, and he takes her home to Romania to be married. However, Quincey is the son of Count Tepes and Mina Harker, and he has taken Lily to Dracula's Castle to fulfill the family's destiny. Lily and John are also connected to Count Tepes, as John is the son of Count Tepes and Rosemary Shaw. As the wedding day draws near, the full story of the family is revealed. Lily is faced with a dilemma -to live forever as a vampire or to end it all. Written in diary format with excerpts from each main character, this novel continues the saga of Count Dracula with a new generation. Each character is fully realized, as are the environs that surround them. Although readers know that something binds the characters together, the author maintains suspense until the end. " -Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL" Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Chosen
by P C Cast
Published 2008 by St. Martin's Griffin

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Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird's adventures at the school take a mysterious turn, in this third installment in the beguiling, supernatural ("Romantic Times") series. Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird's adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this "highly addictive series" ("Romantic Times"), in which Zoey's mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn't have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having "three "boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster. Just when it seems things couldn't get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey's horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth...

10/01/2008 School Library Journal

Gr 10 UpThis installment picks up exactly where "Betrayed" (St. Martin's, 2007) left off. Zoey Redbird, leader of the Dark Daughters and vampyre fledgling extraordinaire, has discovered some mysterious and disturbing events occurring at her vampyre finishing school. Her ex-roommate and best friend, Stevie Rae, is "undead" and only due to Zoey's love and belief that she still possesses some humanity has Stevie Rae not become a true monster. Zoey must quickly find a way to reverse what has been done to her before it is too late. To complicate matters, Zoey is forced to keep this a secret from her friends and has been betrayed by her mentor and advisor, Neferet. Zoey knows that Neferet is behind the creation of these "undead" creatures and is not at all what she seems. For help, she turns to her rival, Aphrodite, who becomes her confidante and partner in crime. Horror strikes the House of Night when two professors end up brutally murdered. Cast takes the series up a notch with this installment, and readers will be on the edge of their seats waiting for its continuation. This book is a must for any library with a vampire followingbut it does contain explicit language and sexual situations."Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

High School Bites
by Liza Conrad
Published 2006 by New American Library

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Jacket Notes:

Lucy Hellenberg is not your typical Pacific Cedar High student. Because in between hanging out with her friends, hating her hair and her math teacher, and trying to decide whether she should dump her on-again off-again boyfriend, she has to deal with a father who refuses to go outside and a house that bears way too much resemblance to the set of "The Munsters,"

And that's not all. Lucy has just discovered that she's a descendent of the lovely Lucy in Bram Stoker's Dracula-and that vampires really do exist (right here at Pacific Cedar High!). Now, she has to accessorize her homecoming dress with a necklace of garlic and learn how to drive while driving away vampires-without becoming their next victim.

Revelations
by Melissa de La Cruz
Published 2008 by Hyperion Books for Children

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Jacket Notes:

"Have you ever wondered what secrets lurk behind the closed doors of New York City's wealthiest families? They're powerful, they're famous... they're undead."

Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called into question-is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force.

When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by Silver Bloods in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods will need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high; the battle is bloody; and through it all, Carnavale rages on. And in the end, one vampire's secret identity will be exposed in a revelation that shocks "everyone."

Blood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klause
Published 1997 by Delacorte Press

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Jacket Notes:

In "Blood and Chocolate", Annette Curtis Klause does for werewolves what Anne Rice has done for vampires.

Sixteen-year-old Vivian Gandillon is trying to fit in to her new home in the suburbs. But trying to act "normal" isn't always easy, since Vivian and her family are werewolves. It's glorious to have the power to change, and Vivian is a beautiful "loup-garou" with all the young wolves howling for her. But she wants no part of her squabbling pack, left leaderless by her father's recent death.

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. If she reveals herself, will he relish the magic of her dual nature? When a brutal murder threatens the pack's survival, Vivian's divided loyalties are further strained. What is she really--human or beast?* "Klause's imagery is magnetic and her language fierce, rich, and beautiful... [a] powerful, unforgettable novel".

"--Booklist", starred

" [A] fierce, suspenseful chiller".

