The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even

Believable? Nope, not even as far as vampires go. Quirky? Yup. Funny? Yup. Entertaining? Yes,every bit of this quick and light read is wholly engrossing. Yet, there isn't much to this YA book from Julie Kenner. It reads a lot like her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom books. The main character, Beth is a sixteen year old borderline geek who gets bitten by a studly vampire and made into a cheerleader type overnight. Beth doesn't take too kindly to this messing up her grades and possible college application. She and a cast of fun secondary characters embark on a plan to get revenge upon her football hero vampire master and thereby make herself human again. This book was definately worth the read and I expect to get the next installment soon. show more However, a word of warning...apparently 'Good Ghouls Do' leaves some cliffhangers also, and according to Julie Kenner's website, there are no plans to make a third installment. This scares me off a little, but I'm one book in, I figure I will read the next one too. show less

Sixteen year old Beth Frasier is a junior in high school and has one goal in mind - to get into a great college and become a Hollywood director. She's already gotten early admission to one college, but her goal is the Tisch School at NYU. To get in she needs a perfect college application. She already has the grades, but she needs some more extra curricular activities. She aims for the drill team, but the cheerleading squad wants her to join. Not only that, but the star quarterback, Stephen Wills wants to meet her after school. She thinks he wants to ask her out on a date, but he has something else in mind and turns her into a vampire. He has his reasons and if she doesn't do what he wants, he threatens to make her undead forever. Beth show more wants revenge and she, along with her friends Jenny and Clayton, sets out to get that revenge.

"The Good Ghouls Guide to Getting Even" is a nicely done young adults novel. Beth narrates it and author Julie Kenner does a good job of capturing Beth's voice. Beth is a well written and believable character - extremely intelligent, high achieving, not part of the popular crowd, and determined to not only be class valedictorian, but to get into her dream college. While she is excelling in school, her home life is a mess - her parents are divorced and she is shuttling back and forth from living with her mother to living with her father, both of whom are too wrapped up in themselves to pay attention to her, a situation which makes her a more real and sympathetic character. Her friend Jenny is one of the best characters in the book, a good friend, unpopular, but in control over the kids in school in ways they don't even know. Beth's rival for class valedictorian, Clayton Greene, plays an integral part in the book and is another nice character. The popular students - Stephen Wills and his friends and the cheerleaders - all seem like cliches at first, but that changes when the vampire elements come into the book. The vampire parts are okay; Kenner has to explain how the vampires can attend high school during the day and it works but isn't quite believable. In fact, with everything going on at the high school, it's kind of hard to believe the teachers and other adults have no idea there is something going on. Still, the idea of vampires taking over a high school is a fun concept and good reading.

"The Good Ghouls Guide to Getting Even" is part of a new series and ends in a cliffhanger. The next book Good Ghouls Do is now available. show less

Opening Sentence: '..."If he weren't already dead, I swear I would kill Stephen Wills...'

School brain, Beth, is very annoyed - she has been turned into a vampire by Stephen Wills, the high school's star football player. At first she was thrilled that he was paying attention to her - but now she is out for revenge.

You would think that her parents would notice that she has developed nocturnal habits, and shuns food and drink. But luckily for Beth her parents are divorced and so engrossed in their own lives that they haven't noticed she is going through a major crisis. Beth's best friend, Jenny, is on her side. So is High School trainee vampire killer, Clayton, after he failed to stake her. According to Clayton, Beth can get her 'life' show more back if she kills her "master" the person who created her. Problem is that a vampire can't stake their Master and once Beth drinks from a living person, she is doomed for eternity. Worse, college aged vampire hunters are in the immediate area and she doesn't want to get herself staked.

