Vampire Island (by Adele Griffin)

Lexie, Maddy, and Hudson Livingstone -- hybrids of vampires and fruit-bats (and vegetarians) -- have more to worry about than just keeping their thin vampire skin hydrated and preventing themselves from being photographed -- they're in middle school, too. Lexie has a huge crush on Dylan, and her friendship with Pete is also changing. Maddy is suspicious of her neighbors and sets out to expose them -- could they be pure-blood vampires and thus sworn enemies? Hudson becomes interested in protecting the environment, but his high-minded and heavy-handed strategy has alienated him from just about everyone in school.

VAMPIRE ISLAND is cute fun, yet readers will be left with the feeling that there is or should be more to the story. There are times where the story conveys a sense of darkness and foreboding that begs to be explored, but instead the author switches back to more fruit eating and middle school angst.

Parents may like that it isn't as dark as other middle school vampire books like Eighth Grade Bites or geared to teens, like Stephenie Meyer's romance-heavy Twilight Saga. With its sequel perhaps readers will get a story with a little more bite.

Author: Adele Griffin
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date: August 16, 2007
Number of pages: 128
Hardcover price: $14.99