Amie Rose Rotruck (Children's Literature)
Lucy considers herself a vampire. Not because she is a bat-changing, blood drinking demon, or because she is a vampire-pretender goth (although she does have an affinity for black clothes). Lucy has a theory that vampire legends are rooted in untreated diabetics. She herself is diabetic and spends a great deal of time in chat rooms discussing vampirism. One user claims to actually be a vampire in the traditional sense. Lucy dismisses him, but then she meets the man in person. The more time Lucy spends with the man and his teenage goth lackeys, the more trouble she has regulating her diabetes. It takes a near-death experience for Lucy to decide which world she wants to live in. This book keeps the reader guessing until the very end as to whether the vampires are real or not. Lucy is a fascinating person to follow throughout the book, and Hautman's writing style truly seems like a teenage girl of her character. 2003, Simon and Schuster, $16.95. Ages 12 up.

Scott Harris (Children's Literature)
Pete Hautman's typical, yet interesting, novel about adolescent rebellion delves into the world of a teenage diabetic and her theories on the disease's relationship to vampirism. In the first pages, Lucy Szabo relates that, at six, she had an encounter with a bat, soon followed by the onset of diabetes and then a lifelong obsession with linking these unrelated events. Now in her mid-teens, she has started rebelling against her parents, doctors, teachers, and even friends. Whether she is ignoring her insulin program, dressing like a "Goth," chatting with weirdoes in a "Transylvania chat-room," or sneaking out to parties, Lucy longs to find acceptance and understanding. After writing a scary essay in which she expounds on her theories about untreated diabetes--its resulting comas and insatiable appetites, etc.--and the medieval belief in vampires, Lucy is swept up in a world of over-reacting adults who confiscate her computer and send her to a psychiatrist. The novel's strengths lie in its author's deft use of contemporary teen culture, such as the "Goth" scene and internet chatting, and its portrayal of a chronically ill young person's struggle for acceptance. Reading about Lucy's mother's hand-wringing drama over her health and the vice-principal's violent response to her insulin reaction reminded this reader of a recent tabloid headline, "VAMPIRE POPULATION THREATENED BY AIDS." Although Lucy's theory about vampirism may remain a fantastic one, young readers should learn that, even today, people with diseases have to live with the ignorance and hysterical reactions of others. 2003, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $16.95. Ages 12 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)
Sweetblood is the name Lucy Szabo uses when she visits the Transylvania Room, an Internet chat room for self-described vampires. Lucy scoffs at some of the participants, sure that they are merely blood-sucking wannabes, but one named Draco sounds convincingly real. Lucy has a theory about the origin of vampirism; an insulin-dependent diabetic herself, she postulates that many of the classic characteristics of vampires were based on the symptoms of untreated diabetes during the Middle Ages. Lucy feels misunderstood by her parents, is routinely angry, and hides her loneliness behind a wisecracking Goth façade. She begins to disregard the constant monitoring her condition requires and ignores serious warning signs. Meanwhile, she meets the real Draco; he is the adult host at a gathering of Goth teens. Although the middle-aged man is clearly a social predator and not a "real" vampire, he handily manipulates Lucy by appealing to her obvious intelligence. After reaching a severe state of potentially fatal ketoacidosis, Lucy begins to gain a new perspective on her diabetes, but retains enough of her prickly attitude to stay credible. The concept of vampirism as an ignorant interpretation of diabetes is an ingenious idea, providing a solid base for this highly original tale. CCBC categories: Fiction for Young Adults. 2003, Simon & Schuster, 180 pages, $16.95. Ages 12-15.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 11))
A gripping, painful, and well-written coming-of-ager with a twist. Diabetic Lucy Szabo's world is populated by legions of the Undead: those, like herself, who are only alive due to modern medicine. Untreated diabetes, she believes, is the true source of vampire legend, which makes her a potential vampire. Though she wears mostly black, reads Anne Rice, and spends time on vampire chat rooms, Lucy is adamantly "not goth." She is, however, 16, angry, and flunking out of school, and her worried parents confiscate her computer. Bitter and lonely, Lucy lets her health deteriorate as she befriends those who, while potentially dangerous, seem to understand her troubles. To survive, she must learn to preserve her individuality without building a personality centered on despair. Lucy is richly drawn: smart and likable, with wit and a knack for language. Despite a cast of characters straight out of a formulaic problem novel, an original and powerful tale. 2003, Simon & Schuster, $16.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 2003 (Vol. 37, No. 3))
