The Watcher

What happens when one of the authors of the Bunnicula series (novels for young adolescents starring a vampire bunny) decides to write a book for older teens? The result is not what you'd expect. The Watcher is a serious story of a confused, broken, abused girl who observes the world instead of participating in it. By alternating four points of view, author James Howe explores the watcher and the watched--revealing how fantasy can drown us and how expressing our needs out loud can save us. This is a beautifully written meditation on how we perceive others and ourselves. Howe abandons vampires, yet still leaves us with a haunted feeling.