More Vampire High!

Rees, Douglas. Vampire High: Sophomore Year.
Finally! With all of the craziness this summer, I did not get a copy of Vampire High: Sophomore Year right when it came out, which was horrible. I had students asking for it the first day of school.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, you should pick that up, since it sets up the story of Cody Elliot attending the Vlad Dracul Magnet School and learning about the existence of jenti is his new hometown. Not vampires, mind you-- that's a rude word to them, even though they do drink blood. They just are much more refined and don't attack people. Cody becomes a gadge (nonvampire) success at the school and even starts dating Ileana, a jenti princess.

Sophomore year starts a little differently for Cody, because his cousin Turk, who is at odds with her parents (and the world in general) shows up to live with Cody's family. Turk is an artist who locates a building in the forbidden town of Crossfield, which is abandoned because it was the site of jenti persecution. With the help of Cody's former nemesis, Gregor, the building is renovated and turned into an art center, but its success is impeded by the controversy surrounding its location. Secrets arise concerning the enmity between the Mercians (the family of Cody's best friend Justin) and the Burgundians (Ileana's family) which lead to a near war between the two factions.

This is definitely my favorite vampire series. It's witty, engaging, and Rees' plot development is fast-paced and well-developed, which makes it popular with the students. I have six copies of the first title and they are never on the shelf! Goth wannabes will adore the addition of Turk, and Cody's admirers will be glad to see him back. I'm just sorry that I waited as long as I did to read this. My daughter wants a copy of this for Christmas, and I should have bought it the minute it was released!