Hanging with Vampires

January 1, 2023
Everything you ever wanted to know about vampires--in history, literature, movies, and folk traditions. A self-proclaimed horror fan provides a lively introduction to these undead bloodsuckers, making clear that such legends generally have deep roots. She points out that one's image of a vampire will depend on where they might have encountered such characters. Was it in a book? A film? Classical or modern? She addresses readers directly, writing in a conversational tone as she describes attributes of vampires and offers a "handy cheat sheet" to recognize vampire neighbors (reassuring readers that this is a "totally made-up" situation). Another scenario provides ways to fight hypothetical vampires. There's a recipe for "bat breath garlic bread," instructions for composting, and a fill-in-the-blank spooky story to write. Text boxes add scientific and historical information. Chapter by chapter, Fitzpatrick digs down to unearth vampires in European history and myth and similar blood-sucking, shape-shifting characters from around the world. She imagines interviewing Vlad the Impaler (possibly the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula) and Stoker. She explores vampires in books (including YA lit), film, and television and looks at examples of queer representation and vampire stories featuring characters of color. Folklore-lover B�lecz is perfectly matched to this engaging survey. Her dramatic, slightly eerie spot drawings of vampires, bats, coffins, and a diverse array of ordinary humans break up the text and add to the fun. Fans of all things supernatural will be horrified--and highly entertained. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

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February 15, 2023
Grades 4-7 In this opener to the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, Fitzpatrick focuses on vampires in a fang-in-cheek tone, beginning with such basics as their physical characteristics and special powers, as well as how humans turn into them. Any good guidebook leaves readers feeling prepared, and this one is no exception, offering tips on how to fight vampires. Successive chapters turn to the history and European folklore that helped create the vampire legends and other bloodsuckers from around the world--including the "goat sucker" chupacabra from Puerto Rico and the undead jiangshi from China, which craves life forces. The final chapters look at vampires throughout literature and film, noting the historical lack of LGBTQ vampires and vampires of color along with standout portrayals in media. Intermittent sidebars within chapters relate science, history, and pop culture to vampire legends, while related activities (like a garlic-bread recipe to ward off vampires), and fictional interviews with Bram Stoker and Vlad the Impaler entertain between chapters. Eye-catching illustrations and plenty of red complete this sanguine selection.

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