Attack of the Killer Prom Dresses by Donna McClaire. is one of the best young adult books I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. It is fast paced and fun, something that anyone with a sense of humor is sure to love. Kim Howell, who is busy trying to beat the prom date deadline she has for finishing sewing dresses for three of her classmates, becomes an unlikely victim of a spanking new sewing machine run amok! It doesn’t take long before she realizes the sewing machine didn’t come alone, and those that accompany the machine are living in her closet. While those who love her wonder if she’s lost her mind, Kim finds the prom will have an ugly side to it, unless she can somehow find a way to change the course of fate. Will Kim be able to redirect the course of events at the prom and change the world? Or will she become a victim to something far more sinister than a wacked out machine?

This is a story that will, I think, catch the attention of young readers, as well as hold the interest of older readers. It has been a long time since I was a young adult, but I enjoyed every page of Attack of the Killer Prom Dresses. I think the reason is that although it has been years since I went to my prom, this author writes it all with such vivid descriptions that I could see and feel everything. The nuances of dialogue, the characters’ emotions and even the fearful realization that something evil lurked just outside the reader’s range of vision were all brought fully to the story. The reader is present on every page and that is what makes this story so special. Donna McClaire has written an offbeat story with normal, everyday characters so even though the scenario is unusual it is easy to identify with her characters, especially with Kim and her mom.

Reviewed by: Marlene