Vampire Crush
Sophie is a budding journalist, hoping to be chosen editor in chief of the school newspaper. Though she is assigned fluff pieces like profiling the new students, Sophie would rather write edgy investigative news stories. When it becomes apparent that there’s something weird, even cultlike, about the new students she is supposed to interview, Sophie digs deeper. She discovers that the new transfers, led by the immediately popular Vlad, are really vampires. The clan has moved to town to find a mysterious girl with a star-shaped birthmark, rumored to belong to an ancient and desired vampire bloodline. Clearly, Sophie cannot write about what she has discovered (who would believe her?), yet she must stop Vlad. After she calls upon her childhood neighbor, James, the two attempt to defeat the vamps. Sophie is smart, funny, and determined, and her narration adds humor and wit to the story. The quirky supporting cast is pretty much what you’d expect in a teen vampire tale. An original and entertaining entry to the genre that won’t disappoint. Grades 7-10. --Shauna Yusko