Fat Vampire

By Adam Rex
Ages 16-up


Forget everything you think you know about vampires. Forget handsome, brooding, pale young men who sparkle in the sunlight. Forget pale guys with widow’s peaks and foreign accents. Forget emaciated, alien-like creatures with bloated bellies from drinking the blood of dying men.

Instead, picture an overweight, sweaty, horny, fifteen-year-old comic book fanatic who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time while on vacation in the Poconos.

Since being bitten, Doug Lee has been struggling to figure out how to survive as a vampire. The thought of attacking helpless young women and drinking their blood is unappealing to him, so he makes do with drinking cows’ blood while searching for a goth chick who may be into the whole vampire vibe. His best friend, Jay, is in on the secret and between the two of them they begin to search for a solution to Douglas’ sustenance problem.

Enter Sejal, a beautiful Indian foreign exchange student with a secret of her own. Doug becomes obsessed with her and determines to make her his girlfriend, or his lunch…

Meanwhile, he’s trying to fly under the radar because he got caught on camera at the zoo trying to suck the blood of a panda, and now the basic cable show Vampire Hunters is trying to hunt him down to boost ratings and keep their failing program on the air.

Doug is an honestly written character who experiences the struggles of a typical teenager: low self-esteem and lack of success with the opposite sex. But while Doug is a typical teenager, he is a typical teenager who is stuck in time—he will never grow older, will never mature, and that makes it difficult to appreciate his sometimes homophobic, self-centered nature. The way he treats his friends is appalling, especially as he begins to come into his own as a vampire. However, Doug’s attempts to figure out how to survive as a teenage vampire makes for a compelling story. Told with macabre humor, this book gleefully pokes fun at the currently popular vampire genre.


Caveats: Bad language (including multiple f-bombs), Doug is a homophobic character and uses some bigoted slurs, references to sex, the teens end up at the raunchy Rocky Horror Picture Show.


Possible discussion topics: Relationships, friendships, Internet addiction, and portrayals of vampires in fiction.


Here are some discussion questions to get you started:

1. A character makes the statement: “I think sometimes you think you’re the hero of the story, and sometimes you think you’re the victim. But you’re not either.” (Pg. 2.) What do you think is meant by this? Do you think Doug is the hero or the victim? Or is he something else? What does it mean that this particular character said this?

2. Considering the current popularity of vampires in fiction, this is a unique portrayal of a teenage vampire. What do you think of this book’s depiction of vampires? Do you like it? Or would you rather have a “traditional” type of vampire?

3. Sejal tells people that she has “The Google.” Do you buy this as a genuine affliction? Why or why not? When does time spent on the Internet become dangerous?

4. While there are aspects of Doug’s character that are appealing, he is frequently an unlikable character. He treats Jay poorly. Once he gets a girlfriend he treats her poorly. Is there anything positive you can see about him? Did you like him or not? Is he redeemed in the end?

5. Sejal thinks at one point, that Doug might be her reflection: “There was something familiar about his eyes, his look of distraction. He was lost, maybe missing something, like she was. Perhaps he’d left his heart someplace, too.” (Pg 111.) Is Doug her emotional counterpart? How is his vampirism akin to the form of her Internet addiction?

6.What do you think happened to Doug at the end of the book? What should have happened to him? Is this a good ending?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Thirsty by M. T. Anderson, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Ananzi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Sweetblood by Pete Hautman and Brooke Williams

Going Bovine

By Libba Bray
Ages 15 up



Mad cow disease sucks—just ask sixteen-year-old Cameron.

Memory loss—check
Personality changes—check.
Hallucinations—check.
Seizures—check.
Involuntarily jerky movements (not to be confused with being a jerk, which Cameron can be)—check.

He’s got all the symptoms, and only a limited time left to live. But the worst part of the disease is that it basically will turn his brain into a sponge, robbing him of the dignity to be himself in his final days. Understandably, Cameron is bitter. He is not popular—doesn’t really fit in anywhere in fact. His relationship with his family has been deteriorating for the past ten or so years, and he’s never had sex. So, yeah, he’s ticked off.

