Dark Fusion Series

A LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA PICK • In this second installment of the Dark Fusion series comes a twisted retelling of the Red Riding Hood fairytale where a shadowed city brims with danger.

“This page-turner winds briskly into a suspenseful battle beneath the full moon, and ends with multiple twists. Fine fare!”—Kirkus Reviews

Red rides around his tough urban neighborhood in his bloodred Mustang. It satisfies his urge to wander, and it usually keeps him safe from the gangs in town, the Wolves and the Crypts. But when Red’s grandmother is mugged by the Wolves, Red decides to join the Wolves as a pledge so he can learn how to defeat them. Soon he uncovers their terrible secret: They are werewolves with a thirst for human blood. Instead of feeling horrified, Red envies the Wolves’ freedom and power. Even as he trains to kill them—under an unlikely but cunning werewolf hunter—he has come to see them as pack mates. Until he is faced with a choice at the next full moon: Take up the Wolves’ murderous ways, or take them down.

The Printz Honor Award-winning author of Scythe presents an enchanting realm of dreams, where even the most unexpected creatures can harbor dangerous secrets. . . .

“Undeniably captivating. Multidimensional characters abound, and Cara’s wit and self-mocking tone lend an ease to the narrative. Another success for Shusterman!”—Booklist

Cara is so ugly that mirrors would rather break than show her reflection. Not even her own parents can deny her ugliness, and nothing can make up for the cruelty of her schoolmates. Tormented and tortured by the shallow people of Flock’s Rest, Cara has a miserable life. Then she receives a shimmering note from some exotic place suggesting that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Cara wonders if her destiny has something to do with her recurring dreams of a beautiful green valley where the people are so accepting that her ugliness doesn’t matter. Soon, Cara discovers that her valley of dreams is real. It’s a place where the ugliest of ducklings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge . . . deadly revenge.

In the first book of the Dark Fusion series, a young boy would love something—anything—to bring some excitement to his mundane existence. He gets it when the girl next door entangles him in her dark games.

When fifteen-year-old Parker Baer sees moving vans pulling up to the mansion next door, he hopes his new neighbors will relieve the boredom that has come from his having it all. The very next day, his life is enlivened by the discovery of a strange girl asleep in his bed.

About his age, she is exotic-looking with long, glimmering spirals of golden hair that seem almost alive. Tara’s intrusion into his home is the first of many eccentric behaviors that intrigue Parker. She always keeps her eyes hidden behind reflective sunglasses, she stays by herself in a house full of statues, and she has a habit of borrowing things from others without asking.

Parker watches, fascinated, as one by one Tara chooses high school students to befriend; he even helps her by making the necessary introductions. Over time her “friends” develop strange quirks, such as drinking gallons of milk, eating dirt, and becoming lethargic. By the time Parker realizes what Tara is doing, he is too embroiled to stop her. In fact, she has endowed him with certain cravings of his own . . .