Eighth Grade Bites

Narrator Review:
I find it's important to share how well the narrator of an audio book tells the story! After all, my enjoyment of the book I'm listening to lands heavily on their shoulders.

That being said, Kevin Pariseau is a superb narrator! He reads at a steady, but not too slow, pace and makes sure to pause for dramatic effect when it is called for. His voice while reading the overall story is very pleasant to listen to. Most of all I loved that he had a slight difference in his voice for each character in the story. It made following Vlad and his story much easier and more fun. After all, there are quite a few important characters in this story. If I had to choose a favorite voice, I'd definitely pick Mr. Otis. Kevin Pariseau's show more accent for him was fantastic!

Audio Book Rating: 5/5 - I'd definitely recommend listening to this audio book!

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Book Review:
Oh Vladimir. As if eighth grade wasn't already hard enough, what with navigating popularity, bullies and the like, Vladimir has it even tougher. See he's a vampire. After his parents died in a mysterious flash fire, Vlad was taken in by Nelly, his mother's best friend. Now he is trying to do his best just to blend in. Oh, and he's pretty sure he's the only vampire in the world. Pretty sure.

I really enjoyed every minute of Vlad's story! His character is witty and fantastically sarcastic. He is adorably awkward when it comes to girls, and such a guy when it comes to hanging with his friend Henry. In fact, Vlad's personality is just like any eighth grader out there. What really makes him interesting is his vampiric nature. I loved how Heather Brewer seamlessly wove together Vlad's difficult transition into the teenage years, with his even more difficult transition into understanding his vampiric roots. He's so sweet and awkward! I really fell in love with him.

Full of twists and turns, Eighth Grade Bites moves at a nice pace that will keep you reading. I'll admit that sometimes I was slightly thrown off by jumps in time, but keep in mind that this whole book is set in the course of a year. Would you really want to hear about Vlad taking a shower, putting his shoes on, and so on? I think not. Brewer does a great job of skipping over the more mundane parts of Vlad's existence to get things moving towards the exciting parts! I did really appreciate that there are pauses to appreciate the oddness of his life though. For instance there is a scene where he is sitting and eating a chocolate chip cookie that is dipped in "tea" or a mug of hot blood. Definitely different! Definitely interesting.

When Mr. Otis comes on the scene is when things really get moving, and that's where I'll end. I wouldn't want to give away any of the overall story line because that's half the fun of this book! Vlad's brand of humor sets him up nicely to become a protagonist that I'll be sure to follow. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next audio book, especially if it has the same narrator!

Whether you read this or listen to it, I absolutely recommend that you give it a shot! I think you'll find a lot to love in Vladimir and his story. show less

Middle grade novels can be rather scary for adults; sometimes, they allow for no crossover among readership. Thankfully, Eighth Grade Bites is not one of those novels. In Vlad Tod, Ms. Brewster has created a hero with whom readers of all ages can relate. The end result is a thoroughly enjoyable, completely adorable new vampire series that is worthy of reading.

Eighth Grade Bites also has the welcome advantage of not only being from a male point-of-view, but it also eliminates the "romance" from "paranormal romance". It does contain the standard coming-of-age fare: the main character is an orphan with an understanding best friend who is just trying to fit in with his peers and survive. Yet, Vlad himself is just adorable. He is show more self-deprecating in a way that is utterly endearing. He is surrounded by loving, supportive and yet hilarious supporting characters that each pop in their own right. Nelly is practical but loving and quite inventive on her ability to incorporate blood into each of Vlad's meals. Henry is an awesome best friend, completely cool with Vlad's "special needs"; their banter alone is worth reading.

What makes Eighth Grade Bites so successful as a novel is the writing. Ms. Brewster makes Vlad come alive, making it easy for the reader to feel the pain of his loss with which he continues to struggle. Sympathy becomes empathy as the reader truly understands Vlad's struggles to fit in and to discover himself. The reader knows what it is to struggle with a thirst for blood, to discover new powers, and to fear shadows.

