Howard, A. G. RoseBlood.

Howard, A. G. RoseBlood. Amulet see Abrams, Harry     2017  419p  $18.95      ISBN 978-1-4197-1909-7       hs/adult  Fantasy   VG

When Rune goes to school in France, she is forced to confront her destiny.  Born with an angelic voice, she alone possesses something the elusive and imortal Phantom of the Opera wants. In this unusual pairing of characters, Howard brings a young opera singer to France, where she discovers not only the reason why she collapses after every song she sings, but also the reason why she nearly kills her boyfriend Ben when she uses his emotions to feed her needs. Surprisingly, as the rising action builds in this drama, she rather casually accepts that she is not human, but rather some kind of vampire. The trip to France and her attendance at the RoseBlood School seem to be inevitable, as Rune begins to learn, especially when she meets Thorn, a man with whom she feels a kindred spirit. He hides from everyone at the school, and Rune learns why much later in the book. Will he be her protector or the conduit to her demise? Rune finds herself bullied, but she is not at all certain who is behind the theft of her school uniform, among other torments she must bear. She also finds herself in the contest for the lead in the school’s opera, a role that she does not covet since she knows her weakness always renders her incapable of completing one aria much less an entire show.  An avid reader, she voraciously pours through all things relating to the legendary Phantom of the Opera, Erik, and when she meets him, she learns about his thirst for her voice. A scientist who performs experiments on animals, he is searching for a way to transfer Rune’s voice to bring back his beloved Christine. Erik is a demon with deformities that have shaped his life, and he cares little about Thorn, the son he adopted. There is too much detail to thoroughly explain this convoluted plot in one review. Let it suffice to say that Howard’s descriptions are stellar, her storytelling complex, and her interest level high for the right reader. Vampire fans will enjoy Howard’s new take on sucking out emotions rather than life blood. They will equally enjoy diving into the complexities of this story, but they will have to be patient to find out the resolution.           

With complex descriptions and plot and some sexual content, this novel is best for high school and older.  With its unique take on the story of the Phantom and Christine and its new type of emotion-stealing vampire, the book deserves a spot in a high-school library.   

Summary: When Rune goes to school in France, she is forced to confront her destiny.  Born with an angelic voice, she alone possesses something the elusive and imortal Phantom of the Opera wants.  She meets Thorn, her soulmate, and together, they attempt to turn the tables against Erik before he takes Rune’s voice forever.  The Phantom of the Opera meets non-bloodsucking vampires in this new book by A. G. Howard. 

Phantom of the Opera-Fiction                                —Martha Squaresky

Winters, Cat. The Steep & Thorny Way.

Winters, Cat.  The Steep & Thorny Way.    Amulet see Harry Abrams  2016  321p  $17.95  ISBN 978-1-4197-1915-8     hs      Historical fiction  VG-BN

Hanalee, a biracial girl living in a bigoted town, must find a way to balance doing what is right and what is legal as she seeks to avenge her father’s murder and assist an unlikely companion in escaping persecution by the Ku Klux Klan. In the process she must decide who and what is most important in her life, and how far she will go to protect them.

Set against the backdrop of the early twentieth century, Cat Winters’s well-written and thoroughly-researched historical novel discusses several intriguing and horrifying historical reactions to topics that remain contemporary today, including interracial families, homosexuality, bigotry, and official corruption.

Things come to a head, and the resolution will likely surprise readers who are accustomed to things being neatly tied up with a last-minute twist or save.  But the ending is realistic for such a story, and although the town does not collectively reject its discriminatory practices, join hands, and sing “Kumbaya,” it is still hopeful.                  

Summary: Hanalee, a biracial girl living in a bigoted town, must find a way to balance doing what is right and what is legal as she seeks to avenge her father’s murder and assist an unlikely companion in escaping persecution by the Ku Klux Klan.

Interracial families-Fiction, Homosexuality-Fiction, Racism-Fiction                                                                             --Bethany Geleskie

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School.

