Comments on: Bliss by Lauren Myracle

By: Em

Em — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:30:58 +0000

Would this be appropriate for 11 yr olds who are already reading (and devouring) the Twilight series?
Thanks!

By: Jen Hubert

Jen Hubert — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:33:46 +0000

Em, I think it’s kinda scary for an 11 year old, but that would depend on what you’re used to reading. This is true horror, whereas Twilight is more supernatural romance.

By: mitzi

mitzi — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:22:40 +0000

does any one suggest this bbok to a 14 yr old who is in love with twilight??

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:17:19 +0000

I second Jen’s assessment in terms of appropriate audience. I finished Bliss last night - normally a 10PM to bed gal, I lasted until 12:30AM because I couldn’t stop this one in the middle. I have to say first that I am not a horror reader - at all. Even Breathe: a ghost story creeped me totally out and it’s on our Texas Lone Star 08-09 list. (for middle schoolers)

Factoring in my personal horror aversion, I still would not hand this to a 6th grader. I’m in a middle school with a lot of truly advanced readers in terms of complexity and maturity so I’ll probably offer it to the kids I know well enough to know they read adult horror already or those who like to read “up” but will bring a book back and say, “uh, no, think I’ll wait a year or two on this one” if it makes them too uncomfortable.

The jacket detail recommends the book for 14 and up so I’d also have little chance of keeping it in a challenge…and I have some very challenging parents:)

I’m still pondering whether the book worked for me…obviously it was a page-turner..but sometimes Bliss’s internal dialogue seemed a bit didactic.

By: Jen Hubert

Jen Hubert — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:10:59 +0000

See, I thought Bliss was portrayed as a total innocent, whose voice was moralistic and somewhat simple because she had been so sheltered. The voice worked for me, but I was so enraptured by the good horror story plot that the voice would have had to been REALLY off for me to even notice;)

By: Donna

Donna — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:57:55 +0000

And this may be where our difference lies…since I’m not an enjoyer of horror I may have tried to lock on to other aspects of the story and keep some distance from the creepiness. I believe that you are right - her moralistic thinking was a fit for her background - maybe it was just a hair too explicit for me, thus making me feel more like I was being “talked to” rather than just listening in on her inner dialogue. That said, I have no doubt that this book will be in great demand in my library both with my horror fans and my girls who like to read about the “horror of teenage-ness.”

Did Bliss remind you at all of Cap in Schooled?

By: Kiki

Kiki — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:34:43 +0000

Do you think this would be appropriate for a 12 year old who is in LOOOOVE with horror stories? Like, does the explicit content come from fear, or…what?

By: Jen Hubert

Jen Hubert — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:03:31 +0000

If you have read any of Lois Duncan’s books (Summer of Fear, Down a Dark Hall, Killing Mr. Griffin) and you were able to handle those, then you can handle this one. It’s not super gory, there are some gross parts, but not particularly graphic. It’s more psychologically scary than “slasher” scary.