Midnight Double Feature

The days of the Midnight Double Feature are all but gone. It is a rare occurrence to see a double billing of monster flicks, sci-fi pics or B-movies. But a walk through your local bookstore will tell you a lot about how much impact movies have on books. Sure we know books become movies, but what happens when authors are inspired by the media around them?

"Killer Pizza"
By Greg Taylor
For ages 10 and up
What a tasty title. It was the only reason I picked up the book. It spoke to me from the bookshelf. "Killer Pizza" is a fast-paced romp with humor and excitement spiced with horror. The story follows Toby, a 14-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to be a celebrity pizza chef. He is beside himself when he lands a job at the new Killer Pizza franchise opening in town. Making pizzas is fun and tiring work, but Toby and the new employees soon find out there is more to Killer Pizza than meets the eye. The store is just a front for a monster hunting operation. Yes there are monsters — vampires, werewolves and many other frightening creatures. Currently there are monsters in Hidden Hills, OH and Toby and this new rag-tag "Scooby Gang" have the opportunity to become monster hunters.

"Killer Pizza" isn't high art. It won't go down in history as classic literature. It's B-movie, midnight double feature fun at its best. With a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" flair "Killer Pizza" delivers an enticing entrée of action, monsters, and humor that will have preteen and teen readers turning the pages looking for a sequel. There are perilous moments, grossmoments, and even frightening moments, so if your preteen or teen is prone to nightmares I'll suggest you be cautious with this hot delivery. Otherwise order your "Killer Pizza" and enjoy.

"Fade to Blue"
By Sean Beaudoin
For ages 14 and up
A mind trip involving bouts of sci-fi and horror. This dark teen dramedy hooks you in just a couple pages and never lets up. A couple days later you'll find yourself finished and seriously wondering what actually happened and if any of it actually made sense.

Sophie Blue turned ultra goth on her last birthday. It just happens that her father disappeared that day and a seriously demonic ice cream truck has been stalking her ever since. Kenny Fade is the school hero. Everything he does is golden. Guys want to be him and every girl wants to date him and their mothers give him their phone number. It's too bad he thinks he is losing his mind. How are they connected — it's twisted to say the least.

"Fade to Blue" is a "Matrix" style tale about reality only this one deals with teenagers. At it's heart it is an exploration of who we are — a character study. On the surface it is a darkly demented thrill ride that will keep you guessing even after the tale is finished. "Fade to Blue" is definitely a book for teens and it didn't make much sense to me. I guess I'll have a better understanding once I unplug.