Sophomore Year

June 15, 2010

Irrepressible Cody Elliot is back at Vlad Dracul High (Vampire High, 2003), accompanied by his brilliant but truculent artist cousin, Turk (short for Turquoise), who helps ramp up the mayhem—by a quantum leap—to total pandemonium. Their decision to set up an arts center in an abandoned factory in nearby Crossfields generates a war in the vampire (or jenti; non-vampires are gadje) community, alienates Cody's jenti friends and ends in a full-blown disaster. Princess Ileana and Justin Warrener are back, but the greatest fun is generated by the focus on Cody's nemesis, Gregor Dimitru, whose musical talent and prowess at flying (as a bat with a 20-foot wingspan) are only exceeded by his arrogance. The exciting, nonstop plot and electrifying climax lead to an over-the-top resolution guaranteed to produce satisfied readers. This page-turner, with its smart-aleck narrator, plentiful laughs, innocent romance and consistent jenti-gadje culture clash will suck in both keen and reluctant readers of a broad range of ages. Buy this for enthusiasts of Brian Meehl's Suck It Up (2008) and Heather Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. (Funny paranormal. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2010
Gr 7 Up—-o some, being human and attending a high school for vampires might be a little unnerving. But for Cody Elliot, it's a piece of cake. At Vlad Dracul he is cool, extremely popular, and dating an actual vampire princess. Unfortunately, when his difficult and opinionated cousin moves in, things get a little out of hand. Turk's tough Goth exterior and smart-aleck attitude antagonize the vampires and draw attention away from her own issues and insecurities. Art is her outlet, so when Turk discovers an abandoned warehouse in the uninhabited section of town, she enlists Cody's help to turn it into her new studio and make her mark on the world. What Cody and Turk don't realize is that Crossfield has a violent past, one that many, including the mysterious Mercian, want to keep hidden. Cody must make difficult choices at the risk of losing all that he holds dear while forging alliances and discovering secrets that will change New Sodom forever. Rees's fast-paced and action-packed story line tackles important teen issues like identity, belonging, friendship, and acceptance in a way that is not overbearing or preachy. With lots of humor and strong, engaging characters, this novel has an appeal factor that is sure to make its mark (or bite) on readers of this genre.—"Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 4, 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.

August 1, 2003
Gr. 6-9. There's barely a false note in this rollicking tale of horror, humor, and light romance that will appeal to both girls and boys. Transplanted from California to an archetypal New England town, ninth-grader Cody Elliot flunks out of the local public school; but he's accepted at Vlad Dracul Magnet School, where most of the students are tall, pale, and prone to Edwardian mannerisms. The school timber wolf accompanies Cody to his first day of classes, and it doesn't take the new kid long to figure out that the school is populated by--and organized to continue the traditional social life of--vampires. Rees keeps things moving and delightfully off-balance as Cody rescues a classmate from bullies, falls in love with a vampire princess, and designs a way to save the school. The parody of New England society adds yet another level of hilarity, but at the center are Cody and his toothsome friends, inspired and inspirational teens discovering the world as it is and making it renew for themselves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Cody (Vampire High) and his rebellious, artistic cousin help turn an abandoned mill into an arts center to unite jenti (vampires) and gadje (everyone else). But not everybody--including Cody's best friend, his girlfriend, and some powerful jenti--likes their idea. It's easy to root for good-guy Cody, who takes supernatural feuds in stride; the book's happy ending is well deserved.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 15, 2010

Irrepressible Cody Elliot is back at Vlad Dracul High (Vampire High, 2003), accompanied by his brilliant but truculent artist cousin, Turk (short for Turquoise), who helps ramp up the mayhem--by a quantum leap--to total pandemonium. Their decision to set up an arts center in an abandoned factory in nearby Crossfields generates a war in the vampire (or jenti; non-vampires are gadje) community, alienates Cody's jenti friends and ends in a full-blown disaster. Princess Ileana and Justin Warrener are back, but the greatest fun is generated by the focus on Cody's nemesis, Gregor Dimitru, whose musical talent and prowess at flying (as a bat with a 20-foot wingspan) are only exceeded by his arrogance. The exciting, nonstop plot and electrifying climax lead to an over-the-top resolution guaranteed to produce satisfied readers. This page-turner, with its smart-aleck narrator, plentiful laughs, innocent romance and consistent jenti-gadje culture clash will suck in both keen and reluctant readers of a broad range of ages. Buy this for enthusiasts of Brian Meehl's Suck It Up (2008) and Heather Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. (Funny paranormal. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)