Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Review: Wickedpedia by Chris Van Etten


Summer is nearly over, well at least for the kids that are heading back to school this month; meaning kids will be having the dreaded homework assignments, including book reports. I know some kids may think reading is boring, as they would probably rather be playing a video game, but reading can be a joyful experience when you find that one perfect title to read. Therefore, I am going to be featuring a few Back to School Reads on here.

Do you remember receiving those Scholastic book catalogs during your elementary years? Or attending the yearly school book fair?

I sure do remember them, as this is when I was introduce to many new authors, including those who wrote under the Point Horror title. I read these books vigorously, introducing me to the works by R.L. Stine, Diane Hoh, Richie Tankersley Cusick, Christopher Pike, and Caroline B. Cooney. The plots of Point Horror were similar to the horror movies from the 1980s, where typically a female teenager must battle some sort of bad guy, like an ex-boyfriend, a stalker, a serial killer, a ghost, a vampire, etc. Yes, the books were heavily criticized, but teenager readers loved reading them. The books became even more popular during the 90s' with ten books or more being released yearly, but toward the beginning of the 21st century the genre almost disappeared. After an eight year absence, new Point Horror titles returned in 2013.

One of the newest Point Horror releases, Wickedpedia (224 pages; ISBN:  978-0545415873) by Chris Van Etten, arrived in bookstores back in June from Scholastic Inc., and follows the similar horror premise of the original Point Horror books, except for the fact that the plot is more updated with today's trends and technology.

Wickedpedia centers on an aspiring teenage chef Cole Redeker and his best-friend Gavin. Cole has never gotten over the breakup with his ex-girlfriend Winnie, as he is still in love with her, but she already has a new boyfriend, the know-it-all Josh. It is no secret that Josh uses Wikipedia to research his class reports. Cole and Gavin thought it would be funny to alter those pages, so Josh would get into trouble. What starts out as a little harmless joke  turns into murder!

It seems that somebody else is out to kill Cole's classmates. This murderer is adding pages for each victim to Wickpedia, detailing how each victim is going to die before it happens. As the body count rises, Cole must hunt down the killer before he becomes the next victim.

Growing up reading Point Horror, I was excited about reviewing Wickedpedia. The premise of using Wikipedia as a way to murder might at first seem like a great way to update the genre to modern times, but there is just something missing - like actual scares. What is more scarier, reading about a future murder on Wikipedia or being chased by a crazy killer? I would go with the latter. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading the book for the most part, but I was hoping for a little more bite. The old Point Horror books had several twists and turns throughout each installment, never letting the reader know who is the killer until the very end. Wickedpedia suffers from being predictable and a little boring at times, especially for the first half; though, like I already said, I still enjoyed reading it for the most part. Hopefully, the updated plot will spark an interest with the younger generation.


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.


About the Author:

Chris Van Etten is a writer for the beloved television show One Life to Live. He is also one third of David Van Etten, the writing team behind the Likely Story series.


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