Kevin and his family of vampires are part of The Carnival Monstromo and are on the group's train travelling to the Festival of Fear. On their way, they stop at Lower Drudging where they plan to do an impromptu show for the locals. However, the locals are a rather unusual bunch and only want a quiet life for fear of disturbing a creature that has lain asleep in the nearby mountain for 73 years. As a town, they refuse to hold festivals and celebrations so as not to disturb the creature but all that changes when The Carnival Monstromo begin their show and wake the creature. What does this mean for the locals and can Kevin and his new friend Susie save the day?
Kevin the Vampire is a rather fangtastic book that is guaranteed to lift your spirits. It's full of a wide range of carnival creatures that readers will adore getting to know (I particularly liked the fact files that were dotted through the book). In the same respect, I think readers will also enjoy hating Susie's aunts who really are an unpleasant pair.
I also enjoyed the friendship that builds between Kevin and Susie. Kevin is lonely, spending all of his time travelling with the carnival where there is nobody else his own age; in addition to that, he longs to know what he's good at and feels he's living his his siblings' shadows. Then there's Susie who lives with her aunts after her parents' died. She is treated like a slave with a strict routine and, like Kevin, is keen to find friendship. The pair show that it is possible to feel lonely even when you aren't alone and also that friendships can be formed in the most unlikely of places.
With wonderful illustrations from Flavia Sorrentino to enhance the plot, Kevin the Vampire is a story with strong messages about accepting everyone for who they are and not judging people by their appearance and I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series.
Kevin the Vampire publishes on the 14th September.
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