(1.5 Stars)Four reasons young readers will enjoy How To Be A Vampire1. It's pure vampire fantasy. The protagonist, Andrew, gets to experience flight as a bat, travelling through cracks in doors as a red mist and running through the town as a wolf.2. Young readers (and boys in particular) will enjoy the fighting between Andrew and his sister, and the tricks he plays on her. Like Andrew, they might also think that the best thing about being a vampire would be the possibility of scaring a sibling!3. There's a strong bad guy, whom the three central characters have to team up on in order to have a chance against his vampiric powers. He's not too scary, though, so more sensitive readers shouldn't have nightmares.4. The ending is very much in the horror genre vein and young readers will probably enjoy the twists and turns of the plot as it reaches that point.Two things that may disappoint about How To Be A Vampire1. The vampire myth is not expanded upon in any way. Hall's vampires are taken solely from the more popular aspects of the mythology, with no real attempt to personalise them at all. This leads to the story feeling a little unimaginative.2. As a protagonist, Andrew doesn't have a lot of personality. Because there isn't a lot to identify with about his character, readers are likely to be less invested in the struggle between him and Count Ved.You can find more of my reviews at taracalaby.com
3.68 · rating details · 60 ratings · 5 reviewsOne morning, Andrew woke up undead. First there were the bite marks on his neck. Then he tried to eat garlic...yikes! And now he's got this weird urge to sleep upside down. Not that Andrew minds turning into a vampire. He'll be able to stay up all night, fly, and scare his sister silly. Cool! But then Andrew meets his vampire teacher, one really scary guy. Andrew isn't ready for a lesson on how to sleep in a coffin -- or how to drink blood! But does he have a choice? It was amazing book I read the whole thing.