But then hope comes from an unexpected source: A pink-hared punk angel named Dulcie shows up in his hospital room and sends him on a quest to save the world, and hopefully along the way he can save his own life. There are two catches. 1. He has to bring along his hospital roommate: Gonzo, a paranoid, hypochondriac, gaming dwarf. 2. They only have a limited amount of time to save the world before Cameron’s health deteriorates to the point he can no longer function.

This is the trippiest road-trip book since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Cameron, a modern-day Don Quixote, heads for the road in a beat-up caddy called Rocinante, tilting at his own windmills: The Fire Giants. But whom is he really fighting, and what is he fighting for? This book will leave the reader with tons of questions. What determines who lives and who dies? And what is reality anyway?

Full of nods to American pop-culture (snow globes, a garden gnome who may or may not be a Viking god, video games, the coyote and the roadrunner, reality TV, etc.), this book will leave the reader alternately smiling, laughing, crying, nodding in agreement, and scratching her head. This is a tough book to categorize, but for the reader who wants to ponder some of the questions of the universe, it is an amazing journey.



Caveats: Premarital sex, bad language, drug and alcohol use, crude humor, criticism of blind/fake faith.


Possible discussion topics: The nature of truth, the nature of reality, life after death, reality TV, the nature of happiness, Don Quixote.

Here are some questions to get you started:

1. There’s some question about whether or not this road trip is real. Does it matter to you one way or another. What does it mean if all of it is just a hallucination? Is Gonzo just a figment of his imagination? Is Dulcie? What difference would that make to you? Cameron experiences some major moments of redemption on his road trip. If this is all a hallucination, is this real redemption? Or it is just wishful thinking.

2. Music plays an important part of Cameron’s journey. (Initially mocking the Great Tremelo. going to see Junior Webster, The Copenhagen Interpretation’s connection to saving the world). What do you think Bray is trying to say about the importance of music?

3. Lots of images and ideas are replayed through Cameron’s life prior to diagnosis and during his road trip. (Snow globes, garden gnomes, Don Quixote.) What does each of these mean—both to Cameron and symbolically.

4. Schrödinger’s cat is mentioned in the very beginning, before Cameron’s diagnosis. What does this reference have to do with Cameron’s experience on the road.

5. Cameron says at one point, “There is no meaning but what we assign. We create our own reality.” Do you agree with that? Is there truth beyond what we assign? Why or why not?

6. There are many allusions to Don Quixote within Libba Bray’s novel, and many similar themes (love, sanity vs. insanity, a tall, thin hero and a world-weary short sidekick, the flawed heroine, the decrepit steed, a satire of truth). There has been debate about what Don Quixote is: Is it a comic novel? A satire? A social commentary? A heroic novel? Bray’s novel is similarly difficult to categorize. How would you define Going Bovine? If you are familiar with Don Quixote, what other connections do you see?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean, The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

After

By Amy Efaw
Ages 14 up



It is the most heinous crime imaginable: A mother murders her own child moments after the baby is born. We’ve heard on the news these horrifying tales of infantacide.

But in this story, the infant survives.

A man taking his dog for an early morning walk is frustrated when his determined dog drags him toward a dumpster. But when he draws closer, he hears something stirring within the depths of the garbage. After removing multiple black trash bags, he finds the one the noise is coming from, and inside is a tiny newborn baby—still covered in blood and vernix, with a jaggedly cut umbilical cord.

The police investigation leads to Devon’s house. She is home from school with a fever and body aches she doesn’t understand, and she is hemorrhaging from giving birth. After being patched up at the hospital, Devon is transferred to a juvenile detention center.

In the detention center Devon must not only face the consequences of her actions, she must face the reality of her actions. Devon doesn’t remember the night her daughter was born. She doesn’t remember the night the child was conceived, and she certainly doesn’t remember any nefarious plan to murder her helpless child. Or does she? Things are not so cut-and-dried in this thought-provoking novel. The reader learns with Devon what happened that led to that morning the infant was thrown into the trash. Written in the present tense, this book doesn’t allow for distance—the reader is right there with Devon, experiencing her anguish as she peels back the layers to get to the heart of her own story.

