Cirque Du Freak: Tunnels of Blood

Cirque Du Freak: Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan
Shan, D. (2003). Cirque du freak: tunnels of blood. New York: Little Brown.
ISBN: 0316607630

Plot

Tunnels of Blood is Book 3 in the series. Half-vampire Darren Shan has made a friend in the Cirque du Freak, Evra. They travel together with Mr. Crepsley to his home town. There, Darren meets a girl, Debbie, and starts dating her. By night, he is a vampire's assistant. By day, he is a normal boy dating a girl. When there are reports of bodies being found under the city, drained of blood, Evra and Darren decide to investigate. They trail Mr. Crespley at night and accidentally thwart his effort to dispose of a murderous vampire named Murlough. Murlough is a member of the Vampaneze. The Vampaneze are vampires who drink blood to the death of the human, unlike Darren and Mr. Crespley. Darren, Evra and Mr.Crespley set a trap for the crazed Murlough. Mr. Crespley will attempt to kill him. Darren is conflicted when he realizes that he is putting Debbie in danger. He must make a painful decision about the relationship.

Critical Evaluation

This is Book 3 in the series which means it completes the first trilogy. The series is written in 4 trilogies. The Vampanese are introduced in this book. They will become significant players in the story. This installment of the series is more bloody than the first book. This story becomes progressively more bloody with each book. However, the same thrilling pace is maintained. The story is told in vivid detail and is both thrilling and horrifying.

Readers Annotation

Darren Shan is a young boy who falls into a world of terror after he visits a freak show one night. This tale is as frightening as it is engrossing. Readers will find the third book in this series as thrilling and terrifying as the first two.

About the Author

Darren O'Shaughnessy is an Irish writer who writes under the name "Darren Shan." He was born in 1972 in London. Writing is a life-long love for him. He has been writing stories ever since he was a teenager. He worked in television before he was published. he is best known for the Cirque du Freak series of 12 books, which was originally published in The Saga of Darren Shan in the UK and Ireland. The Cirque du Freak series has become phenomenally popular with young adult readers.

Genre: Fanasy/Science Fiction, Horror

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: Trust, betrayal and friendship.

Reading Level: Grade 6+
Interest Level: Grade 4+
Challenge Issues: Violence. The violence in this story moves the plot. It is not gratuitous. This book could be defended on the basis of the number of well-respected book lists it appears upon and favorable reviews from well-respected sources.

This book is included because it is fun, exciting, well-written and popular with tweens.

Cirque Du Freak

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
Shan, D. (2001). Cirque du freak. New York: Little Brown
ISBN: 0439368766

Plot

Two boys, Darren Shan and his friend Steve, attend a strange show called "Cirque du Freak." Later, Steve sneaks back to the show and asks the vampire, Mr. Crepsley, to change him into a vampire. Mr. Crepsley refuses on the basis that Steve has "bad blood." Darren also sneaks back to the circus to steal the performing spider. The spider ends up biting Steve and putting him in a coma. The only way to save Steve, is for Darren to become Mr. Crepsley's assistant. Darren becomes a half-vampire, which Steve believes is his right. As Darren learns follow the vampire way, Steve swears revenge on his friend.

Critical Evaluation

This story is face-paced and thrilling. The writing is compelling. There is violence in this book, but it is not gratuitous. The author writes in the first person. Shan describes in believable and vivid detail what it means to become a vampire. But the central theme of the first book in this series is betrayal. This book is truly scary. It is Book 1 in a series of 12 volumes.

Readers Annotation

Darren Shan is a young boy who falls into a world of terror after he visits a freak show one night. This tale is as frightening as it is engrossing. Readers will fall into this world of terror along with Darren and be carried away on a terrifying thrill ride.

About the Author

Darren O'Shaughnessy is an Irish writer who writes under the name "Darren Shan." He was born in 1972 in London. Writing is a life-long love for him. He has been writing stories ever since he was a teenager. He worked in television before he was published. he is best known for the Cirque du Freak series of 12 books, which was originally published in The Saga of Darren Shan in the UK and Ireland. The Cirque du Freak series has become phenomally popular with young adult readers.

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction, Horror

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: Would you become a vampire if it was the only way to save your best friend?

Reading Level: Grade 6+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Violence. The violence in this story moves the plot. It is not gratuitous. This book could be defended on the basis of the number of well-respected book lists it appears upon and favorable reviews from well-respected sources.

This book is included because it is a great read and very popular with tweens.

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book (1st ed.). New York: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780060530921

Plot
When a toddler's family is murdered by a mysterious, knife wielding stranger named Jack, he wanders off into a graveyard where he is adopted by the ghostly denizens there. The kindly Owens couple give him his name: Nobody Owens. Bod has to learn how to navigate his environment as a living person. He meets a living girl named Scarlett when he is 4 and she is 5. They visit the tomb of the ancients and encounter the frightening Sleer. Scarlett moves away. His guardian, Silas (a wise vampire-like creature), leaves him at 6 in the care of a woman named Miss Lupescu who later proves to be a werewolf and saves him from the underworld of ghouls. He develops a crush on a ghost in potter's field named Liza when he is 8. He ventures into the living town to sell a broach stolen from the ancient tomb to purchase a proper gravestone for her. There he encounters evil and barely escapes. He is sent back out into the world at 13 to attend school. But he uses his graveyard skills to right injustices there and exposes himself as dangerously different and strange. He returns to the graveyard and continues his education there until Scarlett returns one day. She begins to piece together the mystery of what happened to his family. Scarlett and Bod are confronted by Jack and his evil cohorts from a secret society named the "Jack of All Trades." They run to the graveyard, where Bod must try to outsmart the Jacks to save Scarlett and himself. In the process, he will lose something he never knew he needed.

Critical Evaluation

The Graveyard Book is truly scary novel. It is beautifully written. It is, at heart, a coming-of-age story, where the protagonist has to go through painful trials to grow into a man. Beyond that, it is just a great story. It is suspenseful, inventive, creepy, exciting and funny all at once. Gaiman is a masterful storyteller. This book is written at a level appropiate for tweens. It is very scary, however, so it is not for everyone. This story won the Newbery Medal in 2008.

Readers Annotation

Except for the fact that he is being raised by ghosts in a graveyard and that his family was murdered by a heinous slasher and that his life is in danger from the same man and that his name is Nobody, Bod is a normal boy. This is the supernatural, mysterious, scary and, sometimes, humorous telling of his journey through this strange upbringing to his emergence in the equally scary living world. This book is a suspense-filled thrill ride.

About the Author

Neil Gaiman was born in England in 1960 and raised in West Sussex. As a young person he read C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Edgar Allen Poe, among others. His writing career began as a journalist. He then moved on to graphic novels and produced the popular and award winning Sandman series. His books for children include the New York Times bestselling Coraline. He currently resides in Minneapolis and is a divorced father of three.

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction, Horror

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: Facing fears

Reading Level: Grade 5+
Interest Level: Grade 5+
Challenge Issues: The Supernatural, Murder. I would defend this book on the basis that the ghosts represent something more than just manifestations of supernatural beings. The depiction of the murder is probably not something I would want anyone under the age of 13 or so reading. But, it is beautifully written and it is the Newbery Medal winner.

This book is included because it is a great, scary story that just happened to win the Newbery Medal.