“A tree branch slapped John Craig across the face, scraping his skin, but he kept on running and ignoring the stabbing of pine needles on his bare feet. He could hear the man’s footsteps behind him, echoing his own.”

This sentence is from none other than The Chronicles Of Vladimir Tod. The story is set in a small town where most neighbours knew each other, much like a town just off the city.

The main character is Vladimir Tod. He is a strange outcast vampire that no one really tries to get to meet except for his best friend Henry, who everyone knows and is a very confident person. Only two of Vlad’s most trusted friends know who Vlad really is… a vampire disguising his true identity by never drinking anyone’s blood. Nelly, Vlad’s grandma, is a kind woman which looks out for Vlad by stealing blood from the hospital where she works as a nurse, because Vlad will never drink blood from a living being. Another character is a strange teacher who is very curious about Vlad, asking lots of questions and being extremely deceptive about his outside life and appearance.

This book was an easy read but surprisingly a good book considering I’m not usually into books. The plot is a bit simple however, but it was a good story line with believable characters. It makes vampires seem real and convincing, it has a supernatural theme that includes real teenager problems such as bullies, crushes, teachers and homework. I would strongly recommend this story to teenagers that are desperately wanting to read about vampires mixed in with their life.

Ben M, Year 8

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       This is a tale about a mythical boy who is half human and half vampire who is being hunted by his kind. The story is based in the small town of Bathory. Vladimir Tod and his best friend Henry are trying to figure out the mysterious death of Vlad’s parents; death while being hunted.

Vladimir Tod is a vampire that has a starving crave for blood but is satisfied by the taste of blood that his aunt Nelly supplies for him from the hospital where she works. He is very alone without guidance from his parents so he is discovering new powers and abilities that he holds. But the least favourite part of this vampire’s life is school. Vlad is constantly getting bullied, his secret crush likes Henry more than him and the principal hates him. But after one of his teachers disappears without a trace a new teacher comes along with a strange attraction to mythical beings and is quite fond of Vladimir Tod. After a while Vlad discovers that the teacher is quite close to him but not in a good way because now Vlad is being hunted.

Will you discover the reason Vlad’s parents are dead? Will you find out if Vlad gets the girls or Vlad’s friend Henry? Will you also find out if Vladimir Tod survives after being hunted?  Calum, Year 8

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Will Vladimir Tod survive? The vampire killer is after him as Vlad has many secrets. Only his best friends, Henry, and his grandmother Nelly know his deep dark secrets.

Vlad was born on November 21, 1993. He has black hair, grey eyes and he is half vampire and half human. The story is based in a small town called Bathory. Vlad lives with his grandmother as he lost both his parents in a house fire. Vlad spends most of his time with his best friend Henry. Vlad is a normal teenage boy who goes to school and does the same things as a normal boy. Vlad is a vampire and drinks blood but he doesn’t bite people’s necks. His grandmother works in the hospital and she takes blood from the blood room to give Vlad. Vlad likes a girl called Meredith Brookstone, however his friend Henry also likes Meredith and Meredith likes Henry. Unfortunately Vlad doesn’t know this.

Vlad has no idea of the extent of his powers. Unfortunately he has nobody around to teach him how to use his powers. Vlad is struggling every day with his blood cravings and his growing fangs. He worries every day that someone will find out his secret, however his biggest problem is that he is being hunted by a vampire killer.

I like this book because it is mostly fiction. It also explains the story pretty well and it gets to the point straight away. I like how there is a big problem and when they are trying to fix the problem there are little problems in it.

I think that this book is recommended for people who like fantasy fiction books. I think the age recommended for this is 12 and over. I rate this book 7 out of 10.

Jack R., Year 8