Dread Locks (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Dark Fusion) [Library Binding]

Neal Shusterman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006 | Series: Dark Fusion

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Combining elements from classical myths, fairy tales, and legends, fourteen-year-old Parker Bear learns the hard way that life isn't always what it seems to be after bef+AV761riending the beautiful new girl in school who, through a series of strange events, reveals herself as something Parker could have never imagined.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 164 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417774657
• ISBN-13: 978-1417774654
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 25, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dread Locks (Dark Fusion) (Library Binding)

In Neal Shusterman's new DARK FUSION Series, the author takes myths, legends, and fairy tales, mixes them up with modern-day tales of teen angst and horror, and comes up with an entertaining read. In DREAD LOCKS, we get a whole stew pot full of retold stories--GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, MEDUSA, KING MIDAS. They're all there, and the finished product is a quick, fun, and sometimes depressing read.

Parker Baer is the type of fifteen-year old I both love and hate. He's always been given everything he's ever wanted, due to the fact that his parents are wealthy. He has an obnoxious older brother, Garrett, and an irritable little sister, Katrina. For his birthday, his brother bought him a motocross bike, and his parents gave him a statue. Yes, the teenaged Parker is now memorialized in bronze.

Then Parker meets his new next-door neighbor, Tara Herpecheveux, in the most surprising way--she's sleeping in his bed. But Tara's strangeness, and undeniable attractability, is a hodge-podge of attributes--she's exotically beautiful, has the strangest blond dread locks, always wears mirrored sunglasses, and has an aversion to the belief of personal property.

As Parker gets more and more entangled in the strangeness that is Tara, he begins to notice the ever-increasing weird behavior of the students in his school. Odd cravings, incessantly strange behavior, and a general weirdness pervade the halls of the private school for the rich. Once Parker finally accepts the truth of what's happening, it's too late.

The ending, although slightly predictable in some ways, was a surprise overall. It left me feeling sad, but then again, most fairy tales have one or more tear-inducing scenes in them. DREAD LOCKS is an interesting retelling of some notable myths, and if you're into horror stories, this one should definitely do the trick!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"