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Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old




*Vampire Island* by Adele Griffin- young readers fantasy book review
Vampire Island
by Adele Griffin
Ages 9-12 128 pages Putnam August 2007 Hardcover    

Lexie, Maddy, and Hudson are three fruit-bat hybrids (as opposed to pureblood vampires) adjusting to a vegan mortal life in the New World rather than the immortal life they lead in fear of the pureblood vampires in the Old World. Though they've lived for centuries, aging a year every hundred, now Lexie, Maddy, and Hudson are normal (well, maybe not normal) kids, aging at a normal rate, trying to fit in with their thirteen-, eleven-, and nine-year-old human classmates.

Lexie's trying to fit in well enough to get cute Dylan Easterby to notice her. That would be difficult enough without her classmate Mina always pointing out Lexie's bat-like differences! At least she's got her friend Pete, a fellow outcast, by her side.

Maddy is not particularly interested in normalcy. She wants to get rid of the pureblood vampire neighbors she thinks pose a threat to her and her family. Her instincts for slaying set her apart from the rest of the family.

Hudson, with help from the fellow hybrid he meets on his nightly bat journeys (he's the only one of the family who, after relocating to the New World, is still able to change into a bat), is trying to save the world. In trying to convince his classmates to recycle and help conserve energy, though, he makes himself something of an outcast.

Vampire Island is a short, entertaining read, if a little message-heavy. The differences between pureblood and hybrid vampires could be explained better, but overall, these are likeable characters whose troubles fitting in kids will relate to (even one hundred percent human kids!). Adele Griffin's vampires are pretty original which, when using such a popular story in a novel, can be hard. For fans of the paranormal, this book is worth reading, if not exactly mind-blowing.

Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

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