Quick review: EIGHTH GRADE BITES
11/24/08 21:32
Heather
Brewer was one of the people who helped my agent hunt
along, so, as a return favor, I wanted to help her
royalty check. I bought the first two of her
Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, EIGHTH GRADE BITES
and NINTH GRADE SLAYS last weekend (TENTH GRADE
BLEEDS is out in February, I believe), and promptly
*devoured* (pun intended) EIGHTH GRADE BITES.
Vladimir Tod = vampire. Also a regular guy---he’s part human. He has a kind woman, Nelly, to take care of him, and his good friend, Henry, keeps him company. Being a vampire isn’t so bad, though it does make things tough when he wants to talk to girls--but how is that different from any other eighth-grade boy? Then the mystery starts: enter Otis Otis. What does he want? How is he tied to Vlad’s dead parents? What is this book with a symbol on it, and what is this thingy that looks like a cylinder that’s about a million years old? Who cares? You know you’ll find out, because all you’ll want to do is turn page after page, chasing the answers.
I loved this book for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which was the discovery that vampires invented PlayStation. She also throws in cool references to other horror writers (the nerdiest kid around is Edgar Poe) and vampire lore/literature besides Vlad’s name--the vampire council is in Stokerton, for example. It took me until today (halfway into NINTH GRADE SLAYS) to realize she was referencing Bram Stoker, call me really slow. Most of all, I loved Vlad’s “regular-ness”---being a vampire is just another thing to deal with in the complicated life of being an eighth-grader. Granted, it makes the challenges unique, but Vlad is still a regular guy. Mostly.
For me, this book is illuminating in another way. Vlad’s dilemma isn’t so different from Gabe’s dilemma (Gabe is the main character in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN)---both are perpetual outsiders, for large, unchangeable reasons, and both have to make their way in a world that’s perpetually unsure of what to do about those large, unchangeable reasons. Heather does a great job of providing Vlad with people who love him as he is. That’s so key.
Vlad was also illuminating to me/Gabe for another reason: at first, I was grossed out by him and his blood needs (no, he doesn’t bite people). But after a while, it became un-gross to read about him slurping a warm mug of O positive. When I look at my manuscript and think about Gabe and his journey to pee in a men’s room (you’ll have to read it to find out what I mean), readers will potentially have the same reaction: gross! Eeek! Ick! But hopefully they’ll trust Gabe enough to follow him along, and the bathroom dilemma won’t be gross anymore---it will just be part of watching Gabe’s life. Same with Vlad’s blood breakfasts---they became just another part of him.
I loved this book! I’m reading the whole series.
Vladimir Tod = vampire. Also a regular guy---he’s part human. He has a kind woman, Nelly, to take care of him, and his good friend, Henry, keeps him company. Being a vampire isn’t so bad, though it does make things tough when he wants to talk to girls--but how is that different from any other eighth-grade boy? Then the mystery starts: enter Otis Otis. What does he want? How is he tied to Vlad’s dead parents? What is this book with a symbol on it, and what is this thingy that looks like a cylinder that’s about a million years old? Who cares? You know you’ll find out, because all you’ll want to do is turn page after page, chasing the answers.
I loved this book for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which was the discovery that vampires invented PlayStation. She also throws in cool references to other horror writers (the nerdiest kid around is Edgar Poe) and vampire lore/literature besides Vlad’s name--the vampire council is in Stokerton, for example. It took me until today (halfway into NINTH GRADE SLAYS) to realize she was referencing Bram Stoker, call me really slow. Most of all, I loved Vlad’s “regular-ness”---being a vampire is just another thing to deal with in the complicated life of being an eighth-grader. Granted, it makes the challenges unique, but Vlad is still a regular guy. Mostly.
For me, this book is illuminating in another way. Vlad’s dilemma isn’t so different from Gabe’s dilemma (Gabe is the main character in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN)---both are perpetual outsiders, for large, unchangeable reasons, and both have to make their way in a world that’s perpetually unsure of what to do about those large, unchangeable reasons. Heather does a great job of providing Vlad with people who love him as he is. That’s so key.
Vlad was also illuminating to me/Gabe for another reason: at first, I was grossed out by him and his blood needs (no, he doesn’t bite people). But after a while, it became un-gross to read about him slurping a warm mug of O positive. When I look at my manuscript and think about Gabe and his journey to pee in a men’s room (you’ll have to read it to find out what I mean), readers will potentially have the same reaction: gross! Eeek! Ick! But hopefully they’ll trust Gabe enough to follow him along, and the bathroom dilemma won’t be gross anymore---it will just be part of watching Gabe’s life. Same with Vlad’s blood breakfasts---they became just another part of him.
I loved this book! I’m reading the whole series.