Old World Romania Meets New York City in “Vampire State Building”!
Written: Aug 15 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting story, some educational things tossed in, cute illustrations.
Cons: Some parts seemed to drag on endlessly.
The Bottom Line: Is Vlad really a chess playing vampire? Will he turn Sam into a creature of the night? Read the story to find out!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Elizabeth Levy - Vampire State Building Books |
Being someone who is into Halloween, Dracula, scary films and anything that’s dubbed ‘morbid’, it was only a matter of time before I picked up a copy of “Vampire State Building”. My second youngest had read it and thought it was hysterical, sadly, I didn’t get that much humor from it. I guess to get the most from this book you have to be a kid; adults just won’t be able to connect with it the same way kids do. To me having someone not tell me that he or she is a grand master at chess isn’t that big of a deal but when my son stopped to explain it to me, I started to understand why Sam, one of the main characters in the book, was so upset. Kids don’t like to be betrayed or have things kept from them - especially when it involves someone that they consider a friend. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great story to check out but as I said, I really feel that most adults will sit there and say, “Well, what’s the big deal?” The author, Elizabeth Levy, does do a great job at getting descriptive with the story and plot and adds a very nice intro about how the attacks on New York City on 9/11 forever altered her way of life.
Vampire State Building
Sam Bamford likes to play chess and when he met Vlad Cincui, a student about the same age from Romania, through an online program at his school - he was more than happy to have someone to play the game with. Sam lives in New York City and loves it; Vlad lives in Romania and loves it. The two exchange instant messages about where they live, the game of chess and their annoying siblings. Sam has to deal with his brother Robert and cousin Mabel while Vlad only has to content with his sister Nadia. Sam and Vlad become very good friends online but things take a nasty little twist when Vlad neglects to tell Sam about his true chess ranking as well as his soon-to-happen visit to New York City. He only learns the truth when Mabel and Nadia start an email friendship and Vlad’s sister lets the bat out of the bag.
When Vlad and his family arrive Sam is still a little sore about Vlad not telling him the truth about being a grand master at chess. Around this time Mabel and Robert are starting to wonder about Vlad; he doesn’t like to play chess during the day, doesn’t like garlic, he has pointed teeth and acts a little weird. Even though there is some tension between the two they manage to over come it when the tournament starts. Vlad holds his own and manages to have a very successful first day. One by one he picks off the competition until the number of contestants is cut in half. The next day things get even more intense; now he has to face Buddy Ryan - the person that is ranked the best player and stands between Vlad and the championship. Before all this happens, both families go to the top of the Empire State Building for some sight seeing. This is one of the most moronic parts of the book - at least to me it is. Sam and Vlad are goofing around and Mabel and Robert are still n their ‘he has to be a vampire’ kick. When Robert glances over and see’s what he thinks is Vlad biting Sam, he loses it. This is something that goes on for more than a few pages and really ruins the flow of the book in my opinion.
Don’t read this paragraph if you don’t want to know the outcome of the story. There, I warned you. I’m serious. OK, so Vlad is facing off against Buddy Ryan and tensions are high. The match goes on for longer than normal and Vlad manages to wear him thin then moves in for the kill and ends up winning. Everyone is happy except Vlad. He still has this secret that he wishes to tell Sam, something that is really bugging him to death. As luck would have it, he doesn’t need to tell him. Nadia, Mabel and Robert come bursting into the bathroom - all with different things on their minds. Robert is convinced that Vlad is a vampire and wants to turn Sam into one - this is quickly dashed when Mabel reveals the true secret. Their mothers last name was Tepes before she married Mr.Cincui, Tepes was the last name of Prince Vlad so little Vlad is a distant cousin to Dracula. Even so, he’s not a vampire, in fact, he’s afraid of them. There’s some small chit chat after this along with a huge reception to celebrate the championship .. and one large, very mysterious bat like creature flying around outside. Was it a huge pigeon or a blood sucking bat? We’ll never know ...
My Take
First and foremost, this is a kids book for the ten to twelve year old crowd. There aren’t a ton of complex words but there are some reading challenges along the way. The illustrations are nice and they are kept to a minimum - only used where they best serve to add some drama or flavor to the story. Being an adult I found the story to be entertaining but I guess to get the most from it you have to be a kid. You have to be in that mindset to really ‘get’ what is going on. A lot of emphasis is placed on friendship and what happens when friends keep secrets. There are some educational things tossed in but this isn’t something that is meant to teach - it’s for fun. I’d suggest this for kids who are into vampires or chess or chess playing vampires, yes, that was a joke, I don’t know many vampires who are into chess. If you have a child that doesn’t like reading but gets into dark stories, this might be something that you will want to check out for them so they can get some extra reading practice.
The Bottom Line
This is a cute story about an online friendship that gets a true test; there are some parts that I really feel drag on way too long - like when Vlad wants to tell Sam the truth about his family history or ‘the big secret’ he is keeping. I am all for building suspense but after ten or fifteen pages it just gets tiresome. I’d suggest this for kids who like books that you can finish in a couple of hours - the text isn’t small so if you hunker down with it and start reading it, you can get through it in a relatively short period of time. I like the fact that it has some educational stuff tossed in like the origins of Dracula, where the real Prince Vlad was from and some of the misconceptions that people have about Romania. Kids aren’t going to learn a lot from this book but it might serve as a stepping stone to learning about chess or more about the historical aspects of Vlad The Impaler. If kids like this book they might also want to look for “Dracula Is A Pain In The Neck”, “Frankenstein Moved in On The Fourth Grade” and “Night of The Living Gerbil”, all books that feature the antics of Sam and Robert Bamford.
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Other spooky reads for kids ...
• Eyewitness Junior “Amazing Bats” • Halloween Night on Shivermore Street • The Hallo-Wiener • Minnie And Moo Meet Frankenswine • Spooky America • Days of The Dead • The Halloween Book • Crafts For Halloween • Aunt Eaters Mystery Halloween • The Halloween House • Let’s Celebrate Halloween • Fluffy’s Happy Halloween • The Pumpkin Fair • In The Haunted House • Poultrygeist • Big Pumpkin • The Thirteen Days of Halloween • One Witch • The Best Halloween Hunt Ever • Bunnicula & Friends: The Vampire Rabbit •
Recommended:
Yes
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