12. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

ISBN: 078683892-2

Hyperion Books, New York, 2006

302 p.  

Plot Summary 

At New York’s Duchesne School, there is an elite clique of students, just as with any high school.  However, in this case, the clique is known as Blue Bloods, consisting of the most influential families in New York who also happen to be reincarnated vampires.  In breaking from traditional vampire lore, the Blue Bloods do not become aware of their vampire existence until they near 15-years-old and begin craving raw meat and prominent blue veins begin to show on their arms, as well as start remembering events from years past.  Schuyler Van Alen is a member of the Blue Bloods, but she, along with her friends Oliver and Dylan, are ostracized from the group by the more beautiful and popular teens, specifically Mimi Force.  When Schuyler is invited to a meeting of The Committee, she discovers her true identity as a Blue Blood and forms a connection with Mimi’s twin brother, Jack.  One night at a club populated by Blue Bloods, one of Mimi’s best friends, Aggie, is murdered.  Intent on finding out what happened, Schuyler learns that she succumbed to “Full Consumption,” in which all of her blood was drained by a Silver Blood, a vampire that feeds on other vampires.  Frustrated with the Blue Blood elders denying the existence of Silver Bloods, Schuyler is determined to figure out the secrets, putting herself in danger in the process.

Critical Evaluation

Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods introduces a unique, modern take on vampire mythology.  Through reincarnation, the blood of the vampires is passed along from one body to the next, using the body as a sort of vessel to preserve immortality.  In this way, the vampires can still age and blend into society seamlessly.  Some vampires choose to live forever, but others decide to move on to the next “cycle” and become reborn in another body.  Rather than hunting for humans and living on the outskirts of town, the Blue Bloods take on “human familiars” that they bond with for their blood supply and live in upscale neighborhoods in Manhattan, their vampire existence undetectable by the population.  Also, the inclusion of real events in history works to make the danger seem even more plausible.  From the moment I first learned about the lost colony of Roanoke in fifth grade, I have been interested in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a whole colony.  The incorporation of Roanoke into the novel works to add to the mystery surrounding the history of the Blue Bloods.  Through diary entries of Catherine Carver from centuries ago, we learn that a group of Blue Bloods fled Europe to come to the New World, mirroring the history of the Pilgrims coming to America for religious freedom.  Docked just off shore while the men set up the colony, the women begin to worry that what was targeting them in Europe followed them to the New World.  The word “Croatan,” that was found carved on a tree in the real lost colony of Roanoke, is used to give an alternative reason for the disappearance of a whole group of people.  De la Cruz takes advantage of one of the most mysterious and still unexplained events in American history, adding to the mystery in the novel while also demonstrating the danger still facing the Blue Bloods.

Reader's Annotation

The Blue Bloods are the most powerful and influential families in New York.  However, when one of them is murdered, Schuyler Van Alen puts her own existence in danger to figure out the secrets being kept from the younger Blue Bloods.

Information About the Author

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat. Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University. 

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and Fox News.  She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.   (information taken from author’s website: http://melissa-delacruz.com/index.php/info/about)

Genre

Young Adult – Mystery/Dark Fantasy

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Booktalking Ideas

1. Focus on the relationship between Schuyler and Jack.

2. Compare the teens in Blue Bloods to those in Gossip Girl.

3. Tell the story from Oliver’s point-of-view.

4. Talk about the connection between Catherine Carver and the present group of Blue Bloods.

Reading Level/Interest Age

14+

Challenge Issues

There are instances of drinking and drug use in the novel.  Also, the idea of the “human familiar” has sexual undertones.

When confronted with complaints about this novel, librarians should become familiar with the material and its content.  Turn to reviews from publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as reviews from teens that have read it.  Also, it is beneficial for librarians to present reasons backed by the ALA in support of intellectual freedom.  As stated in the Library Bill of Rights:

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Why Include Book in Selection? 

I heard about this book a couple of years ago when it was being developed into a TV series for the CW network.  Although that fell through, it put the book on my radar and I decided to finally read it for this project.