This Totally Bites!

Poison Apple #2

by Ruth Ames

Poison Apple Thrilling. Bone-chilling. These books have bite!Twelve-year-old Emma-Rose Paley has always felt different from her bubbly, outgoing parents. Unlike them, Emma-Rose has pale skin and jet-black hair, is quiet and moody, and prefers gray weather to sunshine. She also hates the taste of garlic, has very sharp incisors, and loves rare burgers. When Emma-Rose uncovers a dark family secret, she has a sudden revelation. Could Emma-Rose be a real, live vampire?Book PaperbackPublication 5/1/2010 208Reading Age 8 and Up

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Vampires, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Ruth Ames is the author of This Totally Bites, one of the inaugural spine-tingling Poison Apple books. She has written several best-selling young adult novels under another name. Ruth loved reading spooky stories as a child. She now lives in Manhattan, where she has yet to meet a real vampire.

Reviews

[Alisha]

This totally Bites, written by Ruth Ames. This Poison Apple Book is the second in the series. This book follows young Emma-Rosa as she discovers her family heritage and why it is she is so different from her fun loving parents. She doesn’t want to wear pastels, like her mother wants her to. Emma-Rose is more comfortable in her dark colored cloths and her moody attitude. As always, the Poison Apple series has a great way of keeping the reader hooked on the story and wanting more. This story is perfect for children ages 8 to 12 who prefer a little darkness in their reading.

[Monster]

Emma-Rose Paley is dark-haired, navy-eyed, pale-skinned and just saw her great-aunt turn into a bat. Now, on top of the upcoming school Halloween Dance (which her friend Gabby has pushed her to help plan), and her parents working hard on a major gala for the museum, Emma-Rose wonders if she could be a vampire too.
This Totally Bites! is an ultramodern middle-grade scary tale that brings the popularity of the paranormal into a kid-friendly book. Emma-Rose faces realistic kid-sized problems, some of which are even scarier than possibly being a vampire. Cell phones and the internet factor in a lot, which is good because many times such things are ignored by writers, but when they are missing it’s noticed by readers.
While this book does have the potential to be a little too scary for sensitive kids (my daughter insisted on sleeping with a bulb of garlic on her table after we read the scene where Aunt Margo turns into a bat) it doesn't touch on any truly uncomfortable situations (for kids or parents). For kids who are trying to edge in on their parents' love of urban fantasy or paranormal romance, or who just love Buffy reruns, this is book, part of the Poison Apple series, is perfect. Recommended for public collections.
Contains: creepiness
Reviewed by: Michele Lee

[The Local Spooky Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its cute I enjoyed it. Idk if younger me would have liked it. You know the age group its actually for. Hah 30 something and still readin things for kids. But I try to give anything with remotely gothy characters and vampires a chance so maybe young me could have liked it but its not really spooky scary or violent so idk... hmm annnyways a fun book that didn't have a twist of no vampires. Its a cute Halloween themed story and im gonna get the sequel to it and maybe try a few more of the series. (But I hear its hit or miss with these)
I just wanted to know Emma's family history too. That should have been in the book and explained that though she may not be a vampire that she still has some vampire like tendencies. Like maybe her bloodlink is a lot closer to her vampire heritage.
Anyways my vampire loving phase has kicked in once again.
*does weird jigg making weird happy sounds towards my next vampire themed book I have yet to pick*

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last of the Poison Apple books that my niece checked out from the library and I *ahem* stole from her to read. Cute with the message that things (and people) aren't always as they seem, it's a quick read with a funky main character. My niece pointed out within the first few pages that the 12 year old main character dresses the same way I do. I don't know if I should be flattered that she noticed or disturbed that I dress like a tween.

Anyway. These books are written to be very accessible to the middle grade readers. I like that they celebrate diversity of self (the main characters usually have offbeat hobbies and aren't afraid to enjoy being different) and that without fail they sneak the point home that you shouldn't judge someone until you know all the facts.

