Once in a Full Moon

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Seventeen-year-old Celeste Parker finds herself falling for Brandon, a boy from the wrong side of their small, midwestern town, even though she suspects that he is a werewolf.

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Once in a Full Moon submitted by karaelise on June 21, 2011, 8:27pm When Celeste first sets her eyes on Brandon, there is no way she can know that her life is going to change forever in Ellen Schreiber’s Once in a Full Moon. Throughout her life, Celeste always stuck to the status quo. She was loyal to her two best friends, and the three of them dated three other best friends, creating a powerful clique at their high school. However, Celeste is troubled by the fact that there are stringent lines in her school between the “Eastsiders” and the “Westsiders.” When she and her two best friends visit the west side on a dare and Celeste decides to walk home, she gets caught in a freak blizzard and then cornered by wolves. At the last moment, Brandon appears out of nowhere and rescues her, but the animals wound his hand. When Celeste stops by Brandon’s house to thank him, sparks fly and a romance begins…but so does the fur. It seems the local werewolf legends told to Celeste by one of the residents of nursing home she volunteers at are true, and Celeste has fallen for a werewolf with hopelessly beautiful royal blue eyes.
This paranormal romance focuses on Celeste and the turmoil she faces as her perfect life is turned upside down. Celeste’s character is likeably deviant from the rest of the characters in the novel, and readers will find themselves cheering for her decision to break out of the norm. Compared to the soulful Brandon and kind-hearted Celeste, the other characters in this story appear rude and sometimes downright obnoxious. With a supporting cast that is difficult to like, it is almost too easy to pull for Celeste and Brandon’s relationship. The paranormal adds an extra thrill to this novel, and readers will be left wondering what will happen when Celeste’s ex-boyfriend discovers Brandon in his werewolf form. Although predictable, this book will be well accepted by teens looking for a new werewolf series. Recommended for grades 7 and up.