Black, H. (2011). Red Glove. New York: Simon & Schuster.
In Red Glove, Cassel's family is less than desirable to most of those around him. His mom is a con artist and his brothers are criminals on a larger scale. Cassel is a little bit of con himself, he has learned from the master but goes to a private school and wants a better life.  Cassel is a transformer and both sides of the law want him to work for them. He does not want to be a pawn for anyone; his brothers have already used his power for their gain.  Lovely Lila was a casualty of the abuses and the harm his brother has caused, she is cursed to always love Cassell.  She doesn't know about the curse which makes resisting her even harder.  Cassell's roommate, Sam and his girlfriend, Daneca are friends even though they don't know his secret power. Daneca and her mother have secrets they are hiding as well.  The pull of Lila's mafia type family is forceful trying to convince Cassell to work for them.  He must resist and he needs discover what crimes he actually committed without being in more trouble and pacifying all that are tugging on him.  He can't leave Lila the way she is, he would rather her hate him instead of being cursed to love him.  Will he find a way to break the curse and be free of everything that is trying to control him?
Red Glove is part of a trilogy including White Cat and Black Heart but can be read independently. Holly Black is an award-winning author that specializes in science fiction, she has written many YA novels and several graphic novels. Black's writing draws you in to the mystery of the story while making the characters likeable and identifiable. She is well known for the Spiderwick Chronicle books. Black is an excellent writer in which teacher can create reading ladders with students. Black has several series. On her website, she has many connections for students and educators, there are book guides and discussion questions.   Black has links for writers, writing as well as research at www.blackholly.com, students will enjoy exploring this site.
Red Glove was an book I found myself reflecting on the genre and format chapter in the textbook. It is soft science fiction and before that chapter I had not really thought about all the subgenres or formats.  I also was reflecting on the power of series reading. This book stood alone but is the middle book in a trilogy.  I found myself thinking about what person in my life would appreciate the genre and story of Red Glove.