Peeps Reviews

***Selected as a Top Ten Book for the 2006 ALA Best Books YA Awards

***Selected as Top 40 Children’s Books for 2005 by Kirkus Reviews

***Selected as one of the Best Books of the Year in 2005 by School Library Journal

***Awarded a 2005 Blue Ribbon by the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

***Selected for Choices 2006 by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center

***Locus Recommended Reading List for 2005

“Both medical thriller and science fiction, this fast-paced, captivating modern vampire story is enriched with biology and history….Entrancing throughout-but squeamish readers beware.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“In alternating chapters, he gives the reader a crash course in real-life parasitology, much like Melville did with whaling, but a lot more entertainingly.”
—Common Sense Media

“Westerfeld’s cunning take on the vampire legend brilliantly uses epidemiology and parasitology as its central focus, interlacing profiles of genuine real-world parasites with his story to shore up its credibility (and add to the shiver factor, since the parasites are often pretty creepy in their own right); the result is essentially the vampires are actually a variant of the carrier strain, who abilities are necessary to fight a primeval underground menace that periodically threatens humanity. The book balances the scientific thread with some classic horror tension and havoc, then throws in heaping helpings of wit (the peep shrieking in terror at the Garth Brooks T-shirt will elicit some ironic sympathy as well as snickers), and then obligingly arranges things so that Lace, the cute girl Cal meets, is infected with the carrier strain as well (though not by Cal), so that she can end up as his girlfriend. Somewhere in between Anderson’s Thirsty (BCCB 4/97) and the movie Love at First Bite, this will be a book that many audiences-vampire lovers, young scientists, thriller fans-will want to sink their teeth into.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)

“As with So Yesterday, Westerfeld creates an engaging conspiracy set in New York City, filling his novel with provocative facts, this time about parasites. Readers will enjoy the scientific reasoning behind vampirism, and will likely get sucked into the conspiracy with Cal. The book brims with great details (Cal can make himself fake I.D. cards and, like other government workers, spends a lot of his time filling in forms), and he faces off against other victims and encounters plenty of rats. Alternate chapters about parasites provide compelling (and appropriately disgusting) details about their small but powerful world. This is definitely a story to get the brain working.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This innovative and original vampire story, full of engaging characters and just enough horror without any gore, will appeal to a wide audience.”
—School Library Journal

“Rockets along at an amazing pace, benefiting greatly from Westerfeld’s breezy, wisecracking prose-style (think of Douglas Coupland crossed with a really good science writer like Steven Jay Gould). The action chapters alternate with engaging short chapters on the minutiae (heh) of parasitology, lucid scientific explanations of the role of parasites in the world and our body. Between the science and the mystery, Peeps is practically impossible to put down. Scott’s managed to write a vampire novel without ever once visiting the tired old tropes of horror fiction. Instead, he invents marvelous, scientific explanations for the characteristics of vampirism.This is some seriously inventive science fiction, written in an engaging style that’s bound to spark young readers’ interest in biology and parasitology (there’s a short bibliography on parasites at the end of the novel). For adults, this scientific take on a hoary old subject will inspire admiration in the ability of an original talent to mine fresh ore from even the oldest veins.”
—Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing.net

“Provides a gross-out cool quick course on parasitology, with each chapters headed by a discussion of a new beastie, some nasty, some beneficial, all tied thematically to the story…It’s delightfully macabre SF, full of much-needed black humor and some serious gross-out fun, even a touch of Lovecraftian things below and coming apocalypse.”
—Locus Magazine

“In Westerfeld’s latest smart, urbane fantasy, parasite positives, or “peeps,” are maniacal cannibals that cause illness . . . A great many YAs, particularly those who relished M. T. Anderson’s Thirsty and Annette Curtis Klause’ Blood and Chocolate (both 1997) will marvel at Westerfeld’s plausible integration of science and legend.”
—Booklist

“Even non-vampire fans will like this one. Exceptional.”
—KLIATT

338 thoughts on “Peeps Reviews”

  3. I love Zane! I love David!

    Wait…. that was random…((I’m SUCH a Bubblehead!))

    I love these books!

  4. yeah i got a cast
    not water proof
    its neon green and pink
    i want to write
    but im righthanded
    and i broke
    my
    writing wrist
    and i have not daone my science expiriment yet and
    i
    need
    new
    books
    while
    my wrist
    is
    broke.
    please i am
    begging
    u!

  5. new books plz
    does any 1 comment
    here
    any
    more
    at
    all
    and my cast
    is like
    graffetied with nammes

  7. i kinda lied bella is my middle name and jade my first and i like the twilight series sorry peeps but scott is better than meyer. people just call me bell but plz join my site i need people and my wrist had to have pins put in so it hurts a lot, and i type one handed lizzie could you join my site or some1lz i seriously need members

  11. no
    thats ook
    it doesn’t matter what your name
    is we’re all scott fans here…its all good

  15. i luv the peeps book! its just as good as uglies! i am in eigth grade and i have read almost everybook that has been written!

