Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series #1)

by Heather Brewer

Overview

Vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school.

Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer.

Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101042755
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/13/2008
Series:	Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	310 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Heather Brewer is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. She doesn't believe in happy endings, unless they involve blood. Ms. Brewer lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and two children.
Tony Lee is a New York Times Best-selling Graphic Novels. He adapted Pride & Prejudice & Zombies into a graphic novel for Del Rey Publishing, which was a New York Times #1 Bestselling Paperback graphic Novel. He also adapted Anthony Horowitz’s Power of Five series into graphic format for Walter Books. His Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur was nominated for the American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association 2012 “Great Graphic Novels for Teens”. www.tonylee.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

Proving that you can't have your blood and drink it too, this shallow vampire tale waffles between vamp/camp and purported somberness. Eighth-grader Vladimir has a secret: He is (he thinks) the only living vampire. Pandering Aunt Nelly, a nurse, goes to "great lengths to sneak blood from the hospital" for Vlad's vital nutrition. His parents were mysteriously murdered, and now his teacher's missing. The odd substitute suspiciously demands research on vampires. Who's stalking Vlad, and why? It's unclear which hints are real clues and which are sloppy narration. Cheesily referential names (town of Bathory; classmate Edgar Poe) and gleeful gross-outs (cookies dunked in blood) undermine the supposed gravity of Vlad's situation and lineage. Brewer evades the problematic nature of blood-sucking, hiding behind quips like Vlad's refusal to kill because "just think of the looks he might get at the next block party if he got caught. This one just tries too hard. (Fantasy. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews