Helpful Score: 2
I'd been wanting to read this for a while, as I felt that Somtow would
be able to do something dark yet extraordinarily beautiful on the
theme of the vampire. However, although I absolutely love some of
Somtow's books, he can be rather hit-or-miss.
This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't overwhelmingly wonderful,
either, and was definitely aimed at an early-teen audience.
The main character is a teen boy, Johnny. His family has recently made
a lot of money after his mother published a book of his grandfather's
stories and reminiscences (he's a native American), and his mom has
insisted on relocating to a tony California neighborhood. Johnny
doesn't really fit in at his new school, and he's got a bit of a
not-one-thing-or-the-other identity crisis.
However, when he meets a new classmate, Rebecca, he realizes that his
issues aren't much compared to hers. Rebecca's father is a vampire,
and soon, Rebecca must make an irreversible decision - will she become
a vampire, at a grand 'coming-of-age' party, or will she remain human?
be able to do something dark yet extraordinarily beautiful on the
theme of the vampire. However, although I absolutely love some of
Somtow's books, he can be rather hit-or-miss.
This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't overwhelmingly wonderful,
either, and was definitely aimed at an early-teen audience.
The main character is a teen boy, Johnny. His family has recently made
a lot of money after his mother published a book of his grandfather's
stories and reminiscences (he's a native American), and his mom has
insisted on relocating to a tony California neighborhood. Johnny
doesn't really fit in at his new school, and he's got a bit of a
not-one-thing-or-the-other identity crisis.
However, when he meets a new classmate, Rebecca, he realizes that his
issues aren't much compared to hers. Rebecca's father is a vampire,
and soon, Rebecca must make an irreversible decision - will she become
a vampire, at a grand 'coming-of-age' party, or will she remain human?
Life isn't easy for Johnny Shapiro, despite his mother's success as the author of a book about his Lakota grandfather. He finds it hard to "fit in" in his new school--until he meets Rebecca, a new student as well, and the half-human daughter of a vampire.
Johnny Raitt has identity problems: His mix of Lakota, Jewish and Polish cultures leaves him squarely in the middle of nowhere. So he can relate when the most bewitching girl he's ever seen says that she's half human and half vampire. Trouble is, she's not kidding, and life becomes increasingly complicated for Johnny, who's having enough trouble adjusting to Los Angeles after a quiet life in South Dakota. With help from his grandfather, a Native American spiritualist with a practical streak, Johnny realizes that he can embrace more than one heritage - unlike Rebecca, who must be one or the other. This novel is a real find, deftly mixing teen angst and pop horror with the universal notions of identity and one's place in the world. To his credit, Somtow does NOT give the book a pat or even a particularly happy ending.
Johnny Raitt has identity problems: His mix of Lakota, Jewish and Polish cultures leaves him squarely in the middle of nowhere. So he can relate when the most bewitching girl he's ever seen says that she's half human and half vampire. Trouble is, she's not kidding, and life becomes increasingly complicated for Johnny, who's having enough trouble adjusting to Los Angeles after a quiet life in South Dakota. With help from his grandfather, a Native American spiritualist with a practical streak, Johnny realizes that he can embrace more than one heritage - unlike Rebecca, who must be one or the other. This novel is a real find, deftly mixing teen angst and pop horror with the universal notions of identity and one's place in the world. To his credit, Somtow does NOT give the book a pat or even a particularly happy ending.
