Louise Leblanc

A first novel for young readers, this is a story of friendship between Leo and his friend, Julio. The biggest challenge Leo faces in nurturing this friendship is that Julio just happens to be a young vampire who lives at the local cemetery with his family. One evening, when Leo's parents are out, the boys decide it would be safe for Julio to come over for a visit. The local bully shows up and demands a beer from Leo's fridge ("Butch is 14. He thinks he's a man. But he's just an idiot show more wrecking his health.") The unexpected visitor nearly ruins the boys' evening. Things go from bad to worse when the boys lose track of the time (Leo shows Julio some videos of a sunrise, a sight Julio has never seen before) and they don't notice Leo's parents returning home. Julio winds up hidden in a closet and is stranded until the next day when Leo (and his disbelieving parents) figure out a way to get him safely back to the cemetery.

Full of misunderstandings, tension, and drama, this is a great hi-lo for slightly older children still having some trouble reading independently. Though the font is large and the word count low, the humour and storyline in this novel is best suited to nine and ten year-olds. A few black and white cartoon-like drawings are sprinkled throughout and help make the text even more accessible. Good dialogue, tight pacing, a slightly whacky concept, and a strong narrative voice result in a highly readable and rather entertaining early novel.

(Originally reviewed for the Canadian Book Review Annual.) show less