Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
So, it's the FIRST of I don't know how many Friday the 13th's of 2017. Are you scared yet? Yeah....
...me neither.
All the hype about the day is built on superstition, old wives tales, and a multi-million dollar empire that allows Hollywood to bring the scares to the big and small screens near us...not complaining, just saying. However, that same hype invites us to bring out the SPOOKY, SCARY and otherwise UNUSUAL at different points throughout the year to keep things interesting, and that's exactly what I plan to do today...especially since as I type this I'm not in the best of moods. (Work drama from a day or two ago. Let's just say that if I were in Cyn's shoes right now, Mr. Gabriel would have to seriously worry....)
Today's featured title is the first in a planned-set-but-perhaps-with-room-for-growth series from author Michelle Knudsen. You may recall a giveaway for this very title being held right here a mere week or so ago, the winner of which should be receiving their copy very soon, and at that time, I hadn't finished my own read through of the work. Now...I'M DONE and ready to share with the world...you being my entry point to doing so. *wink* So, if you're ready for a crazy walk through a high school where your worries are (or at least should be) greater than your score on the next test or what to wear on your date Friday night, join me as we take on...
The Evil Librarian
by
Michelle Knudsen
9780763676407
Candlewick Press
About the book...
He’s young. He’s hot. He’s also evil. He’s . . . the librarian.
When Cynthia Rothschild’s best friend, Annie, falls head over heels for the new high-school librarian, Cyn can totally see why. He’s really young and super cute and thinks Annie would make an excellent library monitor. But after meeting Mr. Gabriel, Cyn realizes something isn’t quite right. Maybe it’s the creepy look in the librarian’s eyes, or the weird feeling Cyn gets whenever she’s around him. Before long Cyn realizes that Mr. Gabriel is, in fact . . . a demon. Now, in addition to saving the school musical from technical disaster and trying not to make a fool of herself with her own hopeless crush, Cyn has to save her best friend from the clutches of the evil librarian, who also seems to be slowly sucking the life force out of the entire student body! From best-selling author Michelle Knudsen, here is the perfect novel for teens who like their horror served up with a bit of romance, plenty of humor, and some pretty hot guys (of both the good and evil variety).
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An EVIL librarian?
What is the world coming too!
Okay, so I know this is Dean Winchester, but
when I typed in 'evil librarian' for a pic on Google,
he came up. Can you really blame me for
choosing it? ;)
This was one crazy whirlwind of a read, sort of a cross between Buffy and High School Musical. Sounds odd, right? Hang on, let me explain. Cyn (aka Cynthia) is our leading lady off stage and on paper. She's your typical high school girl with a penchant for theater but less spotlight and more tech department. This year, she's in charge of making the most memorable Sweeney Todd chair/moment audiences have ever seen and that's just what she intends to do, if she can keep her head about her. Quite literally...
You see not only does out girl Cyn have to deal with class schedules, homework, and her own raging hormones, but she has the additional task of waking her best friend up from whatever spell the new librarian has put her under...and I do mean THAT quite literally as well. Mr. Gabriel is his name and while that might make you envision sweet singing cherubs flying about with cupid arrows aimed at your heart, the only arrows flying around him would be tipped in poison. How could this hottie with a brain be anything but a god send to bookish girls everywhere? Maybe because he is in fact a demon...yep. I said it, a demon....with wings, horns and a plan to win the throne of the underworld, after a little teenage snack. *gulp* The only things stopping him...the opening night of Sweeney Todd (because apparently every demon worth his salt-substitute likes a good production of the demonic barber's tale) and Cyn. Good luck Cyn...you're gonna need it. *-*
Seriously though, Cyn's character was dead on for everyday teenage drama complete with mood swings, belief in the power of friendship, and hardcore crushes. The moments she packs away in her memory files outside of fun with Annie, all feature Ryan in a starring role. He's a dish, we get it, and his lack of disbelief in our girl after all the crazy starts being dished out (though it is hard to disbelief a statement like "our new librarian is a demon" when you happen upon what they happen upon) definitely wins him points for coolness, but there were definitely a few moments where I was ready to smack him down for stupidity (along with Aaron who was a total surprise!). I know, I know, teenage boy and all, but seriously...after all that happened he was going to...until she...and then they...ugh! It was enough to drive you right back to your teen years so you could pop into the high school and glare menacingly at him from afar. (What? You though I'd fight him or something? SO not my style...) Annie was another contender for the what-were-you-thinking award but at least she was blinded by love...well, sorta...and those blinders were definitely off when her new "home" came into view. ~shudders~
In the end, it was one H*LL of a read (sorry, couldn't resist with the subject matter and all!). We had humor, snark, teenage feelings all over the place, a dreamy librarian (if you ignore the demonic part), and a whole lot of YOU GO GIRL confidence found by our own super-roach (inside joke, read it and find out), Cyn. So if you're a YA reader or beyond looking for an awesome read this Friday the 13th or any day for that matter, I definitely recommend this title...just maybe buy a copy at your local bookstore or try to locate it in the stacks on your own, not that there are any REAL evil librarians to contend with...
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About the author....
Photo Credit: Alvaro Keding
Michelle Knudsen is a New York Times best-selling author of 45 books for young readers, including board books, picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. Her best-known book to date is the award-winning picture book Library Lion, which has been translated into fourteen languages, is currently being performed as a musical stage production in Israel and South Africa, and was selected by Time Magazine as one of the Best 100 Children's Books of All Time. She is also the author of the Trelian trilogy of fantasy novels (The Dragon of Trelian, The Princess of Trelian, and The Mage of Trelian) and the young adult novel Evil Librarian, which was awarded the 2015 Sid Fleischman Award for Humor. Her most recent picture book is Marilyn's Monster (Candlewick, March 2015), illustrated by the wonderful Matt Phelan. Next up is the YA sequel REVENGE OF THE EVIL LIBRARIAN, coming on Valentine's Day 2017. Michelle also works as a freelance editor and writing teacher, and is a member of the Writing for Young People MFA faculty at Lesley University. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
SITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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Special thanks to Raquel at Candlewick Press for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, please feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now with BOOK 2, Revenge of the Evil Librarian, on it's way very soon! Stay tuned...
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!