Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim

Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim. RH Graphic, 2024. 9780593425237






Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3



Format : Hardcover graphic novel



Genre: Realistic fiction/supernatural



What did you like about the book? This is a very accessible graphic novel for lower and middle grade readers. The main character, Maya, enjoys cooking and is thrilled when her father’s girlfriend surprises her with a summer at Camp Umami. Maya gets on the wrong bus and ends up in Camp Dracula among a group of vampires. Through her time there, Violet learns to advocate for herself and her needs, overcome fears and share her interests in the culinary arts in a friendly way. The art is vivid and connects well to the story, with many sound words throughout in different fonts. The character expressions are exaggerated in a way that enhances the story. The vampire references are mild and all of the vampires are friendly. The message throughout is one of friendship and conquering adversity. Anything you didn’t like about it? For readers who enjoy vampires, there are a few inaccuracies in the story. For example, per vampire lore, vampires avoid the sun, but the vampire campers in the story only had mild issues with this. 



To whom would you recommend this book? Children aged 8-11. Who should buy this book? Public libraries, elementary schools



Where would you shelve it? 741.5/graphic novels Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No



Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Nutan Mathew, Margaret A. Neary Elementary, Southborough, MA 



Date of review: June 7, 2024