Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Smith, C.L. (2007). Tantalize. New York: Candlewick Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-2791-1

Plot Summary

Quincie Morris is 17 and in charge of a restaurant in Austin, Texas that became hers when her parents died. She has been in the care of her Uncle Davidson, and together they have been planning a grand re-opening. Its new name is Sanguini’s, and its new theme is vampire. However, a month before opening night, their long-time chef, Vaggio, who was more family than employee, is brutally murdered by what people assume is a werewolf. The new chef, Bradley, sweeps in and completes the vampire vision, but things are not as they seem. Meanwhile, Kieren, Quincie’s hybrid werewolf boyfriend, is suspicious of Bradley and his motives. Their relationship becomes strained when Quincie does not heed his warnings and Kieren himself is planning on leaving Austin to become a member of the pack. As Kieren and Quincie drift apart, Bradley and Quincie become closer, and Quincie is enjoying his company and the wine he keeps pouring in her glass. When Quincie finally realizes what is happening, it is too late.

Critical Evaluation

Cynthia Leitich Smith creates a world in Austin, Texas, where vampires and werewolves co-exist among humans who are, if not completely accepting, at least tolerant. The suspense and tension of the plot builds as the chapters are divided into parts of a fine dining five course Italian dinner: antipasto, primo, secondo, dolce, and conforno. This set-up reinforces the book’s restaurant setting and motif. The text of the chapters is interspersed with advertisements, signs, and classified ads that draw the reader’s attention. Sanguini’s menu plays upon the horror and seduction associated with vampires as it has two parts, predator and prey. The dialogue is often quick-witted and humorous in an almost Buffy, The Vampire Slayer way: “I wish you could just turn into a bat. Like poof! Very dramatic. That would solve all of our problems” (149). One cannot discount the allusions to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Quincie Morris, in Dracula, is the Texan who killed the vampire. Smith’s story does not end the same way, however. The plot is fast-paced from beginning to end. Female young adult readers will relate to the palpable desire Quincie feels for her boyfriend, and this book will delight fans of vampire and werewolf fiction. All readers will appreciate the theme that things don’t always work out the way you planned. The conclusion of the book leaves an opening for the next book in the series, Eternal (2009).

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Quincie’s new vampire restaurant is scheduled to open in a month when the chef is brutally murdered by what appears to be a werewolf. She must find a new chef, but doing so costs her more than she had anticipated.

 

Author Information

 

Cynthia Leitich Smith was born December 31, 1967 in Kansas City, Missouri. A mixed-blood tribal member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, her parents did not read literary fiction, but they did encourage her reading. She grew up loving comic books and wrote her first poem in the first grade. Writing continued to be an important part of her school life; she wrote an advice column in her school newspaper in grade six, and in junior and senior high school she edited the school newspaper. At the University of Kansas, she majored in English and journalism. Then, she graduated from Michigan Law School in 1994 with the intent to become a legal reporter. While working as a law clerk after graduation, she realized that writing was what she really wanted to do when she kept creating ideas for stories and scribbling them down. She quit law and became a children’s author with her first published book, Jingle Dancer (2000).

Leitich Smith infuses Native-American culture and traditions throughout her writing. Her varied employment experiences also influence her writing: she has been a waitress, a gas station attendant, a telephone operator, an English tutor, and a writing teacher. She currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Greg (also an award-winning children’s book author) and four cats. She loves speaking, writing, and inspiring writers.

For more information about Cynthia Leitich Smith, please visit her website:

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/

Cynthia also keeps an award-winning blog:

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/

Genre

Young Adult

Gothic Fantasy

Vampires

Werewolves

Romance

Curriculum Ties

Allusions to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Book Talking Ideas

What would the menu of a vampire’s restaurant have on it? How would you feel if the person you love was moving away?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Protagonist is 17; appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

Violence, horror, supernatural creatures

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Booklist 03/01/07

Publishers Weekly 03/05/07

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 05/01/07

School Library Journal 05/01/07

Horn Book starred 10/01/07

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 06/01/07

Kirkus Review 02/15/07

Why did I include this title?

We read this book for class and I enjoyed its take on vampires, werewolves, and shape shifters. I also find chefs very attractive and loved Chef Bradley's menu.

Matched by Ally Condie

Condie, A. (2010). Matched. New York: Dutton Books.

ISBN-13: 978-0-525-42364-5

Plot Summary

Cassia lives in the Society where everything is planned: where you work, when and what you eat, how you play, what to wear, who you marry, and when you die. Everything about the past has been eliminated except for 100 poems, songs, pieces of art, and historical moments. The Society does not make mistakes. However, Cassia is confused when, at her Match Banquet, she receives her Match, the boy she will marry at 21. She is Matched with her best friend Xander, but it is not his face she sees; it is Ky’s, a creative boy she often wonders about and who is prohibited from Matching. Then, her grandfather hands her an illegal poem by Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” just before his scheduled death at age 80. These events cause conflict and doubt in Cassia. Life gets more difficult as Cassia learns the truth behind the Society’s perfection.

Critical Evaluation

Matched grabs the reader’s attention in the first chapter; Cassia is on her way to her Match Banquet where the person she will marry will be revealed to her and to the Society. Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and George Orwell’s 1984, this first person narration, told from the point of view of the protagonist, Cassia, creates a world in which the government controls everything. Through Cassia’s thoughts, readers experience her struggle with her feelings and with the Society. While the effects of the Society are clearly evident, the writing lacks description of its setting. Unlike other dystopian stories, Matched is more introspective than action-driven. Its plot is strong, however, as it encourages readers to think about their relationships with people, authority, and technology: “You never know when technology might fail. That’s what happened to the society before ours. Everyone had technology, too much of it, and the consequences were disastrous” (31). Readers will recognize that the freedom of choice does not come without sacrifice, and that nothing is ever completely good or completely bad. As the first book of a trilogy, the story remains unfinished. The second book, Crossed, is due to be published November, 2011.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Cassia’s entire life is laid out for her, but when she experiences a computer glitch during her Match Banquet, she begins to have doubts. Is the Society really perfect?

 

Author Information

 

There is not much information about Ally Condie. She received an English Teaching degree from Brigham Young University in Utah and spent many years teaching high school English in Utah before leaving teaching to become a writer.

 

She still resides outside Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and three sons. She enjoys writing, reading, and running. Condie regularly communicates with her fans by posting to her blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and often “tweets” on twitter (@allycondie).

 

More about Matched can be found at this website:

http://www.allysoncondie.com/bio/

 

To find your own perfect Match, please go to

http://matched-book.com/matched.html

 

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Dystopian future

Fantasy

Science Fiction

Romance

Interpersonal relations

Coming of age

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Book Talking Ideas

What role should a government have in people’s lives? What are arranged marriages and how would you feel if a marriage were arranged for you?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

N/A

Why did I include this title?

I enjoy dystopian stories and I have taught The Giver to eighth graders. I enjoyed this more mature version of The Giver and wanted to encourage others to read it as well.