Further, as the truth is revealed, the reader is unsure whether to hope Devon receives a favorable ruling or that she is punished for attempted murder. And because Devon is herself a child, the reader begins to look for excuses. One almost wants the pregnancy to be the result of something traumatic so Devon’s actions might be excused—but it is not, and the reader cannot. It is also difficult to root for Devon: She is frequently disagreeable and self-absorbed, and if she planned what she is accused of, it is unforgivable.

Though it is not possible to excuse her actions, the reader will come to understand Devon through her journey of self-discovery, and grace for Devon is possible.

Possible discussion topics: Consequences of one’s actions, making good relationship choices, the importance of support.

Caveats: Premarital sex, emotionally charged material, vivid description of the birth and subsequent abandonment of the baby, bad language, self-mutilation.

Some discussion questions to get you started:

1. Devon is initially derisive of her mother. She is critical of her mother’s choice in men, her clothing, her jobs, that her mother treats her like a friend instead of her child, and that Devon’s mother had her as a teen. Later she is disappointed by her mother’s failure to show up at the juvenile detention center. What part, if any,—do you think Devon’s mother played in Devon’s actions. Is she a bad person? A weak person? Or just a broken person?

2. Karma is an interesting minor character in this book. Why do you think she responds to Devon the way she does? What is her role in Devon’s journey of self-discovery?

3. Since the reader is involved in Devon’s journey of self-discovery, we’re invited to make to a judgment about Devon’s guilt or innocence. Which do you think she is? Why? Can you excuse her actions? What should be the consequence for her actions?

4. This book has a definite conclusion, but it also leaves some room for the reader to contemplate the future of the characters. What do you think will happen next to Devon? What would be an ideal scenario? What is a likely scenario?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Cut by Patricia McCormick, Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin.

Shiver

By Maggie Stiefvater

Ages 16-up




Six years ago, when the wolves came, Grace didn’t fight them. They pulled her off the tire swing and out into the snow, and they worried at her body and tore holes in her flesh. But they didn’t kill her — something made them stop. Since then Grace has been obsessed with the wolves, specifically one wolf: A male with yellow eyes. He comes to her in the winter, and she watches him. But Grace is practical — interested in numbers, order, and logical thought; so this irrational fixation is quite unlike her. Then a bleeding, naked young man appears on Grace’s porch. His name is Sam, and Grace feels drawn to him in a way she can’t explain — somehow she knows he is her yellow-eyed wolf. Werewolves are a little different than the stories would have us believe: Instead of shifting to their wolf shape when the moon is full, lycanthropes change to their animal form when the temperature drops. And a werewolf cannot shift back and forth from human to animal indefinitely — eventually there is only animal, nothing left of the person who once was. Somehow Sam knows that this will be his last summer as a human. Has Grace finally found the person her soul was seeking, only to have him ripped away from her?

Told in alternating chapters from Grace and Sam’s point of view, this supernatural love story is beautifully written. Certain sections of this lyrical, melancholy novel read like poetry:

I was not a wolf, but I wasn’t Sam yet, either.




I was a leaking womb bulging with the promise of conscious thoughts: the frozen woods far behind me, the girl on the tire swing, the sound of fingers on metal strings. The future and the past, both the same, snow and then summer and then snow again.




A shattered spider’s web of many colors, cracked in ice, immeasurably sad.




“Sam,” the girl said. “Sam.”




She was past present future. I wanted to answer, but I was broken.

This well-written tale of star-crossed lovers will break your heart and leave you longing for more. Fortunately, the sequel, Linger, will be released in July 2010.

Caveats: Violence, premarital sex.

Possible discussion topics: Relationships, comparison of werewolves in mythology to modern depictions of werewolves, parental roles, poetry.

Some discussion questions to get you started:

1. There are a few unexplained elements in this book: Sam has not been a wolf for as long as some of the older wolves, yet he is about to lose the ability to change into a human. Why does Olivia have a change of heart about the wolves? Why does Isabel want to help her brother? What happened to Shelby?