Is the first in a series - and the open ending of the book gave that away - but I am not sure I would go out of my way to get any more but I would read one if the chance presented it.

is very light and fluffy - good for teens - aimed at teens. It is not a great piece of work - but is a pleasant way to pass a Sunday afternoon. show less

Beth's life is going pretty good, if you don't include the parental portion, she is set for the college of her choice. But just to be sure she needs that special extracurricular activity. That is probably why she really did not take the time to really analyze that invitation to become a cheerleader. And when the offer was sweetened by the presence of Steven Wills, her secret crush, well she just could not resist. But, when she wakes up dead the next day. Well, let's just say she is not pleased. She may be a vampire but that is not going to stop her from achieving her goals, one of which now is getting even with all the vamps and vamp wannabes who tricked her. She and her friends also have a more serious goal, getting Beth back to human. show more This book is funny and entertaining. Looking forward to the sequel. show less

At first I thought this book was going to be too cheesy to finish, but I ended up getting some enjoyment out of the over-the-top-ness. In fact, I'm going to read the sequel, but this will never be on any of my "favorite" book lists.

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Beth Fasier should have noticed all the signs that were around her. She should have trusted her gut that something was wrong, but instead she just ignored it.

Beginning her junior year, Beth had everything she had worked for. From the possibility of being valedictorian of her class to getting closer to being able to go to school at NYU. But if only Beth hadn't worked so hard, then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be where she is today.

It all began when Beth decided to try out for the drill team, only to make her activities seem well-rounded. Unfortunately, Beth didn't make it since Tamara, a very popular cheerleader, told the coach to not let Beth on the team. Tamara had show more a different motive -- she wanted Beth to be on the cheerleader squad. Right then Beth should have known that something was wrong, but instead, when hearing that hottie Stephen Wills was going to be at one of the cheer practices, Beth knew she had to go. After all, it is Stephen Wills.

Turns out Stephen had asked Tamara to put Beth on the team, since he's had his eye on her for awhile. Of course, Beth was flattered, and when Stephen asked her out on a date Beth just couldn't say no. But when the most popular guy asks someone like Beth out on a date, she should have known that something was just not right.

It was too late for Beth, though, since on her date, Stephen bites Beth -- making her a fellow member of the undead.

Beth's life is over as she knows it, until her academic enemy, Clayton, tell hers that there is a possible chance for her to turn back into her usual self. But can Beth muster up the strength to actually do it?

Known for her books on the paranormal, Julie Kenner puts her own twist on what seems to be a hot topic in most teen novels, vampires. THE GOOD GHOULS' GUIDE TO GETTING EVEN may seem like another typical vampire story, but as the book gets going, readers will begin to notice that this novel is different from the rest of the pack. Fans of the undead will not be disappointed in Julie Kenner's new novel. Be sure to watch out for the sequel, GOOD GHOULS DO, which releases in October. show less

Beth Frasier is on the right track. She is editor of the school newspaper, has a great best friend, and is lined up to the be valedictorian of her senior class. Her life has been so focused on academics though that she doesn't feel like she has enough variety on her transcript to attract the great film schools that she wants to be accepted to. In order to remedy this she trys out for an empty spot on the drill team. She is devasted when she finds out she doesn't get the spot. She is totally shocked though when she is approached by the head cheerleader and told that she didn't make drill team because the cheer squad wanted her to join their squad instead. Reluctantly, she agrees. In part because she finds out that Stephen Wills, the hot, show more star quarterback, is going to be at her first practice. She wants to have the opportunity to hang out with him. She totally ends up regretting her decision.It turns out that Stephen and most of the football team are vampires. He wants Beth to become one as well so she can work on the problem of vampires being in the sunlight. If she doesn't find a solution to the sunlight problem, Stephen says there is no reason to keep her around so she is working on a timeline with no idea how to even start.Beth is very upset over the whole situation. The fact that she isn't able to walk around during the day like everyone else really has hampered her life plans. She fights her desires to feed from her mother by getting her hands on some blood bags from her father who is a doctor at the hospital. With the help of her best friend and an unlikely ally, Clayton who has been her arch rival at school, she comes up with a plan to get rid of Stephen and attempt to return her to her normal self.If you like this story, check out the sequal, Good Ghouls Do which is already out. show less