Accustomed to a carefree existence, fifteen-year-old Parker Baer meets the girl next door and finds his life taking a menacing turn as he begins to absorb some of her terrible powers. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 8 Up Shusterman brings a new and unique perspective to the old Medusa story. Parker Baer, 14, has plenty of material possessions but is bored. Then Tara, with her spirals of golden hair and dark sunglasses, moves in next door. Within a short time, Parker's family and friends are sick and behaving strangely. When Tara takes him on a death ride that takes them over a cliff and neither is injured, the horror of her power becomes clear to him. As the situation becomes grimmer, the teen is forced to confront her with bone-chilling, spine-tingling results. Exotic and strange Tara keeps readers on the edge of their seats with her unconventional behavior and unusual perspective on everyday life. The plot twists and turns move the story toward an unexpected end. In a horrifying climax, Shusterman delivers the moral of the tale, unusual in itself, for most books of this genre rarely deliver a message so powerfully. However, it is the gross-out factor that readers will remember. Eating kitty litter with milk, statues with fingerprints, and other unexplained (until the very end) behaviors will keep readers turning the pages even as they shudder to think what will come next. The book's front cover will attract teens, and the title perfectly fits the story. A good addition for those libraries with horror lovers who have moved on from R.L. Stine's "Fear Street" series (S & S). Molly S. Kinney, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 6-9. Shusterman's latest offering in the Dark Fusion series (which draws on folktales and mythology) is based on Medusa. Fourteen-year-old Parker Baer is a spoiled, bored, rich kid who is fascinated by the new girl next door. Tara Herpecheveux is British, with thick, curling, golden hair like glowing dreadlocks, and she always wears sunglasses. She quickly becomes the person to know at school, but those she takes an interest in fall ill with a strange sickness: their skin and eyes go gray, a notable lethargy takes over, and their limbs turn to stone. Readers will quickly figure out that Tara is actually Medusa and that she has decided to give Parker a Gorgon's gifts. The real question is, will Parker resist? Don't expect subtlety or character development, but this fast-paced, short read will be a big hit with fans of Darren Shan, of the Cirque du Freak series. DebbieCarton. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.