Lewis Harris

In his debut novel, A Taste for Red, Lewis Harris introduces us to Stephanie Grimm, a sophisticated sixth grade girl with a problem. She thinks she's a vampire. It's the only conclusion that can possibly explain her preference for black clothing and taste for red foods, not to mention her desire to sleep underneath her bed. Stephanie even changes her name to Svetlana!

Having been home schooled her whole life, Svetlana is horrified to find herself enrolled in public school. By lunchtime show more Svetlana decides that the popular and perky Sandy Cross and her friends are her adversaries. However, the girls are mere annoyances compared to her new science teacher Ms. Larch.

Although Svetlana sometimes seems wise beyond her years, she is troubled by Ms. Larch, who is able to probe her thoughts and speak inside her mind. Svetlana is beginning to suspect that Ms. Larch is out to kill her. However, no one believes Svetlana, not even her two new friends Dwight and Fumio. Things change rapidly when Sandy and her pals go missing.

Nothing makes sense until The Bone Lady takes Svetlana under her wing. As she begins to discover the secrets of the Circle of Red, Svetlana comes up with a plan. In order to set things right and defeat Ms. Larch, Svetlana must rely on her instincts and learn to trust her new friends.

The Bottom Line: Witty and filled with action, Svetlana and her sidekicks keep the suspense going. This quick paced read is highly recommended for the middle school set. For those reluctant to read vampire stories, don't worry; A Taste for Red is more adventure than horror.

This review appeared in the MiniBookBytes Blog first: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ show less

This one walks a find line between elementary and middle school literature. The narration is very elementary but the supernatural elements and violence are pure middle school. This one may have a tough time finding an audience.

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 show more 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. show less

Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

So, I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I was not in love with this book. I listened to it on audio, and I didn't find myself enjoying it until disc 4...of 4. I found the narrator to be annoying and have too high an opinion of herself, although I enjoyed watching her realize that some of the other children her age would be okay. I also thought that she was overreacting and just having stress from moving, and when that ended up not being the case, show more I was disappointed. I'm sure this book will be popular with kids (it's already gone missing from our library once) but it was not my type of book. show less