"--Kirkus Reviews"

"...as addictive as chocolate".

"--Publishers Weekly"

Publishers Weekly 05/27/1997

Sixteen-year-old Vivian isn't fiction's most likable heroine, and not only because she's a werewolf. She's preoccupied with admiring her own "full breasts, small waist [and] tawny hair." She's viciously competitive with other girls, gloating, "Look at me.... I've got him. You don't. Too bad." Her pack, temporary leaderless and dislocated after the death of her father, is living in some low-rent Maryland suburbs. Expected to mate with one of the rowdy, blood-hungry werewolves her own age, Vivian rejects them as well as 24-year-old Gabriel, who flirts with her aggressively as he prepares to assume leadership of the pack. Instead, she nourishes a crush on a "meat boy" (human) from school, a retro-hippie poet-type who professes a yen for the supernatural. With the darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling that gave such luster to The Silver Kiss, Klause lures readers into the politics of the pack, their forbidden desire for human flesh and the coming of age of their future queen. Though some readers may be alienated by Vivian's self-absorption, and others shocked by her eventual union with Gabriel, most will find this sometimes bloody tale as addictive as chocolate. Ages 14-up.

12/01/1997 School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up--In the thick of her pack's leadership struggle, a 16-year-old werewolf complicates matters by falling for a human "meat-boy." A provocative exploration of a young woman's psyche in the flesh and "in her pelt."

Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead
Published 2007 by Sleuth RazorBill

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St. Vladimiras Academy isnat just any boarding schoolaitas a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. Theyave been on the run, but now theyare being dragged back to St. Vladimirasathe very place where theyare most in danger. . . . Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academyas ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoiathe worldas fiercest and most dangerous vampiresamake Lissa one of them forever.

12/01/2007 School Library Journal

Gr 9 UpLissa and Rose, both 17, have a special bond, as is fitting for a vampire princess and her guardian-in-training, but theirs is closer than most. Lissa is Moroia race of living vampires that is persecuted by the deadly Strigoi, undead vampires that feed from and kill Lissa's kind. Rose is a dhampira half-vampire-half-human whose role is to guard the Moroi, at a time when both races are dwindling. "Vampire" opens with the girls on the lam from Montana's St. Vladimir's Academy. Lissa's power to heal is extremely rare and can drive one to madness. At the warning of a teacher, the pair run before Academy elders can take Lissa away to prevent her self-destruction. Through flashbacks and discussions between the girls, readers learn that while living among humans for two years, the Moroi teen illicitly sated her need for blood by feeding from Rose instead of from human donors. When the girls are caught and returned, they are watched closely, while hiding what happened when they were away. They discover attractions to those they should not be involved with and fight against suspicion and sinister forces that want to abuse Lissa's gift. All the while, their priorities and loyalty to each other are tested in the face of danger. This truly engaging and believable novel is on a par with Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" books (Little, Brown), but is more risqué. Fans of Melissa de la Cruz's "Blue Bloods" books (Hyperion) will enjoy this work."Corinda J. Humphrey, Los Angeles Public Library" Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Vampire High
by Rees
Published 2003 by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

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Publishers Weekly 08/04/2003

Rees (Lightning Time) sinks his teeth into teenage satire with this witty and original vampire novel. The narrator, 15-year-old Cody Elliot, is rebelling against his family's move from California to New Sodom, Mass., mostly by failing at school. His parents transfer him to what they are told is a public magnet school, Vlad Dracul. With bold, almost hyperbolic humor, the author describes a lavish campus, impossibly erudite students (nearly all of whom are tall, pale and raven-haired) and ludicrously difficult assignments. As the title suggests, the school proves to be almost entirely populated by vampires (or "jenti," the term these vampires prefer), a premise Rees exploits with aplomb. Cody, along with the six other "gadje" (non-jenti) students, has been accepted only to fill out the state-required water polo team (jenti, of course, are deathly afraid of water), and no one cares about his schoolwork-he is to get automatic A's. Unlike his numbskull teammates and their sodden coach, however, Cody refuses to accept his free ride. Friendship with a bullied jenti and a tentative romantic interest in a jenti aristocrat prompt Cody to probe the boundaries of jenti/gadje relations, an effort which, in this author's hands, also translates to an exploration of classic teen tensions between wishing to belong and maintaining individuality. The resolution is marred by some oddities in narrative logic (suddenly vampires are related to selkies), but on balance the story is fluid and fun. Ages 12-up. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

