InBlood and Chocolate,Annette Curtis Klause does for werewolves what Anne Rice has done for vampires. Sixteen-year-old Vivian Gandillon is trying to fit in to her new home in the suburbs.  But trying to act "normal" isn't always easy, since Vivian and her family are werewolves.  It's glorious to have the power to change, and Vivian is a beautifulloup-garouwith all the young wolves howling for her.  But she wants no part of her squabbling pack, left leaderless by her father's recent death. Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy.  If she reveals herself, will he relish the magic of her dual nature?  When a brutal murder threatens the pack's survival, Vivian's divided loyalties are further strained.  What is she really--human or beast? Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Sixteen-year-old Vivian isn't fiction's most likable heroine, and not only because she's a werewolf. She's preoccupied with admiring her own "full breasts, small waist [and] tawny hair." She's viciously competitive with other girls, gloating, "Look at me.... I've got him. You don't. Too bad." Her pack, temporary leaderless and dislocated after the death of her father, is living in some low-rent Maryland suburbs. Expected to mate with one of the rowdy, blood-hungry werewolves her own age, Vivian rejects them as well as 24-year-old Gabriel, who flirts with her aggressively as he prepares to assume leadership of the pack. Instead, she nourishes a crush on a "meat boy" (human) from school, a retro-hippie poet-type who professes a yen for the supernatural. With the darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling that gave such luster to The Silver Kiss, Klause lures readers into the politics of the pack, their forbidden desire for human flesh and the coming of age of their future queen. Though some readers may be alienated by Vivian's self-absorption, and others shocked by her eventual union with Gabriel, most will find this sometimes bloody tale as addictive as chocolate. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 9 Up‘In the thick of her pack's leadership struggle, a 16-year-old werewolf complicates matters by falling for a human "meat-boy." A provocative exploration of a young woman's psyche in the flesh and "in her pelt." (Aug.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 11 and up. Gabriel--raw and sharp like blood; Aiden--rich and smooth like chocolate. It's Aiden, sensitive and gentle, whom Vivian thinks she desires, but he is a "meat-boy," a human, and Vivian is a werewolf, a worshiper of the Moon and part of a small sect of werewolves living double lives in a contemporary Maryland suburb. Should Vivian reveal her proud, sleek animal self to the boy she loves? By the author of the Silver Kiss (1995), this violent, sexy novel is a seamless, totally convincing blend of fantasy and reality that can be read as feminist fiction, as smoldering romance, as a rites of passage novel, or as a piercing reflection on human nature. Vivian is a strong main character, tough yet vulnerable, and her every move reflects her duality. Klause's imagery is magnetic, and her language fierce, rich, and beautiful, whether she is describing a frightening, vicious fight to the death among Vivian's werewolf clan or the moment when Vivian realizes that showing her true self has been a tragic mistake. Passion and philosophy dovetail superbly in this powerful, unforgettable novel for mature teens. --Stephanie Zvirin From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.