Burn Down, Rise Up - Vincent Tirado

Pura Belpré Award
 

This one was interesting to me, mostly because I could see what it was going for. It a way, it reminded me a lot of the film Candyman, in the sense that there's a viral trend that goes around that is invoking the supernatural. At first, I wasn't enjoying this book because I was like, "Well, duh. if you mess with the demon ritual you saw online, don't be surprised when the demon shows up. This kids are so stupid." But then my fiancé pointed out that there's tons of examples of that in the real world that kids always test out. I think what initially kept me interested is how horrific the first scene is. I've noticed that a lot of horror novels are starting to mirror trends in genres that are successful in film, just in book form. And I think the idea of showing something scary in the first chapter, then introducing the protagonist, is a great way to keep readers invested in the story from start to finish since there is a looming threat in play at all times. 

I think that teens would really enjoy this one because it involves a viral trend that spreads through the internet and local communities. And, I think the horror would keep kids engaged. Lately I've noticed a trend where students are becoming obsessed with modern horror, and I think this book does a great job of emulating that feeling of a new horror movie. This would also be a fun novel to deep dive into to talk about the current hold that horror movies seem to have on the current generation of teenagers and how it's been mirrored in media. 

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