11/01/2003 School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-When Cody Elliot's parents receive his less-than-stellar report card, they decide it's time for a change. His options are Our Lady of Perpetual Homework and Vlad Dracul Magnet School, so the choice, for Cody, is obvious. After his interview with the headmaster at Vlad and meeting Charon, the school's yellow-eyed wolf, Cody knows there is something decidedly different about this place. He also learns why he gets admitted: most of the students are vampires and they will die if they get wet. State standards require a water-polo team, so the school takes in gadge (non-vampire) students for the team. Cody makes fast friends with two classmates by defending one of them against bullies, but eventually the differences in their vampire status cause friction. By the end, however, Cody finds a simple solution to meeting the state standards, and everyone lives happily ever after. Rees has created a very familiar plot in a less-than-familiar setting. The school is well described down to the marble foyer and the librarian who can morph into a wolf to control unruly students and wayward mice. Characters are more caricatures than well-drawn individuals, but that may work to the book's advantage. Some students will relish the familiar plot line and people, and the vampire angle is sure to attract a few readers.-Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Vampire Kisses: The Beginning
by Ellen Schreiber
Published 2009 by Katherine Tegen Books

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Jacket Notes:

A new guy in town. Rumors of vampires. Dangerous first love. This is where it all begins. . . . The mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood empty for years. But one day it seems to be occupied, and its mysterious, handsome inhabitant Alexander Sterling becomes the source of much talk around town. Raven, a vampire-obsessed Goth-girl who has always considered herself an outsider in "Dullsville," is determined to uncover the truth surrounding the secretive Alexander. As she gets to know him, and their spark intensifies, Raven finds herself in some unanticipated situations. Can Alexander make her lifelong dream come true? But love always has its complications--especially when it can only be awakened at nightfall. The first three books in Ellen Schreiber's bestselling Vampire Kisses series capture the thrill of a most unusual romance.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance-Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem
by Seth Grahame-Smith
Published 2009 by Quirk Books

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"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton-and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers-and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

06/01/2009 School Library Journal

Adult/High SchoolAusten's England is overrun with "unmentionables." Etiquette and polite society still reign, but they do become strained when, for example, the ball at Netherfield is interrupted by an attack on the household staff. In this parody, Grahame-Smith maintains the structure and language of the original while strategically inserting zombies into the story. The surprise is how little changes. Elizabeth Bennett is still known for her beauty and intelligence. Here, she is also known for her expertise in the "deadly arts," abilities that only make her a less-desirable marriage partner. There is the constant physical peril that echoes the menace underlying the original. In addition to a life of homeless spinsterhood, the sisters fear having their brains eaten, or being bitten and turned into zombies themselves (a fate to which one character does unfortunately fall prey). The unmentionables also magnify the satirical aspects of the story. A few key arguments, such as the final confrontation between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine, become all-out brawls to the death. (Lady Catherine is famous for her fighting skills and army of ninjas.) And of course Darcy is a renowned swordsman, known for his gentlemanly ferocity. The concept alone is worth a chuckle. The undead are popular at the moment, and teens will be attracted to this clever version of a frequently assigned classic. However, they should be prepared for a somewhat slow read. The author has not accelerated the pace or created suspense in this mashup."Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Eighth Grade Bites
by Heather Brewer
Published 2008 by Speak

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Jacket Notes:

Vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school. Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: Heas being hunted by a vampire killer.

Zombie Blondes
by Brian James
Published 2008 by Feiwel & Friends

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Jacket Notes:

From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong.

A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah's first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders--the most popular girls in school.

The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale.

But Hannah wants desperately to fit in--regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn't watch her back, she's going to be blonde and popular and dead--just like all the other zombies in this town. . . .