Fast and fun, these books will appeal to younger readers who enjoy a touch of the supernatural without the scare factor.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Kenzie A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about this twelev year old girl named Emma Rose is trying to find a mystery about her family.Emma Rose's Great Aunt Margo comes to vist hre famliy, Emma Rose findsnt something weird about her great aunt margo.Emma Rose went to bed one night and something bang on her wall.She got up with her heart pounding as a fast lighting bolt opened her door looked in the hallway, she saw nothing.
She went back to her room lad back down in bed and again she herd the same noise,she jumped out of bed and ruched to her door.Emma saw that her great aunt Margo door was moving back and froth.When she looked in all she saw was the window open and the curtain moving.As she blinked she saw two red eyes glaring at her, she ran back to her room and slammed the door shut behind her and locked it.The next morning Emma went downstairs and told her mom what she saw ,but her mom didn't believe her.At the end Emma's great aunt Margo reveals that she is a vampire.And that is what my book is about.

[andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

beginning of my vamp arc in fifth grade

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Totally Bites! by Ruth Ames is a book in the Poison Apple series, a paranormal version of the Candy Apple series.

Emma-Rose Paley is completely opposite from her family. She has black hair, loves rainy weather, and pale skin. Her dog, Bram, also hates her. Emma-Rose’s mother works at the American Museum of Natural History having a Creature of the Night exhibit that Margo has been a consultant on. When her great-aunt Margo comes to visit, she’s glad to see that she looks like her AND isn’t liked by Bram either.

At her middle school, she has a BFF, Gabby, and two other friends, Padma and Caitlyn. She’s on the student council with Gabby. Ashlee Lambert is the student council president, and one of the queen bees of West Side Prep. Henry Green is the student council vice-president and is constantly teasing Emma-Rose. When he calls attendance, he always calls her Pale Paley.

If this isn’t enough, Emma-Rose discovers something terrifying. At night, she hears some noises, so she goes to Margo’s room to check it out. She realizes that Margo is a vampire. After doing some research, Emma-Rose quickly realizes that she is a vampire, too. Gabby isn’t on board with the theory. Is Emma-Rose a vampire or is it an overactive imagination?

I really liked this book. There was a part of the ending that I didn’t see coming at all. Emma-Rose was quiet in the beginning of the story, but she ended up growing a backbone. I liked seeing her become more confident. I think kids will enjoy this series.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I was really disappointed that Emma Rose didn't turn out to be a vampire because it would have made the book much more interesting. I loved the plot and the idea of the story though.

[Skye nemeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is great but the twist wasn't the best.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma Rose's aunt is visiting right before Halloween for a Creatures of the Night exhibit her mom is hosting. Right around this time Emma Rose is assigned a genealogy assignment and after some odd occurrences paired with her research, Emma Rose is now convinced she is a...vampire.


This book was okay, nothing particularly special in my opinion. I think this story could have been cute and sassy and engaging; however, I was irritated that two best friends getting into a huge fight is used as a plot device (where they are both super immature). Along with the fact that her having a crush on a boy is another huge plot device, so this brought the book down for me.

I do know that I am not the target audience for this book, I just wish books for our youth would be based more on friendship and loyalty versus petty fights and attracting a boys attention. I do think this was a cute book, and I think my niece will really like it, I just wished it showcased things slightly differently.

[Amory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, fun vampire book for middle grade students.

[manni]

I’m just putting in some books I remember reading in like 5th grade, pls ignore :)

[Diane Ehlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was originally posted on Paranormal Sisters: http://paranormalsisters.blogspot.com...

Though every story in the Poison Apple series is different and follows different characters, I'm really sad I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first one. This was kind of a let down, even though the story went the way a young person would think if they found out their great aunt was a vampire.

Mainly the book was about Emma-Rose speculating that she's a vampire because she's just like her great aunt, who is a vampire. One night Emma-Rose saw her great aunt changing back into her human form after she flies through her bedroom window as a bat. From there Emma-Rose looked into what vampires were, she didn't need any other evidence. She knew without a doubt her great aunt was a vampire and I was sad that was the only vampire scene we got for most of the book. The story pretty much made it feel like it could have been one of her nightmares and that made me feel meh towards the story.

