Companions of the Night

by Vivian Vande Velde

Overview

Kerry's got a tough night ahead of her.
What begins as a simple lost-and-found trip to the Laundromat turns into a nightmarish odyssey of murder, vampires, and--quite possibly--true love. Vivian Vande Velde puts a terrifying spin on what should be a typical night in a small town.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152002213
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	04/28/1995
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Vivian Vande Velde  has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Interview with a Vampire for the learner's permit set."—The Horn Book
"A freshly written thriller, an offbeat love story, an engaging twist on the vampire novel, and an exciting tale of moral complexity. . . . Point [this] book at the Lois Duncan fans as well as Anne Rice followers, and get out of the way."—The Bulletin

Editorial Reviews

Sixteen year-old Kerry Norwicki thought she was just doing her little brother a favor when she went out one night (against her better judgment) to retrieve her brother's stuffed koala bear from the laundromat where he left it. Before long she finds herself involved with kidnapping, car theft, murder and vampires in this exciting tale of dark adventure. While it is a story including modern-day vampires and their fervent enemies, it is also a story about moral values, truth and choices. It is reminiscent of a young reader's Anne Rice.

Children's Literature - Debby Buchanan

Gr 6-10-Kerry Nowicki, 16, never dreamed that vampires lived in her little town of Brockport, New York, let alone that she would become involved with a handsome one named Ethan. When she makes a late-night trip back to the laundromat to retrieve her little brother's stuffed bear, she interrupts the murderous plans of a vigilante committee that claims Ethan is one of the undead. Kerry tries to help him, so they assume that she is a vampire, too. When the two young people escape, Kerry's brother and father are kidnapped in retaliation, and a complicated game of cat-and-mouse follows. During the often harrowing experiences that follow, Kerry proves to be an intelligent, level-headed young woman. She recognizes the danger of her attraction to Ethan, but knows that she must trust him to help find her family. Ethan maintains the cunning and duplicity that readers might expect from a vampire. The plot is lively and intriguing, with an unexpected twist at the end. Readers might be tempted to compare this novel to Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss (Delacorte, 1990), since many of the elements are similar. But the heroine of that story acts from a different motivation, making the books much different in terms of plot, theme, and tone. Companions of the Night should attract a loyal following of its own.-Marilyn Makowski, Greenwood High School, SC

School Library Journal

In a compelling story that has more in common with "The Silver Kiss" (1990), by Annette Curtis Klause, than it does with Hahn's recent "Look for Me by Moonlight" , 16-year-old Kerry Nowicki finds herself caught up in a life-and-death chase after she helps an injured young man escape from some men who claim that he is a vampire. And that, it turns out, is exactly what he is. Can she trust Ethan Byrne not to kill her or turn her into a vampire as they search for the man who assumes she, too, is a vampire and has kidnapped her father and little brother? Readers will want to believe in Ethan's honesty as much as Kerry wants to, and Vande Velde carefully maintains the suspense by allowing Ethan to remain an enigma until the end. Kerry also is believable as she alternates between fear and feistiness because her only alternative is to cooperate with Ethan if she hopes to find her family. Full of tension and familiar vampire lore--and with a touch of romance--this should find a wide YA audience.

Sally Estes

"Interview with a Vampire for the learner's permit set."—The Horn Book
"A freshly written thriller, an offbeat love story, an engaging twist on the vampire novel, and an exciting tale of moral complexity. . . . Point [this] book at the Lois Duncan fans as well as Anne Rice followers, and get out of the way."—The Bulletin

From the Publisher