Girl of Lore

Gr 5 Up–The town of London, GA, has an unusual history and a supernatural reputation, and Mina and her newly founded Lore Club are going to figure out what it means. They do not expect to find themselves believing the stories of vampires tormenting the town. As if Mina’s intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors weren’t enough, she now must deal with protecting herself from blood suckers and possibly the entire world from an apocalypse. Unfortunately, what could have been an interesting ­Dracula retelling gets bogged down by unrealistic ­dialogue and unconvincing characters. Mina feels like an amalgamation of every “not like other girls” character, while all her friends and family read like the exact same character with different names. The pacing also feels odd, with some events explored in great detail while others, which seem to have the same level of importance, are glossed over. The depiction of OCD does feel authentic, and teens who have it will ­appreciate seeing themselves represented. The characters are racially diverse.