How do you make sense of these questions?

2. Grace loves math, logic, and order. Sam’s very existence is one of wild disorder. Why do you think they are attracted to one another? Is there any reason for it beyond “love at first sight?” Is this a relationship you think could last? Or is this just infatuation?

3. This novel is written in a very poetic style. And Sam writes song lyrics and reads Rilke. In what way does the text of Shiver reflect or echo the words of Rilke? Where does the writing feel like a song?

4. Sam’s parents tried to kill him; his surrogate wolf-father, Beck, behaves in a way that can be interpreted as manipulative; Grace’s parents are neglectful; the police are useless. Why are there no trustworthy adults in this book? Is the author trying to make a point? Does it simply enhance the sense of isolation of the main characters? Or is there another purpose for this?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause, Freaks: Alive, on the Inside by Annette Curtis Klause, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

Oh. My. Gods.

By Tera Lynn Childs

Ages 12-16


As if it weren’t bad enough that Phoebe’s usually sensible mother has decided to move to Greece to marry a man she’s only known for six days, she is dragging Phoebe along with her, forcing to leave her friends, her school, and her running coach behind. Phoebe is convinced her senior year will be miserable, and that the best she can do is stick it out until graduation and then head back to California for college. To make matters worse, Phoebe didn’t count on one very important detail: her new stepfather is a descendent of the gods. As in Greek gods. As in Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, Ares—those Greek gods. And he is the headmaster of a boarding school that was specifically created to educate those with godly blood. Now, not only is Phoebe the only new student, she is also the only student who is not related to a god, and that makes her mighty unpopular. Her new stepsister, Stella, hates her and on the day they meet she magically breaks Phoebe’s backpack and turns her dinner into slugs. How is a girl supposed to fit in a place where everyone can make things happen simply by pointing their finger? Not to mention the boy she is crushing on from her track team, Griffin, seems to absolutely despise her lack of magical blood. This school year will be much harder than Phoebe could have ever imagined.

Phoebe’s willingness to chase Griffin when he is so visibly derisive toward her is a little disturbing. Furthermore, her willingness to forgive him for his participation in a cruel bet that has her the brunt of a joke makes Phoebe more doormat than strong female character. Stella’s sudden turnaround is also a little fishy. It will be interesting to see in the sequel, Goddess Boot Camp, whether or not this is a real transformation.

This novel is a bit of a Harry Potter clone (a magical boarding school no one knows about, groups are determined by which god is your ancestor, and great prejudice against kakos or those without god blood), but fun nonetheless. Readers will figure out the “surprise” ending about forty pages in, but the book is still a decent choice for a mindless vacation read. Nothing terribly profound or meaningful in these pages, and the conflicts between the characters are resolved a little too easily, but the story is compelling enough to make it worthwhile.



Caveats: the main character chases after a boy who is quite cruel to her.

Possible discussion topics: relationships, Greek mythology

Some discussion questions to get you started:

1. Griffin is really cruel to Phoebe. Why on earth does she chase him? Is this a good idea? What would you do in her place?

2. Ancestors determine all of the cliques at the school on Serfopoula. If that were true, who would be your ancestor? (Aphrodite: love, lust, beauty; Artemis: hunting, wild things; Dionysus: parties/festivals; Hermes: flight, thieves, mischief,

3. Troy is descended from Askilopus, the god of healing, but he doesn’t want to go into medicine, he wants to pursue his music. How much do you think genetics plays a role in who we become? How about destiny?

4. Phoebe has to start her senior year at a new school, in a new country, and to top it all off everyone around her is descended from the gods. Talk about feeling like an outsider! When have you felt out of place? What did you do to solve that problem? Did you ever end up feeling like you fit in?

If you liked this you might like: Avalon High by Meg Cabot, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

Tangled

By Carolyn Mackler

Ages 16-18



Jena is a bubbly, curvy, effusive girl who collects quotations and desperately hopes that she will find a guy that likes her despite what she sees as her physical imperfections.

