Vampiric Vacation: Sinister Summer, Book 2
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Vampiric Vacation is the second book in a planned four-volume Sinister Summer series by Kiersten White. The creepy, funny tale finds 12-year-old twins Theodora and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom and their big sister Wilhelmina trying to solve the mystery of why their parents have disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving them with a creepy aunt they didn't know they had. Who seems to be sending them on an unexplained quest to retrieve unexplained objects at assorted vacation destinations -- in this case, the Sanguine Spa in Little Transylvania, where, apparently, you go to get drained. As the book title suggests, there is lots of talk of vampires. There are plenty of spooky corridors, twisty passages, locked rooms, disappearing parents, perilous situations, and lots of red fluids, but no one comes to real harm. The sibs are quirky and resourceful, and kindhearted to those in distress. Alexander also has a bit of a crush on a pretty girl at the spa, but the fact that her last name is Blood and she might be a vampire may be a deal-breaker.
What's the Story?
Following their terrifying waterpark-gone-awry adventures in Book 1, Alexander and Theodora Sinister-Winterbottom, age 12, are off on a VAMPIRIC VACATION. Weird Aunt Saffronia dispatches them on a hunt for another mystery object in a spooky castle that proves to have many perils. Also a lot of red fluids and a resident count. Luckily the twins and big sister Will are resourceful: Alexander's culinary genius, Theo's rappelling skills, and Wil's computer-hacking wizardry come in handy and help them avert many dangers -- which doesn't seem to keep new ones from cropping up. Or solve the problem of where the kids' parents are, and why they left them in the middle of the night with an aunt they didn't know they had.
Is It Any Good?
Kiersten White's creepy, funny tale puts 12-year-old twins Theo and Alexander in many perils as their spooky aunt drops them at a luxurious but peculiar spa with some definite Dracula overtones. Red fluids, comically creepy villains, locked rooms, cavernous cliffs, twisty passages and other dire dangers await on Theo and Alexander's Vampiric Vacation. So does a lot of wry, understated humor:
"'People don't understand that a scary name doesn't necessarily mean a scary thing,' said Mina Blood to Alexander and Theo Sinister-Winterbottom."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about vampire stories, which come up a lot in Vampiric Vacation. Do you like them yourself? Why do you think they're so popular? Do you prefer the funny ones, the romantic ones, or the really scary ones?
Both Theo and Alexander have their own ways of getting mentally overwhelmed -- for Theo it's like buzzing bees, for Alexander it's worry and obsession with order. Do you ever find yourself feeling that way? Have you figured out any good ways to cope -- as the twins do with their mom's help?
Do you have a particular skill that you think might come in handy on an adventure, like Theo's rappelling expertise does here?
Book Details
- Author: Kiersten White
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Science and Nature
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Publication date: September 27, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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Dragons in a Bag, Book 1
Exciting tale of New York kid's journey to magical world.
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Blood Diaries: Tales of a 6th-Grade Vampire
Kid vampire tale has a light but delightfully gross touch.
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The Tapper Twins Go to War (with Each Other)
Wacky, hilarious tale of feuding brother and sister.
For kids who love vampires
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