Coming Soon: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Flavia de Luce is back on the case March 9th in The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. The first book in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, was an ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominee in 2009. Although I've wondered where Sweetness fits along the adult-young adult spectrum, I think Flavia - part detective, part mad scientist - is a character too fun for anyone to miss.

(If you haven't read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, it's now out in paperback.)

A Taste For Red

Svetlana (aka Stephanie) Grimm is not your average 6th-grader, as she will be the first to tell you. And she is certainly not looking forward to life at Sunny Hill Middle School. Sunny Hill??  Not exactly the kind of place a young vampire feels comfortable. Yes, Svetlana is a vampire (or so she thinks) and "being a vampire is a solitary business". But despite her best efforts, she finds herself making friends at her new school, as well as getting to know her elderly neighbor, Lenora Bones. Unfortunately, her mysterious science teacher, Ms. Larch, throws a wrench into things, and when life at Sunny Hill suddenly takes a dark turn, Svetlana must face the reality of who she really is.

A reluctant heroine with a sarcastic sense of humor, Svetlana strikes a chord with the outsider in us all. A Taste for Red is a funny, fast-paced and suspenseful read which has series potential written all over it.

This is Lewis Harris' first book.

Author: Harris, Lewis
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: June 2009