"Eighth Grade Bites"

An overwhelming number of people today are drawn to anything and everything based upon vampire lore.  A fascination that's unarguably extreme, bordering obsessive compulsive.  Books, movies, T.V and more books and more movies beg the question: How many more blood sucking, garlic despising, sun dreading themes can there be?   Answer: Too many.  With that said, I've been apprehensive to read anything vampire-esque.  Until now.  The hook?  The main character, Vladimir Tod, is half vampire.  Simple you say?  As a fellow halves-y, I'm a sucker for anything that I find the least bit relate able.     
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites is like so many vampire novels before (and I'm sure after) yet oddly enough is strong enough to distinguish its self from the rest.  The author, Heather Brewer, draws the reader in through just how "normal" Vlad is, or attempts to be.  I mean, yes his aunt packs his lunch with blood bags that she sneaks from the hospital where she works as a nurse; and yes he once bit his best friend, Harvey, when they were eight-years old; and of course no one at his junior high knows he's a vampire except, obviously, his still-best friend.  Intriguing is his attempt at being normal--as we know vampires are not.  It wasn't the vampire theme that kept me reading but Brewer's depiction of a vampire's struggle to live a "normal" life while balancing the daunting experience that is junior high.  The allure is in Brewer's writing style which flows like a movie.  My students love this series.  Understandably so, but still, another novel based on vampires?  Good thing Brewer's Vlad Tod website is a nice companion.  Click here