Beautifully written, a teen girl facing issues of trust and loyalty. The future world is not a bleak dystopia, but a well-managed colony of those who survived dystopian catastrophes: no zombies. This is character driven. I will definitely buy the second book.

Fun, enjoyable, with sarcastic humor. The vampire aspects are well-balanced with friendships and adventure: this is NOT the typical trope of horror, grim violence, steamy romance, or melodrama. Although the main character's vampirism is important to parts of the action, it is not the point of the story. I will be looking for other books in the series.

Middle school book, but count on Pastis (Pearls Before Swine) to create something adults can completely enjoy: super fun. Timothy is a close reminder of Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes), and he has a friend polar bear instead of a tiger. Seriously, you don't need to be a pre-teen to love this.

Intriguing premise of a character who is constantly reborn at his original birthdate every time he dies, and how he mentally deals with his own immortality, plus a villain and potential end of the world. Many books with themes or characters about immortality and a form of time travel will glide past the complications, but this one faces the challenges with believable reactions. Excellent!

Fun, sprinkled with humor and some sarcasm, like reading a middle schooler's version of Douglas Adams.

A good Hoffman tale, complicated characters and intertwining relationships alongside a view of New York City we don’t remember once existed: farms, early Coney Island, tenements, the struggle for labor laws against rising capitalism. A few technical complaints toward the end (a dog can’t use a breathing hose under water, for example) but overall, an engaging story.