Henderson, Jason. (2010). Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising. NY: HarperTeen.
ISBN: 978-0061950995
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Friends, Bullies, Action
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Alex Van Helsing, it turns out, is a vampire slayer. At his new boarding school in Switzerland, vampires abound and he is quickly swept up into the battle.
Summary: Alex Van Helsing is 14 and has just started a new school in Switzerland. He got kicked out of his old school and is hoping for a fresh start. However, he is not so lucky. His roommates are bullies and on his first night there manages to accidentally kill a mysterious woman in the woods. The woman did attack him first and she did have huge fangs and she did puff up in smoke after Alex stabbed her with a fallen branch. This is just the beginning of a new life for Alex, but not the fresh start he was hoping for. One night Alex sees his teacher leave on a motorcycle and he follows him to the heart of the forest. Here, Alex
learns the truth about his name and that he truly is a vampire slayer. When two of Alex's friends are kidnapped by the blood sucking fiends, Alex must join forces with the Polidorium, a secret military like group seeking vampires, to save them. Intertwined in the plot are references to Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and other past writers.
Evaluation: This is a fast and action packed read. None of the characters stand out as incredibly deep or well developed, but none-the-less, a fun read. The addition of some true history (and then the manipulation thereof) of Lord Byron and friends certainly adds to the appeal of the story.
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