May 30, 2016
Damico (Hellhole) delivers a deliriously off-the-wall tale of small-town horror, in which 17-year-old Poppy Palladino has to persuade her friends that key members of the community are being replaced by living wax duplicates, all part of a fiendish plot orchestrated by the mysterious owners of the town’s famous candle factory, “a wax-poured juggernaut of industry.” Poppy isn’t sure who to trust when neighbors and authorities alike start acting strangely; matters are further complicated when she gets a wax companion of her own, Dud, who looks like an ordinary teenage guy but literally knows nothing about the real world. Now they have to save Paraffin, Vt., from the invasion of the Hollow Ones before all that’s left of the townspeople are uniquely-scented candles at bargain prices. Poppy’s bone-dry sense of humor provides laughs throughout this creepy tale of body-snatchers (“Dud wasn’t capable of understanding the concept of nipples, much less love”), but the real strength of the story lies in Damico’s wholehearted commitment to her bizarre plot and its outlandish twists. Ages 12–up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM.
June 1, 2016
Gr 8 Up-The world-famous Grosholtz Candle Factory resides in Paraffin, VT; so does aspiring theatrical actress and sassy teenager Poppy Palladino. Recently humiliated on national television during a talent contest, Poppy is the town laughingstock. Haunted by the mishap, she is bullied by her schoolmates and can't shake her notoriety. When her nemesis, Blake, finds an exact wax replica of Poppy and uses it to embarrass her yet again, Poppy reaches her saturation point and seeks revenge by visiting the candle factory in the hopes of getting a wax figure of Blake to return the favor. What Poppy discovers instead are dark secrets after a chance meeting with a cryptic old lady working there. The woman leaves the teen a message etched in a candle and warns her of the perils of the factory. With the help of a wax figurine who magically comes to life and is left in her care, the heroine sets out to find out what is going on. When the town residents start acting strangely, Poppy realizes there are few whom she can trust. The story line begins slowly but moves quickly once the protagonist unearths a nefarious plan for the town. Moving from victim to hero, Poppy steps up to save her community. VERDICT Although the book has elements of a typical horror story, it won't quite keep its readers up all night. Purchase where the author's books are popular.-Vivian Ho, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2016
Poppy lives in Paraffin, Vermont, dominated by the Grosholtz Candle Factory, which is both industry and tourist attraction.The white teen achieved fame by making a fool of herself in a disastrous television talent-show performance that went viral and now lives with constant ridicule and bullying. Ignoring that, she probes too deeply into the candle factory and finds a back area where the ancient Madame Grosholtz works making incredibly lifelike wax figures. The old woman gives Poppy a candle, which is strange enough--but then Poppy discovers a stowaway in her car: Dud, a white teen boy made of wax but very much alive. When the old area of the factory burns down, Poppy sees that Madame Grosholtz has been killed, but the woman's candle soon begins to reveal that it is a testament from Madame Grosholtz, burning to uncover writing that warns Poppy of the dreadful truth about the factory owners. First, Poppy must convince her friends that the danger is real, and then somehow figure out how to stop the disaster. Damico writes a hybrid comedy-horror romp that can keep readers turning pages. The dry humor keeps the suspense from becoming truly terrifying, but the mix remains entertaining, especially when Poppy discovers some major secrets about who the factory owners really are.An imaginative twist on an Invasion of the Body Snatchers theme, with comedy. (Horror. 12-18)
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July 1, 2017
Paraffin, Vermont, is famous for its candle factory. But when seventeen-year-old Poppy finds a living wax boy and her neighbors start acting strangely, she begins to suspect there is something sinister going on at the factory. Although the premise sounds like a horror story, the book instead focuses on friendship, romance, and light mystery.
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)