With mysterious vampires and entire unknown vampire society about which Vlad has no idea, Eighth Grade Bites ends with a satisfactory note while leaving much of the story open for future additions to the series. This is definitely a good thing because Ms. Brewster's series is quite addicting! show less

Primo capitolo della nuovissima saga urban fantasy per giovanissimi (10/14 anni) dedicata all’affiscinante figura del “vampiro”, elemento fantasy ormai decisamente inflazionato e che sembra non aver più nulla da “raccontare” ai lettori. Heather Brewer, invece, riesce a fornirci un romanzo (-etto, visto che conta meno di 200 pagine) in grado di affascinare i giovani lettori grazie alla sua fresca ironia. Qualcosa di divertente e innovativo che potremmo affiancare, quasi, al lavoro di James Patterson con il suo “Daniel X”. Differenza essenziale fra i due romanzi? Vladimir Tod si regge perfettamente, come trama, e non traballa come un trepiedi zoppo. Non ci sono fastidiosi deus ex machina, punti morti o incongruenze; un show more romanzo senza troppe pretese ma che regala ai lettori tutto ciò che promette.

Il linguaggio è molto elementare, diretto e immediato, così come lo sono anche le scene d’azioni e le parti descrittive. Le vicende sono narrate in prima persona, il punto di vista di Vlad è decisamente ben reso e l’autrice è riuscita a riproporre un gergo giovanile che non risulta forzato (merito anche dei traduttori, possiamo supporre?) riuscendo a suscitare spesso il sorriso.

In quanto primo di una serie, come sempre, vengono lasciati in sospeso molti punti e i caratteri dei personaggi vengono approfonditi il minimo indispensabile, giusto quelle poche pennellate necessarie affinchè non diventino semplici marionette in mano all’autore.

Vladimir Tod è un vampiro, un vampiro orfano che sembra vivere con una donna, sua zia, che benchè umana risulta perfettamente a suo agio con le necessità del giovane adolescente dai canini accuminati. Leggiamo di bicchieri di sangue, dolcetti con le gocce di sangue, bistecche al sangue, barattolini di ketcup che in realtà contengono ben altro… Insomma la vita di un normalissimo ragazzino americano dalla dieta un po’ particolare.

Vlad crede di essere l’ultimo, se non l’unico, della sua specie e questo lo turba anche se, alla fine, il suo cruccio più grande sembra essere in realtà la ragazza che ama ma con la quale non riesce a parlare, i bulli della scuola, il suo migliore amico e la sconparsa dei suoi genitori; anche in questo molto “normale”.

Un giorno, però, il suo professore sparisce, il sostituto sembra essere inquietante e pericoloso e suo padre, dall’aldilà, sembra volergli far arrivare alcune informazioni sottoforma di diario, diario in cui passo dopo passo Vlad scoprirà del suo passato.

Ovviamente la figura del vampiro, soprattutto quella del giovane Vladimir, è ben lontana dall’invincibile macho senza macchia e senza paura che ormai imperversa le nostre librerie. Vlad è una ragazzino giovane, fragile ma forte e ben deciso a non arrendersi, grazie anche al suo cervello.

Un nuovo eroe, quindi, per i giovanissimi che non potranno non amarlo, per un lettore più adulto potrebbe risulta invece troppo semplice e un po’ scontato ma non dobbiamo mai dimenticare a “chi” è diretto il romanzo. Non sarà il nuovo “Harry Potter” ma sicuramente potremmo avvicinarlo alla figura di “Daniel X” (J. Patterson) e “Percy Jeckson” (R. Riordan). show less

This was quite adorable, and I don't mean that in a condescending way. It was the story of a boy, who lost his parents and is trying to find his way in the world. On top of that he's trying to live the normal life of a teenage middle school kid. He's got a best friend, he's too scared to talk to the girl he likes, and he has bullies. Typical teenager, except Vlad is also a vampire.

With his teacher missing and a new, suspicious substitute in town, strange things are definitely afoot. Soon Vlad learns more about his parents, who he is, and his heritage than he ever thought possible.

This was a sweet and angsty coming of age story with the added bonus of vampires. I really enjoyed it and look forward to getting to the rest of the series.

In Heather Brewer’s series, “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod”, we meet a teenage vampire who is working very hard every day to just be a normal kid. He has all the regular hassles of junior high (bullies and girl troubles), but has to struggle with some not so normal problems as well, such as what does a vampire pack for school lunch?

