Crusade

Gr 9 Up—Jenn Leitner has left her family's home in Berkeley, California, to train to become a vampire hunter at the Sacred Heart Academy in Salamanca, Spain. After Jenn's sister is kidnapped before her eyes by vampires, the crusade against the world-wide threat of vampires, or cursed ones, takes Jenn's team of "hunters" from Salamanca New Orleans, Louisiana. The team, led by a Catholic priest, consists of five diverse characters originating from Ireland, England, Japan, Denmark, the U.S., and Spain. As the story (Simon Pulise. 2010) by Nancy Holder and Debie Viguie unfolds, the background of each hunter is divulged. Although Jenn's boyfriend, Antonio, is a vampire hunter, he's also a vampire. The hunters use a mixture of brains, brawn, magic, witchcraft, and religion to fight the vampires. Jenn draws on an admiration for her father's parents to persevere in fighting this worthy cause. However, it's never made clear what her grandparents' cause was whem they were young outlaws. In one instance, Jenn finds an old photo of her grandparents, and muses that they may have been preparing to blow up a bank. This action-packed and often fast-paced tale, nicely narrated by Nicola Barber, concludes with many loose ends, making it obvious that a sequel is planned.—Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep., San Jose, CA