They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Kill: The Psychological Meaning of Supernatural Monsters in Young Adult Fiction (Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature)
This consideration of the rise of paranormal young adult fiction focuses on popular contemporary titles lightly contextualized in a historical frame. Bodart prefaces her discussion with commentary on the “culture of fear” surrounding today’s young adults, and how the perceived increased dangers in their lives make supernatural monsters a vicarious way to deal with them. The book is divided into four sections: “Vampires: The Aristocratic Monster”; “Shapeshifters: The Transforming Monster”; “Zombies: The Reanimated, Resurrected Monster; and “Angels, Unicorns, Demons: The Unexpectedly Deadly Monsters.” Each section opens with an overview of the literary and, when applicable, folkloric history of each supernatural being. Plot summaries of four popular contemporary offerings (single titles and series) follow, such as the Cynthia Leitich Smith’s “Tantalize” series (vampires) (Candlewick), Annette Curtis Klause’sBlood and Chocolate(shapeshifters) (Delacorte, 1997), A.J. Whitten’sThe Cellar(zombies) (Houghton, 2011), and Diana Peterfreund’s “Rampant” series (unicorns) (HarperCollins). Excerpts from author interviews, including book-and-author related online resources, enrich the accessible text. Effort is made to connect the nature of the particular monster being discussed to the developmental stages of young adults, as well as to occurrences such as the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. . . . Bodart uses sources such as pop-culture icon Stephen King, developmental authorities Piaget and Erikson, and professional LIS journal articles to expand her discussion and inform her conclusions. This is an informative look at a popular publishing phenomenon. An appendix lists recent paranormal series titles (stand-alone, continuing, complete, and unknown) and provides a solid core for collections of this particular genre.(School Library Journal)Depending on your viewpoint, the recent explosion of paranormal entities in YA fiction has either been a bane or boon. Regardless, librarians ask the same question posited by Bodart in this book’s introduction: “Why does a literary form that revels in rot and ruin appeal to teen readers?” And what are the cultural coals fueling this most recent fire? Bodart divides her investigation into four categories: vampires, shape-shifters, zombies, and “The Unexpectedly Deadly” monsters of angels, unicorns, and demons. Her opening remarks, reminiscent of Stephen King’sDanse Macabre(1981), are enlightening, swift studies in each subgenre’s history, growth, tropes, and major works. Chapters focusing on individual authors follow, from Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Blood series to Charlie Higson’sThe Enemy.Criticism is mostly absent. Rather, the chapters serve both as a tour through each invented universe and as a study of the author’s relationship to the books, drawn mostly through existing interviews. The fact that few of these series are actually scary is often sidestepped, but this entry in the Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature series is nonetheless an ideal window through which librarians and readers can view the current landscape—and choose what to read next.(Booklist)Bodart’s summation of scary stuff in young adult reading cuts to the heart of Gothicism. Her introduction, a gem of a lecture on otherness, connects the dots between the literary no man’s land and the unstable, unknowable path between the teen age and adulthood. Her bibliographies present classic and recent sources from Maurice Sendak to Anne Rice and Stephen King. . . . This is a worthy book for the public and school library and for psychology and young adult education shelves of teacher’s colleges.(American Reference Books Annual)Like a vampire to blood, it is hard to resist a book with a title like this one. Why does it seem that every young adult fiction author is suddenly writing about supernatural monsters like werewolves, zombies and vampires? Are these books popular now because of the economic downturn? Or is the popularity due to a need of young adults to learn about monsters and demons, what they are, why they are dangerous and how to overcome their threats within the safe, controlled confines of a story? Do young adults live in a reality between an adult’s and a child’s world, like the fictitious monsters in these books? These are the questions Joni Richards Bodart addresses in this scholarly analysis of the ‘monster’ phenomenon in young adult fiction. Dr Bodart is well placed to write on this topic. She holds degrees in psychology as well as a doctorate in librarianship. In addition Bodart is an expert in young adult literature, having written around 20 books on the subject. Despite the scholarly tone of this work, she writes in a very readable and enjoyable way, which tempts readers to seek out for themselves many of the books she discusses.This book is not only a fascinating scholarly account of the reasons for the current proliferation of zombies and vampires in young adult fiction, but it is also a useful guide for librarians interested in current series of fantasy and horror books for these readers. The book lists horror/fantasy series and individual titles by sub-genre, such as vampires, shapeshifters, zombies and demons, as well as giving historical context to the current phenomenon. There is a US bias in the selection of titles, but, that aside, it is still an excellent selection guide. As a mother of three young adults as well as a librarian, I thoroughly recommend this book both for its insight into the world of supernatural fiction and for its use as a guide to what is available in the horror/fantasy genre for young adults. This book is a worthwhile guide to enjoying the ‘darkness in all of us’ in a good story.(Australian Library Journal)They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Kill:The Psychological Meaning of Supernatural Monsters in Young Adult Fictionis essentially a monster mash documenting books that appeal to an American teenage readership. Bodart focuses on six different monsters - vampires, shape-shifters, killer unicorns, zombies, evil angels and demons. Each of Bodart's four main sections cover the particular topic followed by an examination of specific subject books, such as Melissa de la Cruz'sBlue Bloodsand Charlie Higson'sThe Enemyseries. . . .They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Killis clearly intended for public and school libraries and teenage readers.(The Age)It is useful as a reference work about some current Young Adult horror fiction. I found Bodart’s book to be well organized and designed for readers to skim and take from it what they needed. . . Bodart’s selection of books to analyze is useful for someone who wants to gain a better understanding of the breadth of the subgenre or perhaps get a detailed description of a book or series that cannot be gleaned from the Internet.(Dead Reckonings: A Review Magazine for the Horror Field)They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Kill: The Psychological Meaning of Supernatural Monsters in Young Adult Fictiondivides up monsters into four categories: vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, and others (angels, unicorns and demons).After a brief introduction of the monster, Bodart discusses several popular monster books. She explores the characters, their worlds, and their significance. Teens are attracted to these stories because the characters are often learning to fit into a world where they are not quite adults but no longer children. These characters are also growing up and finding their place in the world. . . .It is ahighly fascinating and informative read for teen librarians.(VOYA)