ISBN: 0440226686
Publisher: Delacourte Press (1997)
264 p.
Publisher: Delacourte Press (1997)
264 p.
Reading Level: 8th grade and up
Summary:
Vivian has just moved to a new town with her family to distance them all from a horrible incident that resulted in her father’s death. At her new school, she meets Aiden, a beautiful boy who is both interesting and forthright. They begin dating, and Vivian falls in love. The only problem is that she and her family are werewolves, and they are not supposed to date “meat boys.” There are wereboys whom she should be dating, but none of them appeals to her. The pack must now find a new ruler, and one wolf, Gabriel, seems to be up to the task, and he seemingly wants Vivian by his side. In touch with her sexuality, Vivian must keep her wolf self separate from Aiden, but can she do it? Vivian agonizes over the decision if she should welcome Aiden fully into her life fully, or if generations of her family are correct, that humans want no part of them and fear them. This is a tale of the hardships of love in the face of striving to stay true and accept oneself while growing into adulthood.
Critical Evaluation:
As Vivian’s mother, Esmé, declares, “‘She’s a teenager, for Moon’s sake. She’s supposed to rebel.’ Vivian bristled. How easily they dismissed her feelings as a stage she was going through. Her mouth closed into a thin line” (p. 69). Vivian’s path from being a girl into becoming a woman is similar to the one in which she grows to understand her place within her family and her community. Vivian learns life lessons amidst being adventurous and leading with her heart as she falls in love with a “meat-boy.” As Vivian grows comfortable in the world among the humans, she drops her guard and learns that people are not as they appear, and heartbreak can occur at a young age. As Vivian matures, she understands the benefits of her family and those who are like her. The reader can relate to how she feels in the same way as when people of the same religion find themselves and find peace when they see that religion is something they have in common. In the end, Vivian finds her peace and learns a lesson all teens and adults have to learn over the course of their lives. Using fantasy to blend life lessons with a story of a shape-shifter, this novel draws in readers and helps them to understand the world at large.
As Vivian’s mother, Esmé, declares, “‘She’s a teenager, for Moon’s sake. She’s supposed to rebel.’ Vivian bristled. How easily they dismissed her feelings as a stage she was going through. Her mouth closed into a thin line” (p. 69). Vivian’s path from being a girl into becoming a woman is similar to the one in which she grows to understand her place within her family and her community. Vivian learns life lessons amidst being adventurous and leading with her heart as she falls in love with a “meat-boy.” As Vivian grows comfortable in the world among the humans, she drops her guard and learns that people are not as they appear, and heartbreak can occur at a young age. As Vivian matures, she understands the benefits of her family and those who are like her. The reader can relate to how she feels in the same way as when people of the same religion find themselves and find peace when they see that religion is something they have in common. In the end, Vivian finds her peace and learns a lesson all teens and adults have to learn over the course of their lives. Using fantasy to blend life lessons with a story of a shape-shifter, this novel draws in readers and helps them to understand the world at large.
Reader’s Annotation:
Vivian leads a double life—one as a teenaged girl in high school and the other as part of a pack
of werewolves. Watch what happens when she meets Aiden at school and the unthinkable happens. . . she falls in love with a “meat boy.”
of werewolves. Watch what happens when she meets Aiden at school and the unthinkable happens. . . she falls in love with a “meat boy.”
Author Biography:
Klause is a young-adult author who is also a librarian for teens. Born in England, she now lives in Maryland where she is a “children’s material selector for Montgomery County Public Libraries in Montgomery, Maryland” (Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_Curtis_Klause).
She has written four novels for teens: The Silver Kiss, Alien Secrets, Freaks: Alive on the Inside and Blood and Chocolate. In her spare time, she also writes book reviews for the School Library Journal.
Genre: Fantasy - Werewolves
Curriculum Ties:
This novel would most likely be a pleasant read for students or perhaps a choice for a book report where they could write on this coming-of-age tale and how people’s differences should be accepted,
if not embraced.
if not embraced.
Booktalking Ideas:
-What would the readers do to fit in? Would they hide a part of themselves?
-Is family tradition something that needs to be broken, or are rules set for a reason?
-Whom can Vivian look up to now that her father is dead?
Read-Alikes:
-The Silver Kiss
-The Wereling series by Stephen Cole.
-Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith.
Challenge Issue:
Reading an interview with the author, conducted by Cynthia Leitich Smith no less, I learned that both of them receive emails from people concerned that “we’re trying to recruit vampires (which we only do between dusk and dawn) or werewolves (which we only do on nights of a full moon)(yes, we’re kidding).” (Retrieved from http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/annettecurtisklause.html) Although there are parents who make up all parts of the spectrum, parents should not believe that these books promote evil or Satanism. It should be explained to them that werewolves and vampires are used as a “metaphor for the human condition.” There is also a lot of female sexuality on display, but a discussion can be had about how it is simply a story of a girl evolving into a woman, the most natural thing in the world. Also, having won the 1998 YALSA Award for Best Books for Young Adults should place this novel in a category that cannot be regarded as “filth.”
Reason to include in blog: This book was much discussed in the class readings and talks.
It seems that it was quite popular when it came out, and although I do not enjoy romance books in
and of themselves, when mixed with a element of fantasy—i. e., vampires, fairies or, in this case, werewolves—I am much more apt to read the novel.
It seems that it was quite popular when it came out, and although I do not enjoy romance books in
and of themselves, when mixed with a element of fantasy—i. e., vampires, fairies or, in this case, werewolves—I am much more apt to read the novel.
References:
Annette Curtis Klause. (2011). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_Curtis_Klause
Klause, A. C. (1997). Blood and chocolate. New York: Delacorte Press.
Smith, C. (2001) Interview with young adult book author Annette Curtis Klause.
Retrieved from http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/annettecurtisklause.html
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