Bram Stoker Award

2004

Winners (tie)

Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker, BAR
Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the Abarat continue as she makes a startling realization as to who she is, and the forces of Night begin plans for war.

                          Oddest Yet by Steve Burt  YA BUR
Third in a series by well-known school-author-visitor Steve Burt, a Ray Bradbury Benjamin Franklin Award-winner and Bram Stoker Nominee who delights radio listeners across the country every October with over live readings.

Nominees

Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa's Twin by Dean Koontz 
Grade 2-5  In this sequel to Santa's Twin, the big man's brother Bob tries to help out by building a robotic Santa and reindeer, and trains a gorilla to drive the rocket-powered sleigh.  Sure enough, things go wrong; by the time the surrogate St. Nick reaches his first house, he's having major software trouble and is downright scary.  Meanwhile, the gorilla takes over the kitchen and starts  cooking up a storm.  Luckily, Emily and Lottie (stars of the first book), restore order and sanity, with some help from their dog Woofer and the real Santa.  The tale is told in many, many rhyming stanzas, which can be rather exhausting to read, but there are enough laughs, wordplay, and slick, smooth, and rather stiff, which works well with the robotic characters but not so well with the real ones; Emily and Lottie look as though they are made of plastic.

Fall (Witch Season series) by Jeff Mariotte YA MAR
Grade 7 - up  College freshman Kerry and her friends continue the hunt for the evil which Season, who killed Kerry's boyfriend, Daniel Blessing.  With the help of his mother, a powerful witch in her own right, Kerry begins to learn the basics of witchcraft, teams up with old friends and faces Season in a Las Vegas casino.  Mariotte continues the saga that began in Summer, and it is apparent that there will be Winter because Season has yet to be bested.  Kerry is a determined protagonist.  Mother Blessing is equally strong with the patience and wisdom of age.