Hino, M. (2007). Vampire
Knight, Vol. 1. San Francisco:
VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 9781421508221
Plot Summary
Ten years ago, Yuki was assaulted on a snowy night by a vampire only to be rescued by another vampire, Kaname Kuran. She has no memory of her past before that night, and struggles to remember it. In the meantime she oversees operations at Cross Academy which is run by her adoptive father. Cross Academy's secret is that half of the student body, the day class, are normal people, and half, the Night Class, are vampires. Yuki believes the two groups can co-exist, and Kaname has shown her that vampires have changed from the stories everyone has heard while growing up. Zero, her adopted brother, came from a family of vampire hunters before being turned into a vampire himself, and he is not so sure about a peaceful coexistence.
Critical Evaluation
This manga does a good job at setting up characters for the ongoing series, but readers get pretty big clues of where tension will develop in the future. As Yuki cannot remember her past, surely that will get explored. Her adopted brother Zero, holds a fundamentally different view on human-vampire relations, setting up a lasting conflict, and Yuki's rescue by Kaname ten years ago has made him a love interest, one that must be resolved since she is a fraction of his 10,000-year-old vampire age. That said, this book is a fun, brisk read, especially for reluctant readers. It's subject matter is popular, and the graphic novel format makes breaking into the series even easier.
Reader's Annotation
Cross Academy is like any other school, or so you think as Yuki Cross protects its true secret: half the student body is composed of vampires!
Author Information
Matsuri Hino is a female author and illustrator born in Hokkaido, Japan. She published her first graphic work in 1995, and since 2006 has been working on Vampire Knight which is currently an ongoing series in Japan where there are 17 volumes.
Genre
Fiction, supernatural, graphic novel
Curriculum Ties
Reading and Language Arts
Booktalking Ideas
As Yuki, discuss having to facilitate the switch of the Day Class at Cross Academy with the Night Class, stressing having to keep the secret but also wondering what happened to herself ten years ago when she lost her memory.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Young adults of all ages can read and would be potentially interested in this manga if they were fans of the Twilight series.
Challenge Issues
Violence, language, and vampirism are all presented in a graphic format.
If challenged, I would first suggest being familiar with the work in order to speak about it directly. Then, listen the challenger's complaint, show them to positive reviews, and refer to the collection policy, stating a need to include a variety of works that may not be suitable for all, but should contain something for everyone. As a last resort, turn to the ALA Bill of Rights or First Amendment defense, but try not to let things get there; listen and reassure the patron.
If challenged, I would first suggest being familiar with the work in order to speak about it directly. Then, listen the challenger's complaint, show them to positive reviews, and refer to the collection policy, stating a need to include a variety of works that may not be suitable for all, but should contain something for everyone. As a last resort, turn to the ALA Bill of Rights or First Amendment defense, but try not to let things get there; listen and reassure the patron.
Reason Selected
Twilight's popularity is undeniable, and this is a popular, long-running manga that can fill the void left after a reader is done with that series.
Twilight's popularity is undeniable, and this is a popular, long-running manga that can fill the void left after a reader is done with that series.
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