Kinney, Jeff.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School.  Harry Abrams  2015  217p    

$13.95  ISBN 978-1-4197-1701-7      elem/ms     Realistic fiction  VG

In this new addition to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg Heffley is once again up to his tricks and will delight young readers as he struggles to relate to the voluntary community effort to go electronics-free for a weekend.  As he tries to capitalize on the initiative he is also faced with the decision that his grandfather will come to live with his family. The action races forward to reveal Greg’s antics and typical adolescent comprehension of these events, and he suddenly changes his mind and decides to go on the school trip to Hardscrabble Farms where the typical Diary of a Wimpy Kid humor and fun abounds.  When the plentiful fiascos of the trip send their cabin chaperone home, Greg’s dad is the replacement, and Greg discovers a whole other side of his dad.

Jeff Kinney has once again created a hilarious novel that will delight young and reluctant readers.  Due to the fast-paced, multifaceted plot, readers will not be able to put this book down.  The fun and simple illustrations break up the text and enhance the story.  This is yet another book in the series that will engage and entertain adolescent readers.

Summary: As Greg Heffley’s community voluntarily goes electronics-free, he can’t quite comprehend the advantages that the adults see, and, facing family changes along with his sudden change of mind about attending the school camping trip to Hardscrabble Farms, Greg learns about a whole other side of his dad.   

Field trips-Fiction, Humor                            --Virginia McGarvey

Sheinmel, Courtney.  Edgewater.  Amulet see Harry Abrams  2015  317  $17.95  ISBN 978-1-4197-1641-6   hs    Conflict    E-BN     

Lorrie is dismissed from an elite riding camp for nonpayment of fees.  When she gets home to squalid Edgewater, she realizes that the money in a trust established by their mother has disappeared without a trace.  Her sister Susie, two years younger, collects stray animals and has a questionable boyfriend.  Without supervision, the animals leave the house looking and smelling atrocious.  Lorrie’s aunt and guardian suffers from mental illness and is not concerned about the family’s destitution.  The house is an eyesore in a wealthy area, and Lorrie feels the stigma of living there.  As she struggles with finding a way to bring in money, including selling her beloved horse, she comes into contact with the wealthy and influential Copeland family, especially Charlie, the teenage son.  Worlds collide in most unexpected ways, and many surprises await the reader of this novel with superbly drawn characters.  Tension abounds to keep the reader flipping the pages to see what comes next.  This is a wonderful book about family, love, secrets and the ways in which having lavish amounts of money can affect a person.  The mystery of the missing inheritance builds continuously throughout the book.  A romance tucked within a story of family secrets will appeal to a wide range of readers: mystery fans, romance fans, realistic-fiction fans, and readers who like character driven novels.  

Summary: It is hard to reconcile the life of Lorrie, who attends a posh private high school and summers at elite riding camps, with the run-down house where her sister and scatterbrained aunt live.  This is a fine character-driven plot with many surprises.  Gr 8-12.    

Secrets-Fiction, Families-Fiction, Hoarders-Fiction         --Lois McNicol

Cammuso, Frank. The Misadventures of Salem Hyde.

Cammuso, Frank.   The Misadventures of Salem Hyde.    Amulet see Abrams  2013  95p  ISBN 978-1-4197-0803-9  elem G      Graphic novel    

Whammy the cat has been around for a long time and is very good at training witches, but when he gets the call and is introduced to Salem Hyde, he wonders if what is left of his lives will survive this young, unruly witch. Salem and Whammy do not hit it off when they first meet, and to be honest Whammy thinks Salem is a total disaster, but somewhere along the line as they get into one misadventure after another, Whammy realizes that Salem is not a bad witch, just a troublesome one. Salem’s problem is that she does not know how to spell so she confuses the terms “spelling charms” and “spelling words”, and the results are funny, hilarious and downright outrageous. That’s when Whammy decides that he will help Salem understand the difference between a charm spell and spelling a word.

This is a charming and funny graphic novel that will have kids laughing at Salem and Whammy’s antics.  I could not give a better rating to this book as it is an uncorrected proof.

Summary: Salem Hyde is a witch, and when she hears that her middle school will be having a spelling bee she decides she is going to participate and win.  Then she discovers that although she is really good at witch spelling, she is not good at spelling words.                    

Humor-Fiction, Witches-Fiction                                    --Magna Diaz