Dakota is a jock. On the baseball team and the wrestling squad, this gorgeous teen can do no wrong. But he can’t seem to get along with either of his divorced parents or his nerdy little brother. Dakota has suffered an intense personal loss, and the way he responds to his grief can be destructive to those around him.

Skye is a stunning half Brazilian, half Caucasian actress who seems to have it all. But now all the things that once were important to her no longer matter. She is hiding something ugly beneath her beautiful exterior.

Owen is a shy computer geek—much more at home composing entries for his blog, “Loser With a Laptop,” than interacting with other people. Plus his overprotective mother can’t seem to let go.

Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen seem to have nothing in common, except for the fact that they are all trapped together in Paradise, a five-star resort in the Caribbean. Their interaction on the island sets forth a chain of events that forces the teens into self-examination and leaves none of them unchanged. Told from the point of view of each of the four characters, Mackler’s insightful novel is thought provoking and well written and presents an honest account of what it’s like to be a teenager today.


Discussion points: suicide, relationships, Internet relationships vs. “real” relationships, body image, sex

Caveats: semi-explicit sex scenes, bad language

Discussion questions to get you started:

1. In Jena’s story, we get a distinct idea of what kind of people Skye and Dakota are. How does this picture change once we hear their sides of the story? How does it stay the same? Are Dakota and Skye more sympathetic or less sympathetic characters once you hear the story from their point of view?

2. Jena expresses a negative body image and she is self-conscious about her personality. How is this different from the way the other three characters see her? What does this say about how we might see ourselves as opposed to the way others see us?

3. Owen’s mother wishes him to experience the “real world” as opposed to a virtual world of blogging and Internet relationships. Does she have a valid concern? Is there a difference between online friendships and real-life friendships? Is one better than the other?

4. Skye seems to have it all: looks, an awesome career, money. But she’s not happy. What does that say about what makes us happy in this world?

5. This story is written from the point of view of all four characters. Why might the author have made that choice? What do you think are some of the benefits of this format? Some of the weaknesses?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares, Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Knife of Never Letting Go

By Patrick Ness

Ages 15-18

In thirty days Todd Hewett will be a man. On that day—his thirteenth birthday—there will be no more boys in Prentisstown. In fact, there will be no more children because Todd Hewett was the last boy born, and there are no women or girls left alive. Despite the school being shut down and history deemed irrelevant, everyone in Prentisstown knows the story of how when the settlers came to this new planet they encountered the alien inhabitants who infected them with a germ that killed all the women. But the germ that killed the women had a very different affect upon the men: it caused them to be able to hear one another’s thoughts…all their thoughts. There is nothing private, nothing secret, just constant, invasive Noise.

Then Todd encounters a hole in the Noise—a place where there is nothing, just silence. This discovery will put him in more danger than he has ever experienced in his life. Todd flees Prentisstown with his loyal talking dog, Manchee, as well as an unexpected companion he meets on his journey. The more distance he puts between himself and Prentisstown, the more he discovers he has been lied to his whole life about the history and nature of his community. He will soon discover the truth about the nature of power and what it means to be a man.

Full of violence and heartbreak, The Knife of Never Letting Go will grab hold of you and take you on a painful, emotional, amazing journey of a boy trying to navigate his way to adulthood. Todd, unsure of himself and unsure of his place in the world, is denied a proper man-making ceremony. So, is he a man? How does he determine who his friends are? How can he know who he is when everyone else’s thoughts are constantly seeping into his brain? And what does a person do when he has no place left to run?

Full of breathtaking action, this is a bildungsroman like we’ve never seen before, and the cliffhanger ending will leave the reader trembling with anticipation for the sequel.


Discussion points: gender roles, omnipresence of technology, coming-of-age

Caveats: violence, bad language, sexual references, the villain is a pastor/priest, cruelty to animals

Questions to get you started:

1. Patrick Ness said of The Knife of Never Letting Go, “Information is absolutely everywhere today—texts and e-mails and messaging—so much it feels like you can’t get away from it. I began to wonder what it would be like to be in a town where you really couldn’t get away.” Is this true for you? Do you feel like all the information, social networking, and technological communication options are Noise?

