"You are normal, Vladimir. A perfectly normal, healthy teenage vampire. Some people are vegetarians, you drink blood---it's not weird or bizarre or abnormal in the least. You're just different from the rest of this town."
Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd, is book one of five, written by Heather Brewer. This series is about the life of a teenage vampire named Vladimir Todd. "Different" doesn't begin to describe Vlad's situation. Being in eighth grade is hard enough by itself, but it's even worse when you're dealing with the grief of losing both parents. To add to his problems he lives with an over-protective aunt and is trying to act more human, which is almost impossible. Heather Brewer's style of writing was engrossing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.
The book is a fictional thriller whose theme is based around first impressions. It proves that one should use the old saying "don't judge a book by it's cover." This point is brought home to Vlad after he meets his strange and awkward substitute teacher named Otis Otis, who turns out to be his own uncle.
Before Vlad discovers that Otis is his uncle, he develops a strange dislike towards him. In class, Mr. Otis assigns research projects to all the students, and strangely enough, Vlad is chosen to research vampires. This makes him extremely suspicious of Mr. Otis. Vlad doesn't know how he will ever be able to stand in front of the class to talk about vampires when he IS one. Especially in front of the school bullies, Tom and Bill.
Vlad's best friend, Henry, knows that he's a vampire and accepts this without a problem. He protects Vlad from the bullies and even tries to fix Vlad up with the prettiest girl in school when Vlad shows an interest in her. Henry doesn't judge Vlad for what he is, he likes him for who he is.
Vlad's Aunt Nelly completely accepts that fact that Vlad is half vampire. She was his mother's best friend and she even brings blood to him from the hospital where she works. Vlad is baffled when his Aunt invites Mr. Otis to their home for dinner, since he believes that Otis is the enemy.
All the main characters have much to learn about trusting others and not making judgements without reason. Brewer makes the characters come to life in this book. She is very accurate in her description of Junior High School and the behavior of the teenagers. This is the perfect setting for the characters to interact and for Vlad to do the research he needs in order to start his journey into learning more about his parents, and the dangers that face him because of who he really is.
I connected with this book because it make the reader believe that it might really be possible to live in this world as a vampire/human. The author draws you into the story immediately by sparking your interest with captivating details and alluring questions that leave you wanting more.
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