Overall This Totally Bites! was just okay. I wasn't blown away like I was for the The Dead End like I thought I would be before I even picked up this book. I just wish the vampire aspect was stronger or if maybe at the end there would have been a deeper meaning for all of this.

[Ziying]

Emma-rose was always "different" than her parents.She feels left out in the family and has certain features that both her parent don't have.When her great-aunt Margo comes she starts feeling sort of suspicious of her.Henry her friend will go and find out the secret about Margo.On the way she still has some questions that needs to be answered.

I've always been a fan of the poison apple and rotten apple books.The reason I got this book was because I went to visit a friend one day and I saw this book on her table so I ask if I could read some of it.The minute I've read it I wanted to read it more.After that I decided to read it one more time.

The reason I've finished this is because there were a lot of questions appearing in my head like, is her aunt actually a vampire?The book had a mystery to it so I couldn't help but finished the book.

Betty will enjoy this book because the characters in this book aren't just humans but vampires.I think she likes things that have vampires in it.

[Kimberly Pirir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good. This book basicly talks about a girl named Emma-Rose Paley who feels like she doesnt belong with her family. She feels like she is different from her parents because she looks and acts different from them. What she doesnt know is that her family has a dark secret that she doesnt find out until one of her aunts come to visit and tells her all about it. Now she understands why she is different from them. When you are reading this book, at first it seems like your not going to like it... but when you keep reading, you really get into it and you try to find what the dark secret is, and why it affects her and her social life. You wouldnt want to put the book down until you find that dark secret that everyone is hiding from her.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was way less creepy then the first book in the series. Emma Rose thinks she might be a vampire when her Great Aunt visits from Transylvania (who clearly is a vampire) and Emma Rose see's the similarities between them. At the same time she is fighting with her best friend Gabby, which is making her sad. But her belief that she may be a vampire is giving her a ton of confidence. She's making new friends, in charge of decorating for the dance and talking to the boy she likes.

I really liked this book. I love any book where you get to see a character come out of her shell. I also finally figured out that these books don't include the same characters or seem to really be connected other then being about paranormal characters.

[Princess Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Emma-Rose Paley. She feels different from her parents.
Like,she loves dark and cold cloudy days while her parents prefer bright and sunny days.
This book will tell how Emma-Rose Paley found out about her Aunt and the history of their
Family and how this will affect of her way of living things.
Anyhow, first you may think this book is a waste of time but if you keep reading
it you will be taken ''in'' and you'll feel excitement of what's gonna happen next.

[Candide · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was great. I'm glad that Ruth Ames - the author - made sure that there were 'real' vampires, but I'm still pretty sad that she didn't turn Emma-Rose into one. I also loved the part where Emma-Rose and Henry were in the library, it was.....I dunno....maybe a little romantic?????

[Liza]

You're probably thinking-why did she read this? I read it because I needed to get my neice focused on a book for her homework. It's slightly painful considering that the climax happens so quickly that you sit there and wonder what happened to it. It's okay if you need a book for a child to read-otherwise...read at your own risk. You could slip into PG land and never return.

[nishat · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool book for kids; everyone's really getting into the vampire stufff :)

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun, fun, and FUN!
makes me think about how much I adore Middle Grade books & how much I FRACCCCKIN love writing them!
might see a middle grade debut from me sometime soon :)

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this great new series from Scholastic Press, Scholastic Goes Goth. It is shaping up to be a dark off-shoot of their popular Candy Apple Books. This new series, Poison Apple Books, starts with 2 out this spring, one in August and another in the fall and it looks amazing. These books explore such things as ghosts, vampires, haunting and other darker tales. Unlike most fluffy books for young girls these tales have a little more grit but still have some humour and really fun reads.