This is quite an amazing novel. I remember when many YA novels featured a disease and then an after-school special followed up on the "educational" story-- very contrived. Sweet Blood is not contrived. Perhaps it helps that Pete Hautman himself suffers from insulin-dependent diabetes and knows all about it, because this is the disease that the narrator Lucy is dealing with. Anyone with any firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be monitoring blood sugar throughout each day, with fluctuating moods and energy levels, will recognize the reality of Lucy's life. Highly intelligent, Lucy considers what it must have been like for diabetics in the past, before doctors understood the disease and insulin was available. She does some research and writes a report for history class, proposing that the descriptions of vampires could be descriptions of those suffering from diabetes--this is how vampires get connected to this novel. Lucy struggles with defeated parents, with herself, with deceptive people she meets. She is angry and stumbling, making bad choices, but generally progressing toward some acceptance of her situation and herself. I like the respect Hautman shows for her--she's smart and she really is trying to come to grips with her body and her life. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Simon & Schuster, 180p., $16.95. Ages 12 to 18.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 11))
I am not dead,” says sixteen-year-old Lucy, “I am Undead.” She’s not speaking in strictly classical vampirical terms, but of her theory that those whose lives would have been lost but for modern technology belong to a new kind of undead. She herself is Undead indeed, a resentful diabetic who has a hard time managing her glucose levels and who has recently spiraled into a particularly ferocious adolescent rebellion; prompted by some obvious connections and the fact that her diabetes was diagnosed a month after she was bitten by a bat, she wonders if vampire legends actually arose from misunderstood diabetes, and she therefore feels a strong kinship with vampires that leads her to vampire-themed chatrooms (under the handle “Sweetblood”) and goth classmates--and to a rather frightening man who may be an actual vampire. Vampires seem to be an infinitely flexible subject, and Lucy’s perhaps-not-metaphoric reinterpretation of the phenomenon is startling and provocative, with the book making effective and imaginative use of the intimate (though not quite intimate enough) relationship that Lucy has with her blood. Her narration deftly and often wittily expresses her rage, especially against her parents (“We face off: the evil sugar-bitch daughter and the whiny hand-wringing mother”), her sadness (“Cheerfulness does not play well here in Lucyland, where we take our angst seriously”), and desire for exploration (“He talks to me like an equal, an adult, an intelligent person who doesn’t have to go to school or be home by eleven or check her blood sugar every three hours”). Hautman’s conclusion is a little muddy, since there’s little reason given why Lucy’s near-fatal ketoacidosis should precipitate her radical change of attitude, but there’s enough attitude that readers won’t care; this is still an absorbing account of a young woman’s angry romance with the dark side. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Simon, 192p, $16.95. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2003)
Sixteen-year-old Lucy's theory--that vampires of folk legend may well have been untreated diabetics--will fascinate vampire aficionados. This idea reinforces her self-image as weird-diabetes-girl and meshes neatly with her transformation from angelic blond to raven-haired cynic. Lucy is a smart, savvy teen in the midst of reinventing herself--and coming to the liberating realization that the possibilities are infinite. Category: Older Fiction. 2003, Simon, 180pp, $16.95. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Sandra Thompson (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 4))
Lucy, a teenager who has been a diabetic most of her life, writes a school paper on vampirism and how the symptoms are very much like a diabetic without insulin. The paper is very graphic, and her teacher reacts by telling her parents. The story gives readers a big insight into diabetes and how the disease can affect the emotions of the unfortunate diabetics. Put diabetes and teenage emotions together, and the reader has a powerful look into a young girl’s life. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 8 and up. 2003, Simon & Schuster, 180p., $16.95. Ages 13 up.

Dotsy Harland (VOYA, October 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 4))
Sixteen-year-old Lucy Szabo has diabetes and is fascinated by vampires. She has come to the conclusion that the vampires of ancient legends were actually untreated diabetics, a theory that she enjoys discussing in a vampire chat room. She dresses in black, reads Anne Rice, and is attracted to Dylan, a mysterious student in her French class, who introduces her to Wayne, an intriguing older man who role-plays as a vampire. After sneaking out on Halloween night to accompany Dylan to a party at Wayne's house, Lucy drinks too much and collapses into a diabetic coma while walking home. Rescued by Mark, her loyal childhood friend and neighbor, she wakes up in the hospital much wiser and with a newfound appreciation for those who love her. Hautman, a diabetic himself, creates a thoroughly believable, smart, and likeable character in Lucy. His imagery is witty and energetic, and his style of writing in first-person present tense gives crispness and a feeling of immediacy to the novel. Lucy's anger at her disease leads to isolation and self-destructive behavior, such as failure to regulate her insulin, but her unfailing humor and common sense prevail in the end. There are no "real" vampires in this book. Nevertheless, the predator Wayne, an adult who hosts wild parties for teenagers, is more chilling than any vampire could be. Hautman's warning is serious but subtle and will be better understood by older readers. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Simon & Schuster, 192p, $17. Ages 12 to 18.