Brewer, Heather. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. New York: Scholastic Inc. 2007. 180 pages. (Vampire Series)Vlad is just your normal eight grade student, except for one thing, he’s a vampire! With the help of his worst friend, Henry, who he bit when he was eight years old, and his guardian, Nelly, he manages to lead a pretty normal life. Unlike a regular vampire, Vlad drinks blood bags that Nelly brings home from her job at the hospital and from raw meat. He has a huge crush on Meradith, a girl his class, but is too shy to ask her out because he is constantly picked on by the school’s bullies, Bill and Tom, and has become known as the school’s Goth kid. He feels like he has his life fairly under control until his English teacher, John Craig, mysteriously disappears and is replaced by Mr. Otis who seems to be quite interested in Vlad. At the same time, Vlad is also trying to better understand his powers, but he cannot find anything that can help him. His parents both died in a house fire when he was young, and he doesn’t know that there are any other vampires. Will he be able to master his powers? Who is Mr. Otis? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
This book was very enjoyable read. It had a plethora of characters, an appropriate setting, and an excellent plot. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and laughable characters. I love how the author was able to turn a scary and serious subject into a funny junior high story. If you can remember a time when you didn’t feel like you “fit in” with the crowd or felt like no one understood you than this is the book for you. Let’s just hope you’re not a vampire.
Reviewed by: the helpful purple butterfly