Emma-Rose Paley is a twelve year old with a love and fascination with all things dark, from her black and purple wardrobe, to her black shag rug in her room, with pink skull-and-crossbones wallpaper. She is not quite what you expect from a middle grade student. Her mother would prefer if she wore pastels and acted a little more girly, but what can you do with a stubborn girl? Then her great aunt Margo arrives from Transylvania - tall, dark, ageless and cold to the touch. Emma discovers her family comes from Transylvania, and her great aunt looks ageless. She also looks just like Emma-Rose with dark hair, blue eyes and sharp incisors. Emma now thinks that she has uncovered the reason she is so different; she just might be a vampire, just like her great aunt. Soon she hopes so, for she is finding an inner strength from seeing herself as a vampire. She stands up to the class president, plans the school dance, and believes she has been invited to a ritual to turn her from a fledgling into a full fledged vampire. Her best friend Gabby thinks that she is crazy and this causes a rift between them that seems irreparable. While at the library, she meets Henry Greene, a guy from school she likes and who, it appears, is into folklore and legends, and he thinks that she just may have something. This second book out is in a new Scholastic imprint, Poison Apple Books. It is cool, hip, and fills a niche for those attracted to something a little darker at a younger age.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good and fun read

"This Totally Bites," a part of the Poison Apple book series, provided me with an enjoyable reading experience, although it did take me some time to finish. Despite the length, I found the book to be a captivating and entertaining read.

The narrative of "This Totally Bites" drew me in with its intriguing storyline and well-developed characters. It skillfully combined elements of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural, making it a truly engaging page-turner. The author's ability to create a world where the ordinary and the extraordinary collide added depth to the story.

What I particularly appreciated about the book was its ability to keep me guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the next revelation. The pacing, while requiring some time to fully immerse in the story, ultimately paid off as the plot unfolded.

In conclusion, I would recommend "This Totally Bites" to readers who enjoy a blend of mystery and supernatural elements in their books. The payoff is a thoroughly enjoyable and fun read that will leave you entertained and satisfied.

[Reyna Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disfruté bastante la re interpretación sobre los vampiros, el hecho de que sea algo genético que salta generaciones en lugar de ser una maldición que puedes transmitir a otras personas.

La amistad que desarrolla la protagonista con Henry es muy adorable, sólo son dos chicos "góticos" tratando de descubrir si la primera es una vampiro adolescente.

Estaba entusiasmada por la trama, porque jamás había leído algo así, pero toma demasiado tiempo llegar a la resolución final aunque el libro tiene menos de 200 páginas. Me aburrí en varias ocasiones y me llevó más tiempo del necesario finalizar la historia.

El final fue divertido, pero también me sentí muy traicionada por el giro de los acontecimientos.

SPOILER ABAJO

no tiene sentido que ella no sea una vampiro, estoy segura de que nos estafaron a las dos!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in the fourth or fifth grade and it set me on the road to vampire and other supernatural creatures that go bump in the night. This book was really good when I was younger and I would love to reread it to see what I think of it now. If you or your kid loves dark stuff this book is for them.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book and a light read (it took me less than a day to finish). Emma-Rose, a middle school girl, is convinced that she is a vampire due to the similarities that she shares with her great-aunt Margo, who she found out was a vampire. She's very anxious about turning into a vampire, but despite this predicament, she receives great support from her friends.

[Abby Yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma-Rose Paley has just turned twelve and has always felt different from her parents. When Emma finally meets her great-aunt Margo, she feels like she has met her older self. When she finds out more about her great-aunt, she has to control her worries and also deal with school and social life. This Book is great for people that like a touch of scariness but don’t want too much.

[Iced Coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading this book yesterday. I know that the poison apple books are meant to be for younger audiences, but I have read 2-3 poison apple books when i was young. So, I kind of wanted to read other books in this series. This book was totally worth my time. I would suggest picking up this book when you want to spend your time reading a light book.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, though the protagonist is literally the definition of "not like other girls." I'm definitely going to check out At First Bite, which features a character from this volume.

[Madylynn Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and adventurous

I loved this book so much. It is my new favorite book series. I will binge read them when I get the chance. I would recommend this book to any of my friends! Ruth Ames, you are awesome!