DREAD LOCKS by Neal Shusterman
    Category:  Horror
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  5/5/05
    Publisher:  Dutton
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating: 5 Stars


    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
    teenage 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 attractiveness, 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!
Dark Fusion Bk. 1: Dread Locks
by Neal Shusterman