Photo: Vania Stoyanova

Libba Bray sure gets around. The last we saw of her she was playing Survivor with a bunch of Beauty Queens (Scholastic, 14–17 years) on a mysterious island; before that she was Going Bovine (Delacorte, 14–17 years) on a crazy road trip across the country accompanied by a dying teenage boy and a guardian angel (and winning the Printz Award for her troubles). With The Diviners (Little, Brown, 14–17 years), Bray enthusiastically throws herself — and readers — into the demi-monde (and other-monde) of 1920s New York City. I take five with the jazz baby.

1. What’s the most useful bit of 1920s slang you’ve picked up?

Libba Bray: If you’re in a “juice joint,” it’s good to know that you can order some “hooch” or “coffin varnish” (just make sure that’s a euphemism and not actual bad booze) so that you can get “ossified” or “blotto.” And if you’re with a “cuddler,” it’s good to know whether it’s “cash or check” (kiss now or kiss later). In general, I love the compliments: “You’re the elephant’s eyebrows and the cat’s particulars!” But that’s because I’m so virtuous, Roger.

2. If you could have a supernatural power, what would it be? Choose carefully.

LB: The ability to finish writing a book on time.

3. In constructing a story that will be told in a series of books, how do you decide where each volume will leave off?

LB: With the book’s main plot arc settled but with plenty of dangling threads to pull us into the next installment. Or around page 578. You know, I’m just going to shoot for page 578 from now on. That’s my marker.

4. What’s the spookiest place in New York City?

LB: Hmmm, besides the inside of my mind? There are lots of options, but I’m going to have to go with the Dakota. Rosemary’s Baby was filmed there for a reason. It looks like a spooky gothic fortress, and I can just imagine it as the home of Satanists bent on raising the Antichrist. They’d have to be the 1% of Satanists, though, because the Dakota is not cheap. (Then again, you’d hate to think that you sold your soul for a fifth-floor walk-up in Queens.)

5. To quote your heroine Evie, “Have you ever known something that you were afraid to tell?”

LB: Yes. Often. Somehow, I manage to put those scary secrets into books.

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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Invisible Inkling: Dangerous Pumpkins by Emily Jenkins picks up the story of fourth-grade Brooklynite Hank Wolowitz and his bandipat friend Inkling (an invisible, endangered, pumpkin-loving creature). It’s almost Halloween, and Hank has no one to trick-or-treat with. He also gets in major trouble with his older sister when voracious Inkling destroys her amazing jack-o’-lanterns (Hank takes the blame). Droll illustrations by Harry Bliss allow readers to see Inkling in all his furry glory even when the characters in the book do not. (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 8–12 years)

Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark & Grimm) presents another folklore takeoff that manages to be both hilarious and macabre at the same time. In a Glass Grimmly follows Princess Jill and her cousin Jack, along with their frog friend, on a quest to find the “seeing glass.” Using only their wits, the three battle hungry giants, scheming mermaids, and other unspeakable creatures before making their way home armed with new knowledge and self-confidence. Both of Gidwitz’s books have lots of kid-appeal; an appended author’s note is useful for readers wanting to know more about the original stories. (Dutton, 10–14 years)

Unbeknownst to anyone else in Sheepsdale, New York, Joshua’s parents are two of the world’s most dastardly supervillains. To Joshua, they’re still Mom and Dad, so when they’re kidnapped, it’s up to him to save the day. Joshua Dread by Lee Bacon features understated, deadpan narration and imaginative details (such as zombies that can be mollified with tofu) that add up to lots of fun. Brandon Dorman’s black-and-white caricature illustrations enhance the comic-book vibe. (Delacorte, 10–14 years)

Candace Fleming’s On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave begins with a near car accident: a teenage boy driving down a deserted road at night almost runs into a young lady—who turns out to be a ghost. He ends up in a graveyard surrounded by other adolescent ghosts who tell the stories of their demise. The tales (which all take place in the Chicago area and span the decades from the 1850s to today) feature plenty of suspense, chills, and, occasionally, some gore—perfect for Halloween ghost-story swapping. (Schwartz & Wade/Random, 10–14 years)

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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More left-of-center fantasy
Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan, HarperTeen, 14–17 years.
The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry, Amulet/Abrams, 14–17 years.
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel, Simon, 12–16 years.
The Infects by Sean Beaudoin, Candlewick, 12–16 years.

Spooks, and ninjas, and vampires—oh my!
Trick or Treat by Leo Landry, Houghton, 3–6 years.
Vampirina Ballerina written by Anne Marie Pace, illus. by LeUyen Pham, Disney-Hyperion, 3–6 years.
Nighttime Ninja written by Barbara DaCosta, illus. by Ed Young, Little, 3–6 years.
Ready for Pumpkins by Kate Duke, Knopf, 3–6 years.

Ghosts and zombies, weirdness and gore
Invisible Inkling: Dangerous Pumpkins by Emily Jenkins, illus. by Harry Bliss, Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 8–12 years.
In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, Dutton, 10–14 years.
Joshua Dread by Lee Bacon, illus. by Brandon Dorman, Delacorte, 10–14 years.
On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming, Schwartz & Wade/Random, 10–14 years.

Diseased bodies, blood, and bones
The Book of Blood: From Legends and Leeches to Vampires and Veins by HP Newquist, Houghton, 9–12 years.
Invincible Microbes: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank, Clarion, 9–12 years.
The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins by Lee R. Berger and Marc Aronson, National Geographic, 9–12 years.
Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World by Sally M. Walker and Douglas W. Owsley, Carolrhoda, 11–14 years.

These titles were featured in the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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These days, scary stories can seem like the default when it comes to children’s and YA fiction, with zombies and dark angels outnumbering even young wizards. I’m hearing this is changing — one editor friend told me of laughing in disbelief that an agent had actually submitted a vampire novel; another said that dystopian novels are liber non grata at her publishing house. But genre fans need not worry: while the undead may soon be dead again, their corpses will continue to haunt the library for new victims. Come on in…

For our monthly book list of titles recommended by the Horn Book – this one just in time for Halloween! — click here.

Roger Sutton
Editor in Chief

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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HP Newquist’s The Book of Blood: From Legends and Leeches to Vampires and Veins provides an intriguing, encyclopedic profile of its subject. The text explores blood’s anthropological importance, presents a history of science and medicine, and provides an examination of human and nonhuman blood (“A cockroach can live without its head for weeks due to the way its blood clots in its neck”), as well as discussion of real and legendary bloodthirsty animals. The tastefully blood-splattered design includes numerous illustrations and sidebars. (Houghton, 9–12 years)

Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank offers readers a scientific explanation of the microbe and medical and social histories of the title disease — a medical scourge through much of human history. The thought that new drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis keep the threat of a new pandemic on the horizon is as chilling as any science-fiction thriller. The authors’ engaging and cohesive account is well supported with compelling archival photographs and illustrations. (Clarion, 9–12 years)

Paleontologist Lee R. Berger, working near Johannesburg, South Africa (often accompanied by his young son, Matthew), has made some key contributions to the field. In his book written with Marc Aronson, The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins, he shares his and Matthew’s most recent find, a nearly intact skeleton from a new species, Australopithecus sediba. Detailed accounts of advances in paleontology and the technology used are intertwined with Berger’s own story. Photographs of Berger, the research site, the fossils (both in situ and later reconstructed in skeletal form), and striking facial reconstructions enhance the accessible narrative. (National Geographic, 9–12 years)

Sally M. Walker and Douglas W. Owsley begin Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World with the thrill and pacing of a crime drama. The 1996 discovery of a skull on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington State turns from a modern forensic mystery into a critical anthropological find: the nearly ten-thousand-year-old remains of a Paleoamerican. Along with excellent color photographs, this book shows just how much can be learned from a collection of bones and the important ways that each find contributes to our understandings of prehistory. (Carolrhoda, 11–14 years)

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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While delivering invitations to his Halloween party, ghost Oliver, star of Leo Landry’s Trick or Treat, doesn’t notice when one slips away and floats down to two boys. When “a little cow and a little jack-o’-lantern” unexpectedly arrive at the party (along with real witches, skeletons, and bats), will Oliver be welcoming or scare the kids away? Jovial watercolor and pencil illustrations decorate this not-spooky ghost story. (Houghton, 3–6 years)

The star of Anne Marie Pace’s Vampirina Ballerina may look different from her ballet-school classmates (fangs, for one thing), but deep down she’s just like any other budding ballerina. Aside from a few vampire-student-specific tips, Pace’s text reads like an advice book for any young dancer, with the inspirational message that passion, dedication, and patience can have beautiful results. LeUyen Pham’s watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations offer plenty of visual jokes for both vampire fans and balletomanes. (Disney-Hyperion, 3–6 years)

Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta opens at midnight as a small, stealthy figure creeps through a house. The nimble ninja is gradually revealed to be an imaginative young boy on the prowl for a midnight snack. Illustrator Ed Young’s cut-paper and cloth illustrations imbue mystery, beauty, and emotion into the story as it moves from the boy’s imagination to reality. (Little, Brown, 3–6 years)

In Kate Duke’s Ready for Pumpkins, guinea pig Hercules, a first-grade classroom pet, learns from the students about Halloween, pumpkins, and growing plants. While spending summer vacation in the country, Herky, with help from his new rabbit friend, decides to plant pumpkin seeds—and learns about patience. He returns to school eager to share his new knowledge. Humorous and lively illustrations enhance the simple, relatable story. (Knopf, 3–6 years)

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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In The Peculiars, author Maureen Doyle McQuerry draws from various genres — historical fiction, romance, mystery, Western, steampunk — to evoke the era of territorial expansion. Outsider Lena wonders whether there is any truth to rumors that her long-absent father is a goblin. She sets out to find him, ending up in the last town before the hinterlands where goblins and other “Peculiars” are exiled. Lena finds refuge at the estate of eccentric Tobias Beasley; the plot thickens when the real nature of Mr. Beasley’s work comes to light. A creative, entertaining, and wholly original fantasy. (Amulet/Abrams, 14–17 years)

Such Wicked Intent, the second book in Kenneth Oppel’s imagined Frankenstein origin story, begins with teenage Victor mourning the loss of his twin brother Konrad, whom he failed to save with the Elixir of Life. Visits to a spirit world revive Victor’s hopes and lead him to attempt the creation of a new body for Konrad’s spirit to inhabit. How far will he go to bring his brother back to life? Vividly descriptive language and complex characters keep the narrative intense and compelling. (Simon, 12–16 years)

Teen Mel believes vampires belong on their own side of town, not fraternizing with humans. When her best friend, Cathy, falls for Francis, the irritatingly stuffy new vampire at their high school, Mel follows him home — and is surprised to meet a human boy named Kit living there. Kit causes Mel to question her preconceptions about vampires, even as they investigate suspicious supernatural doings. Both fearsome and funny, Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan’s Team Human is a fresh entry in the YA vampire subgenre. (HarperTeen, 14–17 years)

After causing a meat contamination incident at the chicken processing plant where he works, Nick is sentenced to a juvenile reform camp. Then all hell breaks loose: what was a few cannibal campers quickly turns into a full-blown zombie outbreak. Nick, his crush Petal, and other survivors fend off the horde and trace the source of the infection to — where else? — the sinister chicken corporation. An original voice, pop-culture references, and a twist ending will keep readers guessing throughout Sean Beaudoin’s blackly comedic The Infects. (Candlewick, (Simon, 12–16 years)

From the October 2012 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

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