Book Descriptions
for Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
As he begins 6 th grade, AJ is an ordinary kid who enjoys hanging out with his best friends, Hunter and Ivy. Happily, they are all in the same class with a cool new teacher, Mr. Niles, from England. But life changes quickly for AJ when he develops an immediate crush on the unattainable Nia Winters, the smartest kid in Spoons Middle School—and an avid fan of vampires. He becomes obsessed with how to make her notice him and decides the best way is to pretend to be a vampire. He mousses his hair, uses his older sister’s makeup to put dark circles under his eyes, and takes to wearing sunglasses. He uses books and television shows to study up on vampire behavior so he can impress Nia with his knowledge. He even starts drinking fake blood, making sure that it leaves stains on his teeth and gums. While AJ may be maturing with his first serious crush, Ivy and Hunter still play like children; it’s one of the ways Gardner skillfully captures middle school behavior. All are part of a strong cast of well-rounded characters who populate this witty, distinctive graphic novel in which AJ’s research, not to mention Nia’s vampire expertise, prove to be critical. (Ages 11–14)
CCBC Choices 2019. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2019. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
“LOL funny.” –Girls Life
A Huffington Post Best Children’s Book of 2018
A middle schooler comes head-to-head with his vampire slayer crush in this laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that’s a perfect coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt too young, too small, or too average.
It’s the beginning of the new school year and AJ feels like everyone is changing but him. He hasn’t grown or had any exciting summer adventures like his best friends have. He even has the same crush he’s harbored for years. So AJ decides to take matters into his own hands. But how could a girl like Nia Winters ever like plain vanilla AJ when she only has eyes for vampires?
When AJ and Nia are paired up for a group project on Transylvania, it may be AJ’s chance to win over Nia’s affection by dressing up like the vamp of her dreams. And soon enough he’s got more of Nia’s attention than he bargained for when he learns she’s a slayer.
Now AJ has to worry about self-preservation while also trying to save everyone he cares about from a real-life threat lurking in the shadows of Spoons Middle School.
A Huffington Post Best Children’s Book of 2018
A middle schooler comes head-to-head with his vampire slayer crush in this laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel that’s a perfect coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt too young, too small, or too average.
It’s the beginning of the new school year and AJ feels like everyone is changing but him. He hasn’t grown or had any exciting summer adventures like his best friends have. He even has the same crush he’s harbored for years. So AJ decides to take matters into his own hands. But how could a girl like Nia Winters ever like plain vanilla AJ when she only has eyes for vampires?
When AJ and Nia are paired up for a group project on Transylvania, it may be AJ’s chance to win over Nia’s affection by dressing up like the vamp of her dreams. And soon enough he’s got more of Nia’s attention than he bargained for when he learns she’s a slayer.
Now AJ has to worry about self-preservation while also trying to save everyone he cares about from a real-life threat lurking in the shadows of Spoons Middle School.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
