Shiver by Maggie Steifvater

I just began reading this YA werewolf book today (Saturday). I was intrigued by the buzz this title got on many of the blogs I read. I like werewolves and other paranormal creatures. I know my students also like the paranormal. I hope that they will enjoy this one when I add to it my HS Media Center collection.

Sunday: I finished this one last night. I really enjoyed the different take on werewolves. I also enjoyed the romance between Grace and Sam.  I was sad for both Grace and Sam. Both were abused by their parents but in different ways. Sam's try to kill him; Grace's abandon her emotionally. I liked the rich, visual language. I liked that Sam read a lot and wrote music. I liked that Grace was a good student who did her homework. This one will appeal to my older students.

Here is the summary from Publisher's Weekly: "For years, Grace has been fascinated by the yellow-eyed wolf that saved her from its pack when she was a child. Sam, bitten by a wolf as a boy, is that wolf. Long obsessed with each other at a distance, they finally meet after a wolf hunt (inspired by the apparent death of a local teen) sends a wounded and temporarily human Sam into Grace's arms. Their young love is facilitated by Grace's hands-off parents (Once upon a time, I would've leaped at the rare opportunity of curling up with Mom on the couch. But now, it sort of felt like too little, too late, Grace muses), but threatened by two linked crises: the fact that Sam will soon lose the ability to become human and the instability of a new lycanthrope. Stiefvater skillfully increases the tension throughout; her take on werewolves is interesting and original while her characters are refreshingly willing to use their brains to deal with the challenges they face."


Here is a movie trailer for the book:





Here is also a fan-made trailer for the book:




Maggie Steifvater has a blog. She has interesting things to say about her writing and her life.