  17. Oh how i love school team trips when i forget books at home. I was gone on a school trip when i came across ‘Peeps’,it was late the bookstore was about to close in 5 minutes and i wanted something to read. It was the closest thing to me so i grabbed it and ran. After about 3 hours of reading that night I found it to be an amazing book. As we went to the same chapters the next day to look around a bit more I came across ‘The Last Days’. Even though i had not finished ‘Peeps’ I bought it right away. That was two days ago and im already half way through ‘The Last Days.’ I love this books they are amazing and probally the best Vampire Series I have even read. (I have read the twilight series, vampire academy series, blue bloods series, vlademir tood series,and the first house of night book) 😀

    But yeah to repeat myself again the books Peeps and The Last Days are amazing books that i love with all my book loving heart.

  18. soooo have you read any of his other books
    before…..if not you should deff read them because they are amazing as well.

  19. Peeps was amazing. Uglies was amazing. Pretties was amazing. I’m reading So Yesterday and so far it’s amazing. Scott Westerfeld is AMAZING!!!!!!!! TEAM ZANE!!!!!!!!!!! WEWT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  20. Zane didn’t look THAT cute on the cover….they could have done better with finding a model….

  23. I just got last days. It’s sooooooooo good. I think that Scott should make another book in the Peeps trilogy. Then i’d be content in my own little vampire/parasite world. 😉

  24. I love peeps but I actually liked The Last Days more because peeps had…No Minerva. She was the coolest. Lace was cool to. One of my friends read unwind, does it have something to do with abortion? Scott Westerfeld is my fave author and my fave book is To Kill a Mockingbird. But by him I like,
    1. The Last Days
    2. The Uglies
    3. The Specials
    4. Peeps
    5. The Pretties
    6. So Yesterday
    7. The Extras
    Yep that’s the order. I haven’t read the Midnighters yet. My library has no books(surprising since I live in one of the most rapidly expanding areas in terms of population)

    By the way, has anyone read The Forest of Hands and Teeth? Scott did a review on it and it sounds really good.

  25. Im reading it right now(Forest of…..)its pretty good but Im only on the 2nd chapter so Im not sure yet.
    U should deffinatly read Midnighters, its fantastic…..you’ll come to love the number 13(lol)

    Just to clear somtthing up

    Its just Uglies there is no The
    so it Pretties, Specials, and Extras….no The

  26. How is everyone?

    Yes Kristana-la, I have once again returned to make myself a nuisance to you! Muahahah!

    Nah, just kidding. I was just going to see the peoples on here. What’s up everyone? Who’s ready for summer? After today, I only have one week of school left!

  28. I finished forest of hands and teeth. it was okay, not sure it was worth $17 though.

  29. I’ve read Blue Bloods too. I love Oliver and Schuyler. Jack…well to say it nicely, blech. Most of you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

    I was in the car for 3 hours yesterday and I finished 2 200 page books. One was House of Night and the other was about a girl who goes to spy school.

    I have also read the famous Twilight series and I must say that although they were funny and fun to read I’m not sure they’re on my favorites list.

  31. WHAT?!?! you didn’t like Forest of Hands and teeth??
    Im reading it right now and I am pretty well in love with it…..amazing book!

  32. I’ve read Blue Bloods too and I have to say that series is quite disappointing, lol. I didn’t like it much.

    Even though I don’t like Stephenie Meyer much anymore, I definitely reccomend The Host. That book is extremely entertaining and honestly I love it! I’m re-reading it for like the millionth time.

    If anyone has read The Host and has some suggestions on books that I could read that are like that book, that would be awesome. I’ve currently been into the whole scientific/futuristic/romance themed novels. =D

    I have two days left of school! I will be junior in just two days!!

  33. Blue Bloods wasn’t that good, I just saw that someone mentioned it. My fav book is To Kill a Mockingbird.

  39. tisk tisk meyer books and just plain wrong
    Skinned is a good book…..please dont compare it to those books it makes me sad.

  41. Don’t insult Stephenie Meyer, she isn’t my favorite author but you should respect everyone’s opinion!

  42. which means you should respect my opinion right?
    If Skinned is going to be compared to anything I would compare it to Uglies…they are really similar.
    and Peeps is the first book then The last days…so read Peeps first

  46. I am reading the series right now and must say this book is absolutely amazing.I’m addicted!

  48. why would ppl hate u?!?!?! I mean it’s ur b-day. I think from wat ur posts say.
    BTW….. FOR PPL IN MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!!!!! I’m happy now.

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