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Title: A Taste for Red

Author: Lewis Harris

Narrator: Jaclyn Gaines

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-23-09

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Kids, Ages 8-10

Publisher's Summary:

Svetlana Grimm has recently discovered she's a vampire. The clues are all there: she can eat only red foods, has to sleep under the bed because of her heightened sensitivity to light and noise, and can read others' thoughts.

But this new discovery is making her transition from home-schooling to attending sixth grade at Sunny Hill Middle School that much more difficult. After all, what can she possibly have in common with those jellybean-eaters in her class? She prefers to watch them from afar in her hidden lair atop the Oak of Doom in her backyard.

But things get more interesting when Svetlana's cruel yet beautiful science teacher, Ms. Larch, reads her thoughts. Svetlana is excited to have found another of her kind - until her new neighbor, The Bone Lady, fills her in on Ms. Larch's true identity and her own. What happens when your sixth-grade science teacher might also be your immortal enemy?

Members Reviews:

Your Vampire is Funnier if She's Home-Schooled

Self-named and self-proclaimed, Svetlana Grimm is a charming and clever girl who believes she is a vampire. Consequently, she can only eat red things...or white, because white is neutral. What makes Lewis Harris' "A Taste for Red" stand out is that the funny parts come out of Svetlans's compulsions and idiosyncrasies, rather than merely out of snarkiness. The story begins on Svetlana's first day in public school after having been home-schooled her entire life. At first, it's hard to tell if she really is a vampire or if her behavior is a result of her insecurities about being at school - either way...VERY FUNNY. Her superior intelligence, a result of the home-schooling shows in her everyday observations, such as when her father wipes his brow (glandular problems). This is a wonderful book for young readers, featuring a funny, inquisitive, and ultimately courageous girl.

Quirky, different... but just didn't deliver a punch.

Svetlana Grimm is a vampire... or... at least she thinks she is. She can't sleep anywhere but under her bed, she can read people's thoughts and only red foods satisfy her hungers. Certainly these are all signs that she's become a vampire.

Starting the sixth grade at Sunny Hill Middle School after being homeschooled would be a big enough transition without her new status. But when Svetlana's new science teacher, Ms. Larch, shows signs of being a fellow vampire she may have to question everything she thinks she knows about their kind. Especially when it becomes apparent that Ms. Larch doesn't have the nicest intentions.

Conceptually this story sounded like a lot of fun. Kids in this age group who are looking for a vampire read will likely find this one an okay read. There's mystery, humor and vivid characters to keep them entertained. A girl with a snarky attitude and a penchant for quirky things should certainly appeal to the targeted age group. What didn't work for me (as a parent reading it) was that Svetlana isn't really snarky... after a point she's just plainly disrespectful and bratty to her parents and peers. The only niceness I really saw was with her neighbor, Ms. Bones.