Dread Locks: Dark Fusion # 1

by Neal Shusterman

Book Overview

Dread Locks is the first entry in the Dark Fusion series from master storyteller Neal Shusterman. He cleverly weaves together familiar parts of fairy tales and Greek mythology to tell the story of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525475540
• ISBN13: 9780525475545
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

dark fusion series

"Dread Locks" is the first title in Shusterman's Dark Fusion series, and what a start it was! I couldn't put it down. Tara is a fascinating character, while Parker accurately represents a typical American teen. You'll figure out where this is going about halfway through, but the end will still catch you offguard. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

dread locks

The setting of this place takes place on a saturday morning. The plot is first parker meets tara and then they tara starts to go to the same school as parker and parker introduces tara to all the kids she wants to meet. Then weird things start happening to the kids she wants to meet.The conflict is strange things start happening to the kids she wanted to meet. I think that it was a really great book, it keeps you wondering about what is going to happen next. So i think everyone should read it.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

In Neal Shusterman's new DARK FUSION series, the author takes myths, legends, and fairy tales, mixes them up with modern day tales of teen angst and horror, and comes up with an entertaining read. In DREAD LOCKS, we get a whole stew pot full of retold stories--Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Medusa, King Midas. They're all there, and the finished product is a quick, fun, and sometimes depressing read. Parker Baer is the type of fifteen-year-old I both love and hate. He's always been given everything he's ever wanted, due to the fact that his parents are wealthy. He has an obnoxious older brother, Garrett, and an irritable little sister, Katrina. For his birthday, his brother bought him a motocross bike, and his parents gave him a statue. Yes, the teenage Parker is now memorialized in bronze. Then Parker meets his new next-door neighbor, Tara Herpecheveux, in the most surprising way--she's sleeping in his bed. But Tara's strangeness, and undeniable attractiveness, is a hodge-podge of attributes--she's exotically beautiful, has the strangest blond dread locks, always wears mirrored sunglasses, and has an aversion to the belief of personal property. As Parker gets more and more entangled in the strangeness that is Tara, he begins to notice the ever-increasing weird behavior of the students in his school. Odd cravings, incessantly strange behavior, and a general weirdness pervade the halls of the private school for the rich. Once Parker finally accepts the truth of what's happening, it's too late. The ending, although slightly predictable in some ways, was a surprise overall. It left me feeling sad, but then again, most fairy tales have one or more tear-inducing scenes in them. DREAD LOCKS is an interesting retelling of some notable myths, and if you're into horror stories, this one should definitely do the trick! Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

David's Book Review On Dread Locks

In this thrilling book, Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman, a girl moves into the neighbor hood where Parker Baer lives. The girl's name is Tara, and Tara is no ordinary girl. She has a very big secret. Tara makes many friends at school but the people that Tara befriend develop strange quirks including drinking gallons of milk, eating dirt, and becoming lethargic. Soon, something strange starts to happen to Parker. My favorite part of Dread Locks was when Parker found out what Tara really was. I recommend this book to people who like thrillers and a good page-turner.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?

In Neal Shusterman's new DARK FUSION Series, the author takes myths, legends, and fairy tales, mixes them up with modern-day tales of teen angst and horror, and comes up with an entertaining read. In DREAD LOCKS, we get a whole stew pot full of retold stories--GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS, MEDUSA, KING MIDAS. They're all there, and the finished product is a quick, fun, and sometimes depressing read. Parker Baer is the type of fifteen-year old I both love and hate. He's always been given everything he's ever wanted, due to the fact that his parents are wealthy. He has an obnoxious older brother, Garrett, and an irritable little sister, Katrina. For his birthday, his brother bought him a motocross bike, and his parents gave him a statue. Yes, the teenaged Parker is now memorialized in bronze. Then Parker meets his new next-door neighbor, Tara Herpecheveux, in the most surprising way--she's sleeping in his bed. But Tara's strangeness, and undeniable attractability, is a hodge-podge of attributes--she's exotically beautiful, has the strangest blond dread locks, always wears mirrored sunglasses, and has an aversion to the belief of personal property. As Parker gets more and more entangled in the strangeness that is Tara, he begins to notice the ever-increasing weird behavior of the students in his school. Odd cravings, incessantly strange behavior, and a general weirdness pervade the halls of the private school for the rich. Once Parker finally accepts the truth of what's happening, it's too late. The ending, although slightly predictable in some ways, was a surprise overall. It left me feeling sad, but then again, most fairy tales have one or more tear-inducing scenes in them. DREAD LOCKS is an interesting retelling of some notable myths, and if you're into horror stories, this one should definitely do the trick!