Gr 8 Up–Liv went through more than mere pubescent changes on her 13th birthday, and as time goes on, she only feels like her true self when she is in the woods. While struggling to determine what really happened to her that fateful night, Liv, now 17, also grapples with being estranged from her parents, dating a boy they would not approve of, and keeping her best friend's secrets. Once she learns the truth–that she is a werewolf–Liv must determine where she really fits. Does she belong with her pack or can she make things work with the guy she loves? While many of the werewolf traits are reminiscent of Stephenie Meyer's “Twilight” series (Little, Brown), the similarities end there. Block's focus is not so much on the fact that Liv is a werewolf, but rather on how she deals with this information and how it impacts those she cares about. There are issues of friendship, difficulties with parents, questions about a love relationship, and even an underlying mystery about a string of serial murders that take place in Liv's beloved woods. Block does a nice job of weaving all these elements into a solid story that makes a quick but engaging read for fans of supernatural fiction. Reluctant readers will enjoy this story as well because of its pacing and manageable chapters.–Gina Bowling, South Gibson County High School, Medina, TN. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From
Red-haired Olivia doesn’t look like her parents and is locked in typical teen struggles with their values. But things aren’t normal otherwise. Liv’s hair is embarrassingly rich on every part of her body—even her toes—and her police-chief dad hasn’t been able to solve the brutal murders of four hunters in the local woods. Readers will figure out that Liv is a werewolf several chapters before she does, and Block’s spin on modern werewolf lore includes a dose of small-minded, small-town meanness that Liv—with a black boyfriend, a gay best friend who commits suicide, and a mom who is fashion sensitive and emotionally shallow—must deal with. From another writer, this would be passing fare for the magical-creature hungry, but missing here are Block’s insouciant and pithy dialogue, her usual stellar balancing of scene and action, and other hallmarks that readers adore in—and expect from—her writing. Werewolf fans will accept this, as will those who consume anything by a favorite author, but this is a mere a gateway to Block’s more creative titles. Grades 9-12. --Francisca Goldsmith
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From School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up–Liv went through more than mere pubescent changes on her 13th birthday, and as time goes on, she only feels like her true self when she is in the woods. While struggling to determine what really happened to her that fateful night, Liv, now 17, also grapples with being estranged from her parents, dating a boy they would not approve of, and keeping her best friend's secrets. Once she learns the truth–that she is a werewolf–Liv must determine where she really fits. Does she belong with her pack or can she make things work with the guy she loves? While many of the werewolf traits are reminiscent of Stephenie Meyer's “Twilight” series (Little, Brown), the similarities end there. Block's focus is not so much on the fact that Liv is a werewolf, but rather on how she deals with this information and how it impacts those she cares about. There are issues of friendship, difficulties with parents, questions about a love relationship, and even an underlying mystery about a string of serial murders that take place in Liv's beloved woods. Block does a nice job of weaving all these elements into a solid story that makes a quick but engaging read for fans of supernatural fiction. Reluctant readers will enjoy this story as well because of its pacing and manageable chapters.–Gina Bowling, South Gibson County High School, Medina, TN. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From
Red-haired Olivia doesn’t look like her parents and is locked in typical teen struggles with their values. But things aren’t normal otherwise. Liv’s hair is embarrassingly rich on every part of her body—even her toes—and her police-chief dad hasn’t been able to solve the brutal murders of four hunters in the local woods. Readers will figure out that Liv is a werewolf several chapters before she does, and Block’s spin on modern werewolf lore includes a dose of small-minded, small-town meanness that Liv—with a black boyfriend, a gay best friend who commits suicide, and a mom who is fashion sensitive and emotionally shallow—must deal with. From another writer, this would be passing fare for the magical-creature hungry, but missing here are Block’s insouciant and pithy dialogue, her usual stellar balancing of scene and action, and other hallmarks that readers adore in—and expect from—her writing. Werewolf fans will accept this, as will those who consume anything by a favorite author, but this is a mere a gateway to Block’s more creative titles. Grades 9-12. --Francisca Goldsmith