Summary: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is the story of a teenage girl named Tana. One day, while at a party, Tana passes out and wakes up to nothing but corpses all around her. She notices that the only survivors are her, her ex-boyfriend Aidan, and a mysterious vampire known as Gavriel. They escape from the vampires there, but after realizing she too is bitten, she decides to go to Coldtown, a place full of monsters that no one can leave. Now that she is infected, she must go 88 days without drinking human blood in order to avoid turning into a vampire. But along the way, romance and mystery captivate our young heroine. Will she be able to survive not only Coldtown, but to avoid her transformation all together?
Strengths: As I was reading this fantasy young adult novel, I noticed some of the criteria for a fantasy novel from our textbook fit in pretty well. For example, despite this being a fantasy novel, all the characters still behave in believable ways. Like most young adult novels, there is a romance that blossoms in the story. There are also still rules in this novel. The rule of vampires being put into Coldtown and the set rule that you have 88 days to go without drinking human blood to avoid transformation.
Connections to Textbook: This book was nominated for the Andre Norton Award For Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Going on to the dark theme in this book, the setting of Coldtown really fits well it. The whole novel itself is just full of mess and depression. Our protagonist Tana is going through a typical adolescent stage. She is entering romance with a stranger and of course she has to be dealing with constant threats and survival is a priority to her. But what makes her interesting is not just her need for survivor, but as a protagonist should be doing, she is also interested in saving other people.
Other Connections: Book Trailer Similar Books Lesson Plans
Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl in Coldtown. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
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