A review by eatonaly
Vampire High by Douglas Rees
4.0
I've been attempting to exercise, which here at my parents' house involves me going on my parents' stationary bike in our creepy basement. There's an old TV down there, but I get pretty bored, so I usually bring a book too (to be totally honest, sometimes I play Temple Run 2). Basically, I have to distract myself in as many ways as possible to make my legs pedal. Unsurprisingly, this environment is not conducive to books that actually require focus. So, today I grabbed Vampire High by Douglas Rees from my ol' high school shelf and got reading (and calorie-burnin')!
Disclaimer: This book bears no relation, as far as I know, to a TV series of the same name. Apparently, though, there is a sequel to this book (Vampire High: Senior Year) which I totally intend to pick up. Man, I'll be fit.
So, the book centers around a kid named Cody who lives in Massachusetts and transfers to a public school called Vlad Dracul. Not much of a surprise that almost all of the kids there are vampires. I love books about high school (especially boarding schools!), and Vampire High checks off that box with its odd teachers and depictions of social drama. Also, the book lets the reader make lots of jokes about buttoned-up New Englanders who are secretly vampires (those are jokes people make, right?).
The book is 226 pages and I sped through it in about an hour (not spent entirely on the bike, as I spent some of that time distracting myself with Jeopardy). It would take longer, of course, for younger readers, who I think would like it a lot. The characters are fun and this kid's struggles are real - the vampires are naturally strong and academically inclined, leaving this average American in the dust. Rees also does a good job of bringing in Bram Stoker as a foolish non-vampire who tricked Dracula and his contemporaries into trusting him before he twisted and published their story. "Bram" and "stoker" are, in this world, two of the worst insults for a non-vampire. In short, the book is a fun read for any adult and a great the-supernatural-is-real experience for anyone younger.
Yes, higher than A Series of Unfortunate Events, but mostly because I expect less of this book. A quirky and intelligent quick read, perhaps for the beach (or, more relevantly, a gloomy day spent on the couch). Better vampires than Twilight.
Disclaimer: This book bears no relation, as far as I know, to a TV series of the same name. Apparently, though, there is a sequel to this book (Vampire High: Senior Year) which I totally intend to pick up. Man, I'll be fit.
So, the book centers around a kid named Cody who lives in Massachusetts and transfers to a public school called Vlad Dracul. Not much of a surprise that almost all of the kids there are vampires. I love books about high school (especially boarding schools!), and Vampire High checks off that box with its odd teachers and depictions of social drama. Also, the book lets the reader make lots of jokes about buttoned-up New Englanders who are secretly vampires (those are jokes people make, right?).
The book is 226 pages and I sped through it in about an hour (not spent entirely on the bike, as I spent some of that time distracting myself with Jeopardy). It would take longer, of course, for younger readers, who I think would like it a lot. The characters are fun and this kid's struggles are real - the vampires are naturally strong and academically inclined, leaving this average American in the dust. Rees also does a good job of bringing in Bram Stoker as a foolish non-vampire who tricked Dracula and his contemporaries into trusting him before he twisted and published their story. "Bram" and "stoker" are, in this world, two of the worst insults for a non-vampire. In short, the book is a fun read for any adult and a great the-supernatural-is-real experience for anyone younger.
Yes, higher than A Series of Unfortunate Events, but mostly because I expect less of this book. A quirky and intelligent quick read, perhaps for the beach (or, more relevantly, a gloomy day spent on the couch). Better vampires than Twilight.