Westerfeld, Scott. Peeps. New York: Razorbill/Penguin, 2005 ISBN: 1-59514-031-X
Plot Summary:
Cal Thompson has been infected with a virus known to but a few. The virus has caused people throughout the ages to display symptoms which are very much like the behavior traditionally associated with vampires. Cal was infected by am mysterious girl named Morgan when he first moves to New York City from Texas. The disease can be spread through sex or through contact with blood or saliva. Although Cal was infected he was one of the few cases where he is able to keep the vampire symptoms under control and still carry the disease. Cal is recruited into a secret organization that hunts down those with the disease. He has to hunt his bloodline down, which includes every girl he has been with since being infected and anyone they infected so that they can be shipped off for rehabilitation.
The infected people he hunts down are afraid of the light, repulsed by anything they once loved, crave meat, have a strange relationship with rats, and have cannibalistic tendencies, all of which are symptoms of the disease. Cal tracks down victim after victim and then is faced with trying to find Morgan. He recreates the drunken night when he met Morgan and ends up at the same apartment building. Cal finds that the apartment is now inhabited by Lace a journalism student who moves in after Morgan disappears.
Cal finds that a major source of the disease is growing underneath the apartment building and investigates. Lace becomes a part of his life and helps him to track down Morgan who appears to be spreading the disease with full knowledge about how it is transmitted. Cal tries to stop her, but finds that the disease has mutated and makes the infected less vampire-like and more in control. The disease has also bred in some underground worm monsters and those infected with the new strain, such as Morgan and Josh, set up a new agency to combat the growing population of worm monsters.
Critical Evaluation:
The writer uses the voice of a cocky older teen for the protagonist. The monologues seem to ring true with the way older teens speak. The fact that the writer proposes an alternate, pseudo-scientific explanation for vampires might be of some interest to an older teen audience. Vampire books are quite popular now, and it is interesting to see one writer come forward and try to sandwich some science in with a classic genre. The story is good too. The action, of which there is plenty, is well described and one does not lose interest for very long at any point in the book.
One of the most interesting, and commendable aspects of the book is the factual biology that the writer incorporates into the story. Every other chapter seems to contain a story about parasites and how they operate and their chain in the circle of life and their role in evolution. I was under the impression that some of the parasites he mentions were fiction. At the end of the book he has a chapter focusing on all of the scientific information in the book. All of the parasites, except the one which the protagonist has, are actual parasites and his chapters are backed up with a good deal of science. It makes one wonder how many parasites are crawling around the average human body.
Reader’s Annotation:
In his first year of being in New York, Cal is infected with a disease, infects many others, and then is recruited into an agency to help hunt down carriers of this disease. The disease mirrors the behavior of vampires in all but a few carriers, who can control the symptoms. Cal is one of those carriers and fights the disease while trying to uncover a new strain.
Information about the author:
Scott Westerfeld has a number of New York Times notable books to his credit. Almost all of his works are written for a young adult audience. He was born in Texas in 1963 and was married in 2001. Scott and his wife split their time living in U.S. and Australia.
Westerfeld is a prolific writer and is possibly best known for the works of science fiction which he writes for a YA audience. He is possibly best well known for his series, the Uglies series, the Succession series, and the Midnighters series. Peeps and Uglies have both made the Best Books for Young Adults list. A number of his stories have been considered for film production.
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Genre:
Vampires/Science/Thriller
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Discuss how Cal suddenly has to deal with the changes in his body and his life after he is infected.
2. Focus on the scientific part of the book and how the information given is actually true.
3. Discuss the strange relationships Cal has and how he deals with the infected he brings in.
1. Discuss how Cal suddenly has to deal with the changes in his body and his life after he is infected.
2. Focus on the scientific part of the book and how the information given is actually true.
3. Discuss the strange relationships Cal has and how he deals with the infected he brings in.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues:
Alcohol use/Mention of sex
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
The combination of a biological thriller and a vampire novel seemed like it might be an interesting combination that would attract a young adult reader.
Author’s Blog:
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