Book Review: Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster

From the publisher:

Complete with black and white illustrations throughout, prepare to be spooked by this frightfully funny new series for 7+ readers, with a wonderful message about not judging others and celebrating our differences!

Kevin Aurelius is just like any other almost eleven-year-old. Well, apart from his fangs obviously. And that he’s immortal. Oh and did I mention he’s a vampire? Together with his vampire parents and annoying older siblings, Kevin’s on his way to Monstros City when, due to dodgy batnav, they get stranded in a strange, quiet place, full of humans, called Lower Drudging. With empty coffers in need of filling, their only choice is to put on an impromptu carnival to earn the gold they need to get back on their way.

But Lower Drudging has a monstrous secret of its own. A secret that is old, very hungry and has just woken up! It’s up to Kevin and his new best friend Susie to save the town… OR ELSE!

My Review:

Kevin is a kind-hearted vampire who hasn’t mastered his bat-transformation skills. Teased mercilessly by his older siblings, he is also very lonely and longs for a friend. When the Monster Carnival gets lost and ends up in Lower Drudging, it is Kevin’s idea to put on the carnival for the humans to help the monsters pay for the next leg of their journey.

Fun, however, is banned in Lower Drudging, as is noise. Susie Cabbage, one of the kids who lives there, is a total drudge for her aunts, Vileous and Dingy, and spends her time outside of school in cleaning the house, cooking the meals, applying verruca ointment to the aunts’ feet and clipping their toenails (ew!). Be warned! Worse follows when a character gets stuck in a dragon’s latrine as it’s in use (not a nice character but still!).

When the Monster Carnival wakes up the local monster, it’s up to Kevin and Susie to save the day. Although categorised as middle grade, I would consider it better suited to a younger audience. Kevin the Vampire is a light-hearted story with fun monsters and a theme of not judging by appearances. It is also nicely illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino, and I really liked the monster fact sheets dotted through the book. Although not my type of story, it is sure to go down well with readers who enjoy this kind of humour. I think it’s the first in a series too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow the publishers for the eARC. Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster will be published on 14th September.