I Was a Seventh Grade Monster Hunter (The Stoker Legacy Book 1) by A.G. Kent; Tarkus; 2011; 126 pgs; $5.95 US

YA books today are a dime a dozen and most seem to want to capitalize on the wand waving of Potter or the sparkles of Edward (eww). Thankfully, authors like Westerfield, Liparulo, F.P. Wilson, and Hoffman have spiced up the genre and challenged the newcomers to keep it original and strong.

A.G. Kent (you might know him by another more well-known name of superb werewolf fiction crossed combined with a very talented musician/writer) has burst onto the scene with a fierce entry into the fray.

He combines the classics of yore with the strong female lead sensibility of a Buffy (but more true to middle school life) in the start of what is hopefully a long, successful series.

Hannah is your “typical” teenage girl – not really sure who she is, what she wants, or where she fits into with the school cliques. An outsider from an outsider family, she knows there’s a purpose to her life when a group of unique visitors come into her grandfather’s shop.

A vampire, Frankenstein creature, mummy, and werewolf. She learns of her heritage as a monster hunter from her grandfather’s message, but… he’s gone missing.  Wait, a monster hunter and the famous quartet come a-visiting?  Instead of chowing down and using her skeleton as a toothpick, they inform her about the plight of the Great Lakes and a maniac which has ties to some underwater legend.

Just as she’s feeling better about herself at school (sorta) and safe to be around these creatures (kinda), they’re abducted when by a long, tentacled thing that should not be from beneath the dark waters after the villain chants out some long forgotten spell.

For those teen readers and those parents who want to educate their offspring in the classic monsters, A.G. Kent has created a fun, intelligent story steeped in history with strong writing.

Highly recommended YA reading.

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Jan 25, 2012

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