Publishers Weekly 06/09/2008

Despite its surface resemblance to satires like Daniel Waterss recent "Generation Dead" (reviewed Apr. 21), Jamess ("Pure Sunshine") zombie novel plays its horror theme for chills, not laughs. Over the past six years, Hannah has gotten used to abrupt moves with her single father, a former cop who now stays barely a step ahead of the debt collectors. But when the two take up residence in tiny Maplecrest, Vt., Hannah soon realizes something isnt right. A clan of too-perfect blonde cheerleaders runs the high school, where the football team is known as the Death Squad. An outcast warns Hannah of the cheerleaders malevolence, and predicts, correctly, that they will court Hannah. Finding the promise of instant status too potent to resist forever, she eventually joins their team, only to learn the towns deadly secret. James does a wonderfully authentic job depicting the love-hate feelings Hannah has for her father, and Hannahs smart narrative voice largely compensates for the lack of action (the suspense doesnt kick in until the finale); the author is better at portraying the real-life aspects of high school and family dynamics than at sending shivers down the spine. Ages 12up. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

09/01/2008 School Library Journal

Gr 710It's not easy moving every few months, but after six years, there are some constants upon which 15-year-old Hannah can rely. The small-town cops will always uncover her father's past, the creditors will find them eventually, and the popular girls are always easy to spot. She knows the type: blond, pretty, athleticthe cheerleaders. Maplecrest is no different. They sit at a central table in the lunchroom, so alike they resemble clones. There is something almost inhuman about them, but that doesn't mean Hannah is willing to believe her new lunch-table friend, Lukas, when he says they're zombies. Nor is she willing to pass up the chance to join the cheerleading squad when asked, even as classmates are disappearing and the number of empty houses in town increases. James has created a believable novel about starting over, making friends, bullying, and ostracism, while adding a dash of the supernatural. However, with every part of the book screaming that the cheerleaders are, in fact, zombies, Hannah's continued refusal to see the truth becomes unbelievable. One almost begins to hope that they aren't zombies, and that Lukas is just a crazy kid making Hannah's adjustment that much harder. Though not really suspenseful, readers will still give a rousing cheer to James's take on teenage issues."Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

You Are So Undead to Me
by Stacey Jay
Published 2009 by Sleuth RazorBill

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Jacket Notes:

Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means sheas part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues. All Megan wants is to be normalaand go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, itas a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead. Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and itas looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of partyathe bloody kind. Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her lifeaand more importantly, homecomingadepends on it.

Love Is Hell
by Melissa Marr
Published 2008 by Harper Teen

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Jacket Notes:

In this new collection in the vein of "Prom Nights from Hell," some of today's hottest authors--Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Laurie Faria Stolarz, and Gabrielle Zevin--contribute stories of love gone supernaturally wrong. Sure, love is hell. But it, s totally worth it. In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers--Melissa Marr ("Wicked Lovely"), Scott Westerfeld ("Specials"), Justine Larbalestier ("Magic or Madness"), Gabrielle Zevin ("Elsewhere"), and Laurie Faria Stolarz ("Blue is for Nightmares")--love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all. From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

Publishers Weekly 11/17/2008

Supernatural romance is the well-chosen theme of five original stories by as many authors. After her family moves into a house where a boy was murdered, Laurie Faria Stolarzs protagonist finds herself falling in love with his ghost; Gabrielle Zevin introduces a high school student who may (or may not) be overidentifying with the book she is reading; and Scott Westerfeld looks into a future where hormonal balancers tamp down teen romances and bioframes obviate sleep and dreams. Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier reinterpret folklore conventions, Marr writing about selkies and Larbalestier about faeries. Theres enough variety to round out the central theme, and consistently supple storytelling will lure readers through all five entries. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the national nonprofit organization College Summit. Ages 14up. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

The Darkangel: The Darkangel Trilogy, Volume I
by Meredith Ann Pierce
Published 1998 by Graphia Books

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Jacket Notes:

The servant girl Aeriel must choose between destroying her vampire master for his evil deeds or saving him for the sake of his beauty and the spark of goodness she has seen in him. Meredith Ann Pierce wrote The Darkangel (Magic Carpet Books, 1998), her first novel, when she was just twenty-three. The Darkangel received the IRA Children's Book Award and was named an ALA Best of the Best Books 1970-1982 and a Notable Children's Book. Ms. Pierce lives in Gainesville, Florida.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
by Carrie Ryan
Published 2009 by Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

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Jacket Notes:

Mary lives in a small village governed by the religious Sisterhood and bordered with a fence to keep out the Unconsecrated--a horde of the undead. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future--between the one she loves and the one who loves her. In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future--between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Carrie Ryan lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can visit Carrie at www.carrieryan.com.

05/01/2009 School Library Journal

Gr 9 UpMary knows little about the past and why the world now contains two types of people: those in her village and the undead outside the fence, who prey upon the flesh of the living. The Sisters protect their village and provide for the continuance of the human race. After her mother is bitten and joins the Unconsecrated, Mary is sent to the Sisters to be prepared for marriage to her friend Harry. But then the fences are breached and the life she has known is gone forever. Mary; Harry; Travis, whom Mary loves but who is betrothed to her best friend; her brother and his wife; and an orphaned boy set out into the unknown to search for safety, answers to their questions, and a reason to go on living. In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel."Debra Banna, Sharon Public Library, MA" Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Generation Dead
by Daniel Waters
Published 2009 by Hyperion Books

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Jacket Notes:

Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He's strong and silent.and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn't want them.

The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the "differently biotic." But the students don't want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn't breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the "living impaired" from the people who want them to disappear-for good.

When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

A Certain Slant of Light
by Laura Whitcomb
Published 2005 by Graphia Books

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Jacket Notes:

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen--terrified, but intrigued--is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

Publishers Weekly 08/22/2005

First-time author Whitcomb infuses Gothic romance with modern-day drama to create a highly sensual, supernatural story of two spirits caught in purgatory. The body of Helen perished 130 years ago, but her soul still roams the Earth, cleaving to humans who share her love of literature. In all those years, Helen has never seen anyone else who is "Light," until she meets James, who has possessed the body of an 11th grade student. Knowing at once that they are meant to be together, Helen allows James to teach her how to enter the body of an "empty" teenager, not knowing what complications lie ahead. Posing as Jennifer Ann, the daughter of fundamentalist Christians, Helen finds herself trapped in a sterile household void of art and literature with little chance to visit James, who lives in a run-down house with a violent older brother. Meticulously wrought descriptions of the ghosts' feelings and actions allow readers to experience the physical sensations of Helen and James as they rediscover the pleasures of taste and touch and re-experience the suffering that is part of every human experience. Sexually explicit scenes and not-so-gentle jabs at hypocritical Christians may raise some eyebrows, but the author's poetic prose, capturing the spirit and sorrow of the two unearthly protagonists, will likely have a mesmerizing effect on readers. Ages 14-up. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

09/01/2005 School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up -Helen died 130 years ago as a young woman. Unable to enter heaven because of a sense of guilt she carried at death, she has been silent and invisible but conscious and sociable across the generations. Her spirit has been sustained by its attachment to one living human host after another, including a poet and, most recently, a high-school English teacher. While she sits through his class one day, she becomes aware of James and he -unlike the mortals all around them -is aware of her as well. James, who also died years earlier, inhabits the body of a contemporary teen, Billy. James and Helen fall in love, he shows her how to inhabit the body of a person whose spirit has died but who still lives and breathes, and the two begin to unfold the mysteries of their own pasts and those of their adolescent hosts. Jenny, whose body Helen now uses, is the only child of strict religious parents who controlled her beyond what her spirit could endure. Billy's spirit left his body after a string of tragedies resulting from drug abuse and domestic violence. James and Helen court in both modern and old-fashioned ways; here is a novel in which explicit sex is far from gratuitous or formulaic. Whitcomb writes with a grace that befits Helen's more modulated world while depicting contemporary society with sharp insight. In the subgenre of dead-narrator tales, this book shows the engaging possibilities of immortality -complete with a twist at the end that wholly satisfies." -Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA" Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.