What Big Teeth

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children meets The Addams Family in this haunting story of one girl's attempt to reconnect with her monstrous family.Eleanor has not seen or spoken with her family in years, not since they sent her away to Saint Brigid's boarding school. She knows them only as vague memories: her grandfather's tremendous fanged snout, the barrel full of water her mother always soaked in, and strange hunting trips in a dark wood with her sister and cousins.When Eleanor finally returns to their ancestral home on the rainy coast of Maine, she finds them already gathered in wait, seemingly ready to welcome her back with open arms. But a strange and sudden death rocks the family, and in order to keep the family that abandoned her from falling apart, Eleanor calls upon her mysterious other grandmother from across the sea. Grandmere brings order to the chaotic household, but that order soon turns to tyranny. If any of them are to survive, Eleanor must embrace her strange family and confront the monstrousness lurking deep within her Grandmere – and herself.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-After an incident at boarding school sends her running to a home and family she hardly remembers, Eleanor Zarrin must find a way to reconnect with relatives who both terrify and intrigue her. Will she find her place among these bizarre family members, or will her return prove to be their downfall? Set in Maine, ostensibly in the 1950s, this debut YA novel from Szabo is one part haunting mystery, one part dark fantasy. As the title suggests, wolves abound-but so do ghosts, witches, and other, less definable paranormal beings. Eleanor is well-rounded, with understandable motivations behind her actions; many teen readers will surely relate to her feelings of inadequacy and "otherness" as she struggles to find a place where she belongs. The rest of the ensemble are slightly more one-dimensional, though still enjoyable to read. All characters present as white. VERDICT This darkly thrilling gothic fantasy will appeal to fans of Karen McManus and Maggie Stiefvater alike. A recommended purchase.-Kaitlin Frick, Darien Lib., CTα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Tricia Levenseller, Publisher’s Weekly-bestselling author of The Shadows Between Us

"With a layered mystery, a haunting setting, and thrilling tension, What Big Teeth has an otherness to it that pulls you in and forces you to keep reading."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW

"Deliciously gothic and wonderfully creepy."

School Library Journal

"... one part haunting mystery, one part dark fantasy ... This darkly thrilling gothic fantasy will appeal to fans of Karen McManus and Maggie Stiefvater alike."

Tor.com

"A tale so gorgeously twisty, it'll turn you inside out."

NPR Books

"Gazes into [the] darkness to face the monster that dwells within."

The Nerd Daily

"A complete ghostly chill that deserves ten stars."

Forever YA

"Has bite―and will leave you feeling dazed."

The Lineup

"A hauntingly thrilling read."

PopSugar

"A fascinating debut."

Den of Geek

"[An] inventive concept

Culturess

"Not your typical YA fantasy."

About the Author

Rose Szabo is a nonbinary writer from Richmond, VA, where they live with an assortment of people and animals and teach writing at VCU. They have an MA in English from the University of Maine and an MFA in creative writing from VCU. Their work has been published in See the Elephant and Quaint magazines. What Big Teeth is their first novel.

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