Evil Librarian

Gr 9 Up—Many high school students may think they have encountered an evil librarian, but they've never met one who turns students into zombies and murders the school principal. Cyn Rothschild would ordinarily have been too busy orchestrating the set construction for the school's musical, Sweeney Todd, to get involved with the evil librarian, Mr. Gabriel. But her best friend, Annie, has quite a crush on him. When Cyn and her own heartthrob (and star of Sweeney Todd), Ryan, discover the librarian covered in blood and sporting horns and bat wings, they feel responsible for stopping the murder and mayhem. As Annie slips completely under the control of the librarian, Cyn and Ryan visit an occult shop to learn more about demons, and how to counteract their influence on people. Unfortunately, Cyn and Ryan fail at their first attempt to eradicate Mr. Gabriel, and more demons show up at school. Throughout, Cyn's first-person narrative demonstrates passion, intelligence, and empathy. Her common sense and comprehension of the gravity of their situation overrule her desire to be closer to Ryan. Romantic tension builds as Cyn and Ryan struggle over how to fight the demons. Narrator Emily Foster distinguishes each character's voice enough to advance the story seamlessly.