ALL adolescents face two monsters: insecurity about where they are now, and the stress of impending adulthood. Fantasy writers have long asked us to imagine how tough that would be if supernatural forces were also in the mix. Two new graphic novels spin enthralling tales of young heroes slaying those inner beasts - right along with the kind that suck your blood and try to kill you. FAKE BLOOD (Simon & Schuster, 336 pp., $14.99; ages 10 and up) is the third book and first graphic novel written and drawn by Whitney Gardner. Her delightful tale juxtaposes a preteen crush, a tranquil, woodsy neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest, and vampires, ft's the kind of story that connects well with its intended audience - so well that my 11-year-old son pilfered my review copy and refused to return it until he was done. Gardner's protagonist, AJ, thinks he's the most boring sixth grader at Spoons Middle School. He just wants to be cool and interesting. How can he get his crush, Nia, to notice him? In an act of creative desperation, AJ realizes that the key to Nia's heart is her obsession with young adult vampire fiction. He goes full goth, with Halloween fangs and fake blood, and pretends to be a vampire. His awkward charade is convincing enough that Nia finally notices him. But AJ is shocked to learn that Nia is actually a vampire slayer, and AJ becomes her next target. As he tries to prevent the love of his life from driving a stake through his heart, a true monster threat endangers AJ and his friends. AJ's transformation from lovesick kid to wannabe vampire feels oddly believable. Instead of a breezy metamorphosis over a quick montage, here AJ becomes a vampire little by little. As his appearance and his confidence develop, AJ even makes the geeky red sunglasses he won at the library's summer reading contest, emblazoned with the word " READ!," look kind of cool. At over 300 pages, this is one of the longer graphic novels out there, yet every page propels the book's rich character development. Everyone we meet in this book is a little weird in a unique way. One of my favorites is AJ's 15-year-old sister. Their nuanced relationship feels real in the way that the connection between know-it-all older sisters and annoying younger brothers can shift from exasperation to love. Gardner gets bonus points for a refreshing fart joke from AJ's sister, since those kinds of lines typically go to boy characters. 1 would have liked it if the story had had a few more surprises. AJ's discovery that Nia is a vampire slayer is one of the biggest revelations, but the book's own back cover gives that away. Still, while the action builds slowly, the story's emotional resonance keeps readers fully engaged, and the artwork is pared down and easy to follow. AJ's sister insists that "all 11-yearolds are boring," but by the end of "Fake Blood," he really proves her wrong. He is his own kind of cool, even if he's not a real vampire. THERE IS NO SHORTAGE of monsters in SCARLETT HART: MONSTER HUNTER (First Second, 208 pp., $14.99; ages 10 to 14), the first middle-grade book written by the Y.A. author Marcus Sedgwick, with art by Thomas Taylor, who is best known for the cover art for the British edition of Book 1 in the Harry Potter series. This book is their first graphic novel collaboration. Scarlett Hart is the exceedingly brave but reckless orphan of two famous monster hunters, who died fighting the monsters that terrorize the citizens of England on a daily basis. Now raised by her family's butler and housekeeper, Scarlett is angstridden over whether she will ever be a great monster slayer like her parents. The problem is that Scarlett is too young to legally fight monsters. If she is caught by the authorities known as The Watch, she could lose her family's estate. Furthermore, not only has she inherited her parents' home with all its monster memorabilia, she has also inherited her parents' sworn enemy, Count Stankovic (or "Stinkovic," as Scarlett likes to call him). Sedgwick has created a world that could be 1940 s London, but with some steampunk elements and monsters. It feels retro, but the hero is refreshingly modern. While Scarlett is brash, she is also, in her quieter moments, very unsure about her ability to fulfill her monster-hunter destiny. She is adept at pistols and explosives and swords, and she thinks she's good at driving (actually, she's a terrible driver). But she is also adept at failure. "We stink" is her refrain whenever things go wrong, which is often. And there's no room for failure when a mysterious and deadly outbreak of monsters plagues the city. Scarlett must embark on a seat-of-her-pants, take-no-monster-prisoners journey. Sedgwick's story and Taylor's images work well together to create an immersive experience. Taylor's sequential art keeps the adventure and the reader's eye moving. When Scarlett battles zombies with a sword, Taylor's fight choreography kept me as riveted as Indiana Jones movies did when I was a kid. Scarlett fights sea monsters, furry monsters, fire-breathing monsters. Monsters get sliced, diced and blown up. The gore is not too gory, and the action is terrifically fun. Young readers will find Scarlett aspirational. She's brave, but not unafraid. She's bold, but not arrogant. She also has an amazing talent, which I confess I envy, for creative insults aimed at her nemesis, like "jumped-up mustache waxer ... peabrained tire muncher... scabby nosed cat eater, animal-faced sewer dweller!" Because Sedgwick is so adept at worldbuilding, I wanted to see more of the history and society of the London he's created. Likewise, in between the monsterbashing, there are wonderfully tender scenes with Scarlett, the butler and the housekeeper, and more of these moments between the young monster hunter and her parental figures would have been welcome. The end of the book has some loose ends, which I hope mean that Scarlett and company will be returning. But you have to feel sorry for the monsters. Scarlett will undoubtedly slay them, masterfully insulting them in the process. JORGE AGUIRRE is the author of the graphic novels "Giants Beware!," "Monsters Beware!" and "Dragons Beware!," illustrated by Rafael Rosado.

Scarlett Hart, the feisty orphaned daughter of monster hunters, and her butler sidekick successfully track down a ghost-dog, zombies, and other terrifying creatures for bounty money. The trouble is, Scarlett is an underage hunter--which her rival, the villainous Count Stankovic, capitalizes on. Story-line and panel-to-panel transitions are occasionally bumpy, but the nonstop action and gloomy, steampunk-lite London setting make for an engaging page-turner. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Grotesque creatures, murky atmosphere, long-buried secrets, and a tenacious tween with a nose for mystery combine in this spirited adventure from award-winning Sedgwick. Scarlett Hart is carrying on the tradition of her late monster-hunting parents, though she's officially too young, according to the academy overseeing monster hunting. Helped by her loyal, fretting butler, Napoleon White, Scarlett secretly roams the country in search of monsters, but lately there have been more than ever. Meanwhile, when the scheming Count Stankovic isn't busy swooping in and snagging her monsters, he's trying to ruin her reputation at the academy. Taylor's palette of saturated, dusky tones contributes to the eerie setting, his fine-lined cartoon figures particularly the Lovecraftian monsters have a great sense of movement and expression, and he deftly choreographs action in each dynamic panel layout. A cliff-hanger ending, along with a handful of secrets about Scarlett's parents left unexplained, hopefully means there's a sequel yet to come. This solid middle-­grade caper is perfect for fans of Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller's Nightmares! series.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2018 Booklist

Following the path set by her renowned, deceased parents, young Scarlett Hart battles against monsters, ghouls, and all other kinds of dreadful things.As an underage hunter, Scarlett must keep her activities a secret from the Royal Academy for the Pursuit and Eradication of Zoological Eccentricities; she must also contend with the vile Count Stankovic, a rival hunter who holds a personal vendetta against Hart. Aided by her wry butler, Napoleon, Scarlett hunts spectral hounds and mummies to earn just enough money to keep her little operation running. To keep on hunting means risking it all, especially when her nemesis manages to get Hart in trouble with the Academy. Monster hunt after monster hunt keeps the story whizzing along nicely, with plot developments and revelations sprinkled throughout in a rollicking manner. Rough and scrappy, Taylor's illustrations convey ghoulish cool with subtle aplomb, even as moments of action get muddled at times from panel to panel. Muted colors and a London backdrop set an appropriate mood, casting the monsters and baddies in a particularly gruesome light. As more monsters pop up in Scarlett's world, and the Count grows into an even bigger menace, the young hunter uncovers secrets both great and small. Meanwhile, rumors swirl about a book called the Codex Monstrorum and its dangerous properties. This graphic novel features a cast of mostly but not exclusively light-skinned characters, with a plucky, pale-skinned heroine at its center.Fun for a spooky night, anchored by likable characters and a zippy story. (Graphic horror. 10-14)

Gr 4-7-Sedgwick displays his mastery of the macabre-though with a humorous flourish-in his first middle grade graphic novel. Scarlett Hart, the orphan daughter of a pair of famous monster hunters, certainly has the bravery and gumption to follow in her parents' footsteps. Trouble is, she's still a few years shy of legal monster-hunting age-not to mention that her rival Count Stankovic is trying to tip off the Watch (the local police) so they'll catch Scarlett in the act and arrest her. The good news: Scarlett and her butler, Napoleon, have set up an expert system in which he reports her monster kills to the Royal Academy for the Pursuit and Eradication of Zoological Eccentricities (T.R.A.P.E.Z.E.) on her behalf. The bad news: Count Stankovic is definitely up to something behind the scenes, and when Scarlett and Napoleon begin to pry, more than just Scarlett's monster-hunting future is at stake. From ghosts to gargoyles to mummies, there's no shortage of cryptids in this rapid-fire romp. In fact, so much happens that the characters consequently fall a bit flat. The action sequences can be difficult to follow at times, but Taylor's muted full-color art is deliciously dark and eerie. The weapons, gadgets, catchphrases, and nondescript Victorian setting will appeal to fans of the steampunk genre. VERDICT While the story isn't especially inventive, the title-and its possible sequels-will likely appeal to comic fans as a bridge between Scooby-Doo! and Paul Pope's "Battling Boy."-Alec Chunn, Eugene Public Library, OR © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Scarlett Hart is a first-rate hunter of monsters, even if she is technically under the legal age to work for the local monster-hunting academy. With the help of her deceased parents' staff-the ever-dapper and car-loving Napoleon, and the kind and doting Mrs. White-Scarlett races from scene to scene, protecting the city and capturing evidence of monsters for her employers. But the Count, the family's lifelong nemesis, has it in for her, thwarting her efforts until Scarlett isn't sure who is a bigger threat-him or the growing number of monsters that plague early-20th-century London. Sedgwick and Taylor's story unfolds in lively action sequences, and the banter between Scarlett and Napoleon provides humorous interludes. Sedgwick, in his first middle grade offering, presents obstacles both monstrous and mundane: Scarlett doesn't just hunt monsters for the thrill of it-her livelihood depends upon it. Taylor's energetic artwork captures the time and place through the use of metallic grays and browns, while integrating an array of gothic and steampunk motifs. Ages 10-14. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.