A Taste for Red

I picked up "A Taste For Red" on it's premise of a young gothling believing she is a vampire who butts-heads with her suspicious Science Teacher out of curiousity. At least it sounded different from the typical storyline. Well, upon reading it I'm sure many readers will make comparisons to obvious 'tale-relations', but I promise you won't care. Lewis Harris has brought back good fun with spine-tingling chills that are age appropriate to this reading level (age 8 thru 12) and as an adult I enjoyed it just as much as my 10 year old self would have. Svetlana (Stephanie on her birth certificate) is just a bit more academically advanced than her peers and it gives her a bit of an arrogant tinged edge. However she is hardly off-putting and her awkwardness at fitting in will appeal to young readers. Her destiny for mystery and adventure in the occult will also appeal to those who cut their teeth on Goosebumps books and have a craving for the supernatural. The only thing I found wrong with "A Taste for Red" is that it is Lewis Harris' first and only book to date! Clearly a series is in development but I was left hungry for more and looking forward to Svetlana's next adventure!

I was very pleasently surprised by this book. It's delightful. It treads into the whole Harry Potter venue (secret society of people with special powers who fight vampyres and ghouls and such) and other such books but it doesn't end up being cliche. My brother has two kids who are just the right age group for this book and I'm looking forward to setting up a midnight reading to them of this book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat sometimes and when it's busy filling you in on the characters it manages not to be boring. It's quick read but delightful.

Svetlana (don't call her Stephanie) Grimm has been home schooled her whole life and isn't thrilled that she now has to attend sixth grade at Sunny Hill Middle School. She's not expecting to make any friends - she figures she has nothing in common with anyone her age since not only can she read people's thoughts but she thinks she's a vampire. Despite herself, she does make a couple of friends her age and even befriends an elderly neighbor - good thing because she soon discovers Sunny Hill Middle School is full of danger and she is going to need all the help she can get to stop it before someone gets seriously hurt. Aimed at ages 8 - 12 (grades 3 - 7), "A Taste for Red" features one of the snarkiest, freshest voices in children's literature. Writing in the first person from Svetlana's point of view, author Lewis Harris perfectly captures the voice of Svetlana. Svetlana is very comfortable in her own body - she's a bit of an odd ball who, convinced that she's a vampire, eats only food that is red, sleeps under her bed, and is sure she can read other people's thoughts. She's such a unique, fresh character that it's almost a shame that the book does delve into the paranormal. The paranormal aspects are fine, but this would have been an equally good book without them. Svetlana is a spunky character, seemingly afraid of nothing but who might just be hiding her insecurities behind her attitude and her new name. The other characters are well done including Svetlana's new friends, Dwight Foote and Fumio Chin, as well as the adult characters - Svetlana's parents who willingly give in to her quirks, her neighbor Leonora Bones who knows more about Svetlana than she herself does, and her definitely different teacher Ms. Larch. There is a wonderfully offbeat sense of humor throughout the book as well as an underlying sense of danger. There are a nice couple of twists in the book that keep it interesting. While the book ties off the major plot lines at the end, there is plenty of room for a sequel and I wouldn't mind visiting Svetlana and her friends again. "A Taste for Red" is a fun children's book.

If you enjoy Juvenile authors like Lemony Snicket and William Sleator, you'll probably enjoy this one. Svetlana is a great protagonist. Just the right amount of sassyness without going overboard. The villian is also excellent. And the entire mythology set up could lead to an interesting long series. Good character interaction. Good storyline. Nice, short and concise makes this a perfect Juve novel. Look forward to more in the series.

This was a wonderfully refreshing tale on vampires! (And not too creepy, considering the ages intended.) Fast paced, with quirky characters and a nice blend of snarky interlaced, I loved breezing through it. My 8 and 10 year old nieces loved it as well, making it an all around winner.