Spring break officially started this afternoon and "A taste for red" is the first book I've read for pleasure since the Christmas break. I'm off to a great start. This book is quick and funny. The main character, Stephanie a.k.a. Svetlana, is smart and funny. I thought this was going to be another vampire story, but it has a twist. There is action and some violence, but I think this book is appropriate for sixth grade. I look forward to recommending this to students, especially girls that are looking for comedy & action. Another book I obtained from Amazon Vine. This is just a little slip of a book but it was an entertaining read.Svetlana is different from other kids. She only eats red things and likes to sleep under her bed; oh and she can hear people's thoughts. Ms. Larch also only eats red things but to Svetlana Larch smells like the worst of all rotting things. Then three girls at school go missing and Svetlana is convinced that Ms. Larch is involved. Can Svetlana find out the truth before it is too late?When I started reading this book I wasn't that taken with it but as the story progressed I liked it more and more. Svetlana is like so many young adult girls you read about, she has an attitude problem and is a loner. Oddly enough she is transitioning from being home-schooled at the beginning of the book (just like the character in another book I read called Wings). It is a cute little story and Svetlana is a like-able character.The book was fast-paced and interesting. I didn't find Svetlana's buddies or enemies to really be all that engaging. Svetlana was a good character and I liked her neighbor Mrs. Bones. Svetlana's plucky attitude put me in mind of other books with outstanding child geniuses in them (Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, Book 1), Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie). Still it was a good opening book. I think this could be a very entertaining series and I do hope we see more books about Svetlana. This is also a book that could be read to younger children; it has some entertaining humor in it and doesn't take itself too seriously.I will be keeping my eye out for other books about Svetlana Grimm; she could be a riot to read about as she goes on a mission to destroy all things unnatural and evil.
What do You think about Rouge Vampire (2012)?
A funny, very sarcastic vampire story--not too much gore, and some great middle school issues!
—Moka
