October 25, 2021
Luminous gray–skinned Lady Eleonore von Motteberg, or Leo, as she prefers, has reached a young vampire’s rite of passage: at 111 years old, she’s ready to hunt and eat her first human. After an accident left Leo without a right leg, her confidence never quite recovered, but her distant, perfect mother and querulous older sister expect her to complete her Hunt of the Waxing Moon on the first try. Her father is frequently absorbed in experiments, and her butler-knight, Marged, has high expectations for her charge. When Leo’s first hunt doesn’t go as planned, she is left with a significant problem: there are now two cued-white ghosts loose in the town of Otto’s End. Minna has unfinished business with the other, the Orphanmaster, and she expects Leo’s help. As the duo races against the clock to defeat the Orphanmaster before he grows too powerful, they begin an unlikely friendship as they learn more about their own strengths. Young readers will find the protagonists’ exploration of friendship, consequences, and the world resonant. With light humor and paranormal charm, Foulkes’s voice shines in this spooky debut. Ages 8–12.
November 1, 2021
Grades 5-8 Being a vampire isn't always easy. Especially when you live with a family as strange and terrifying as Leo's. Although being undead has its advantages, Leo (white) is under a lot of pressure to be a perfect vampire to please her mother, the terrifying and ruthless Lady Sieglinde. On her birth night, marking 100 years of being a vampire, Leo is supposed to hunt her first human. But when her plan to snack on an orphan from St. Frieda's Home for Unwanted Children goes awry, she accidentally creates some new ghosts: Minna, an orphan, and an evil specter who used to be the orphanmaster. Although Minna (white) is less than happy about the circumstances, she and Leo have to work together to try to dispatch the orphanmaster before he hunts down the other orphans and destroys the town. This is a delightful and spooky debut from author Foulkes, which weaves together a fast-paced, action-packed plot with hilarious high jinks to create a narrative that will give readers laughs and chills galore.
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