The Dusk Society

Gr 7 Up—A secret organization called The Dusk Society has been fighting evil for generations. More than half of the book is filled with the tale of how its newest recruits fight an army of monsters led by the evil Mr. Pierceblood in the small town of Pembleton. The mysterious and beautiful Miss Raven appears at the beginning and the end of the book as a kind of narrator ex machina. She addresses readers directly, explaining that they need to hear about the dangers of membership in The Dusk Society before signing a contract pledging their lives to the cause. She also appears as a teacher at Pembleton High and tells a group of students who show up for detention that they are the newest recruits. After they fend off an attack by Pierceblood's minions (including Dracula and Dr. Frankenstein), Miss Raven then tells the teens about the history of the society, and they learn about some of its more famous members. Kumar's colorful illustrations employ a creative use of frames, lines, and angles to give a unique perspective to the action. This stand-alone story will be most appreciated by teens who enjoy tales that are suspenseful but not terrifying.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library