A BITE OF PEPPER

A skateboarder desperately wants to avoid the physical changes of young adulthood.

Pepper Mint loves skateboarding and her vampire dog, Shroom. She doesn’t love her mother’s pestering her to become a full vampire like her parents. Pepper doesn’t want to change, though she adores having strap-on wings. Human skaters falsely believe she has a physiological advantage (though she’s avoiding changing partly to avoid the increased strength that would make all her hard-won skills feel “irrelevant”). The B+ juice supplement that helps her minimize real blood consumption is classed as performance-enhancing, so she can’t compete. Instead of going full vamp at the vampire ball as her mother requested, Pepper sneaks off and befriends human waiter and art student Ana, who draws Pepper skating with her wings. Pepper’s half brother, Jeb, who’s always hustling, sees a business opportunity: turning Ana’s art into a vampire-themed skateboard brand. But the grind of the business wears Pepper down, damaging her trust in Jeb and growing closeness with Ana. Despite vast gulfs separating what they each want, the three eventually learn to support one another’s choices. Attractive panels in pale blue, pink, lavender, and white evoke the transgender flag, reinforcing the metaphor of delaying puberty to avoid becoming “crystallized” in one form. This affirming story questions and creatively redefines “coming of age” in ways that will speak to many readers. Black-haired Pepper has light skin, dark-skinned Jeb has Afro-textured hair, and Ana has medium-toned skin and light hair.

Joyful and hopeful.