2. What does it mean that men are Noisy and women are silent? Why do you think Ness chose these roles for the genders? How would you feel if someone could hear everything you though, but you couldn’t hear anything they thought. How would you respond?

3. Todd struggles with what it means to be a man? What do you think this book says about a person’s journey to adulthood? Given this, do you think Todd is a man at the end of this book or not?

4. This community is a group of settlers from a planet presumed to be Earth. Does the fact the characters come from our culture (in the future, of course) add or detract from the believability of the story? Would it have been better if Ness had made the setting an undefined fantasy setting? Or does the connection to Earth help us understand their plight better?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: Feed by M.T. Anderson, Wine of the Dreamers by John D. McDonald, Dragonsdawn by Anne McCaffrey, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Creature of the Night

By Kate Thompson

Ages 15-18

Bobby is a despicable human being…but the reader will still want to see him to find redemption and success. Therein lies the contradictory beauty of this brief novel by Kate Thompson. Thompson has created a story that offers a masterful juxtaposition of the story of a troubled teen and the fading mythology of fairies in Ireland.

14-year-old Bobby is on a one-way street that will inevitably end with him in jail or a grave. He lives with his volatile 28-year-old mother and his sensitive baby brother, Dennis. The novel begins as the three of them have just left Dublin to live in the country. Bobby’s mother claims that the move is to get him away from “bad influence friends,” but she also has demons she is trying to escape. Bobby is not pleased to leave the city. He is a part of his older cousin’s gang, and he loves everything they do: stealing cars, doing drugs, vandalizing…anything that defies authority. Life in the country is simpler: people trust one another, family is all-important, and people laugh more. But there is darkness below the surface. The cottage Bobby’s family rents has a mysterious history: the original couple who lived there supposedly had a changeling child. No one ever saw this girl, but people heard her shrieking in the night. It is commonly believed that the girl’s parents murdered her in the end; they were both put in prison. And now the man who previously rented the cottage has disappeared, leaving behind his car and all of his belongings. When Bobby’s family arrives they are encouraged to put out milk for the fairy folk, but Bobby and his mother believe that to be a silly superstition and they refuse. Bobby’s little brother, Dennis, begins to behave strangely: He puts out the milk his mother and brother refuse to put out, and he speaks of a little old woman who comes in through the dog door. Despite the eeriness of this claim, Bobby can’t be bothered to think about supernatural goings on; he is on a mission to hotwire the car left behind by the previous tenant and hightail it back to Dublin. But the people he thinks are waiting for him back in Dublin don’t really care whether or not he returns, and he discovers in this little community people who are willing to trust him and want to see him succeed despite himself. He discovers a love for something besides the debauchery that is pulling him toward the country. But will horror of the creature of the night keep Bobby from staying in a place where he has the opportunity for a real future? And who is the creature of the night?

This thin book doesn’t have in-your-face bone-chilling horror, nor does it offer an unrealistic portrayal of miraculous turnaround in Bobby’s character. What it does demonstrate is subtle old-world creepiness and real-life redemption of a broken person—not perfect, but full of hope. Slightly shivery, beautifully written, and incredibly insightful, The Creature of the Night will make readers hope for the best in people and will encourage them to continue to believe in fairies.

Discussion points: choices, folklore, the nature of grace

Caveats: language, drugs, violence, allusions to teen sex

Questions to get you started:

1. Bobby is a very unlikable character. Despite that, did you enjoy the book? Do you need to like a character in order to like a book? Were there things about Bobby you liked? Were there things about Bobby you could relate to?

2. This is a book of juxtapositions: new world/old world, nature/technology, country/city. Is Thompson saying one way of life is better than another?

3. At the end of the book Bobby reveals a bit about his life and how he is doing. Do you find this ending believable? Is it a happy ending? Would you have preferred the book end another way?

4. Who or what do you think “the creature of the night” is? Is it the little woman? And if so, who or what do you think she is? If you don’t think the title refers to her, who or what else could it refer to?

If you liked this book you might enjoy: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Skellig by David Almond, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones.