Peeps

Hilariously gruesome and wittily revolting, this book is a sheer delight for anyone who isn't completely creeped out by it. Cal explains how he became infected with a virus that causes vampirism -- and becomes a vampire, or peep, hunter. In alternating chapters, he gives the reader a crash course in real-life parasitology, much like Melville did with whaling, but a lot more entertainingly. In fact these real, scientific chapters (there's even an author's note and bibliography) are, in many ways, more horrifying than the story. Together they provide an action-packed thrill ride that's highly educational, deeply creepy, and drolly disgusting.

What's even better, author Scott Westerfeld has found something utterly new and original to do with an old genre. He even has Cal explain how those old legends got started. And, oddly enough for a book about sexually-transmitted vampirism, the author keeps a light touch on the gore and sex -- there's quite a bit less than in most teen horror novels. He simply doesn't need them to keep the pages turning because he's got a sardonic teen narrator who's a biology geek and an action hero. It's a potent combination: hormones, humor, horror, science, superheroes, education, and romance.