Eighth Grade Bites is a promising start to this series. When the story opens, a teacher is running for his life. He is caught and then shown a picture of the debate team he coaches before being asked, “Where’s the boy? Where’s Vlad?” We then fade to black just as fangs are sunk into his neck. Ok, it looks like we’ll be getting some action and horror in this series, but then it turns out to be show more a whole lot more.

Aimed squarely at the middle school set, Vlad is a teenager you can relate to. He is smart, fun, likes to hang out with his best friend Henry, and pines for the prettiest girl in school, Meredith. Oh, yeah, and he also craves blood. Vlad is living with his Aunt Nelly after the death of his parents in a house fire. He still mourns them deeply, but he is also trying to get on with his life. Unfortunately, it looks like someone is out to end it prematurely. When a strange new substitute teacher named Mr. Otis appears, he seems to be a bit too interested in mythological creatures for Vlad’s piece of mind – and a little too focused on Vlad. What is Mr. Otis really up to? And what happened to the regular teacher, Mr. Craig? Vlad is going to find out.

I really liked Brewer’s twist on the vampire genre. Vlad was actually born a vampire and is being raised by a human. Thankfully, Aunt Nelly is a nurse and has access to blood for Vlad, which they disguise mostly as ketchup and in blood capsules stuffed in lunch items (such as Twinkies). He is allergic to garlic, which the school has properly recorded in his files in the office. One of the most normal vampires you will ever know. I thought the way blood was hidden in his food was well thought out. His best friend, Henry, is the only one besides his aunt who knows what Vlad really is, and he’s cool with it (although he is a little disgusted by Vlad’s diet). Henry is an outgoing young man who relates easily to others and can actually talk with girls, which Vlad would love to be able to do – especially with Meredith.

The mystery in this book does not end with Mr. Otis. Vlad also comes across a diary of his father’s which details some of his life as a vampire, and gives some indication that the fire that killed Vlad’s parents was not an accident. It also points the way to a whole world outside of ours where vampires live and in which his father, Tomas, was a wanted man. An extremely dangerous vampire named D’Ablo is hunting for Tomas and thinks Vlad will lead him to him. Turns out all of Vlad’s training in surviving school bullies is about to be put to good use.

For such a short book there is actually quite a lot going on, so it is no surprise that I breezed through it. It is also intriguing enough that I will check out the rest of the series. Eighth Grade Bites has relatable characters, a bit of mystery, a hint of romance, and a dastardly villain – everything I like in a book. Brewer’s style is breezy and natural, so the book is a quick and easy read (it doesn’t hurt that the paperback is under 200 pages either). I know it’s shallow, but I also think the title of each book in the series is a fun play on the vampire genre, and the vampire smiley faces on each cover are cute. I definitely want to know what happens to Vlad next, so I’ll report back when I finish the second book in the series, Ninth Grade Slays. show less

This is a quick and fun read, well-written and smart enough to entertain adults as well as teenagers (or even middle-schoolers); some of my middle-school creative writing students recommended the series, and I'm so glad they did.. In terms of young adult literature, it stands out as a short novel with just the right mix of humor and drama, mixed with a bit of horror, and rings with originality and smart insight into human behavior and thought. Absolutely recommended. I'll be picking this up for a couple of the young readers I know, and likely picking up the next installment of the series for myself.

I read this book in a day and am ordering the sequel: Ninth Grade Slays first thing Monday morning! Vladimir Tod is not your typical vampire...he's half human. His father was a vampire and his mother was human (they were murdered)...and it wasn't supposed to be possible but here he is.

Vlad lives off of expired donor blood his caretaker gets from the hospital at which she works and the only person he's ever bitten was his best friend Henry when he was eight. Oh, and he's REALLY allergic to garlic!

It was so interesting reading about what it would be like being half human, half vampire. It's a great combination of vampire lore, humor, mystery, and general teenage drama.

Although Vlad does have a crush, this book doesn't have the heavy show more romance of the Stephanie Meyer series. Brewer focuses more on Vlad as a person and what he's going through being a half vampire without REALLY knowing what he's capable of or his heritage. I love the way that Brewer explores new ideas about vampires and doesn't only stick to previous stereotypes. I definitely recommend it for vampirophiles. show less