Skip to main content

Tantalize: Kieren’s Story

Image from goodreads.com

 Tantalize: Kieren’s Story is the graphic novel adaptation of Smith’s young adult noire fantasy by the same name—told from the perspective of Kieren, a mixed-blood werewolf.  Kieren’s senior year of high school finds him awakening to the realization that he is in love with his best friend Quincie who clearly returns his affection.  Unfortunately, he is reluctant to act upon these feelings because to-date he is unable to control the beast within and thus fears harming her.  Moreover, any day now, he will leave to join an urban pack and learn the ways of his kind.  When the murder of the chef at Quincie’s ancestral vampire-themed restaurant appears to have been committed by a werewolf, Kieren is compelled to clear his name and save his best friend from all that threatens her—including herself.  Doyle’s illustrations extend the text by expressing what Kieren can’t, or won’t, in the halting tight-lipped narration that is so representative of an adolescent male struggling with serious emotions.  The stark contrast of the black and white depictions ensure that the audience is ever mindful of the protagonist’s conflicting allegiances to the best friend he loves and to his kin and kind, making it a natural companion piece for William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
  • Tantalize: Kieren’s Story by Cynthia Leitich Smith; illus. by Ming Doyle
  • High School
  • Candlewick Press
  • 32pp.
  • Published 2011
  • ISBN 978-0-7636-4114-6
  • $19.99
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Notes From the Field: Waltz Across Texas, First Dance

Originally published August 1, 2024 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission In July, I kicked off the first in a series of day-long turns around clusters of small public libraries to tour their spaces and chat about how the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can best support their leadership. This round, the fancy feet of Continuing Education and Consulting Team Manager Katherine Adelberg accompanied me as we spun through New Braunfels Public Library, Seguin Public Library, and Martindale Community Library. New Braunfels Public Library New Braunfels is perched on the brink of the Hill Country, right between San Antonio and Austin on I-35. Spanning Comal and Guadalupe counties with its 105,000 residents, it’s not only one of the fastest-growing cities, but is also regarded as one of the best 50 places to live in the United States. Established in 1845, New Braunfels is known for its German...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Year, Old You: Using the Genealogy Resources at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for Reflection and Renewal

Originally published February 12, 2025 Library Developments Blog    Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission   As the new year has well and truly begun, many people reflect on the past, seeking to understand where they come from, who their ancestors were, and how their family's history shaped their present. One of the best ways to begin exploring their roots is to visit their local library. Frequently, small rural libraries serve as repositories of local history. But, what about if a patron’s family has moved throughout various regions of the state? For a more expansive approach, utilizing the rich genealogy resources available at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can provide a bigger picture. Whether they’re a seasoned researcher or just beginning their journey into family history, TSLAC offers a variety of tools to help patrons uncover the stories of their ancestors. A Treasure Trove of Records Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Growing Library Leaders With Google Education Trainer Certification

At the Texas Association of School Library Administrators (TASLA) Workshop on June 14, 2016, I was part of a five-part panel presentation that focused on how campus librarians can become library leaders even though they are not library administrators. This presentation was later featured on TASL Talk s as a series titled “Growing Library Leaders.” Become a Certified Google Education Trainer grew out of my portion of the presentation and was originally published September 8, 2016. On April 10, 2018, it was re-posted on the Round Rock Independent School District's Teaching & Learning Blog Librarians have always been at the forefront of information technology, even if we haven’t always had that reputation. Be it in tablets, scrolls, codices, microforms, or databases, we’ve always gone where the information is in order to find answers. Unfortunately, as mere access to information has taken center stage, school libraries run the risk of becoming a Starbucks-without-the-cof...
Post a Comment
Read more