Alex Abbott is [Un]Dead
by Louise Austin, illustrated by Katie Kear
Interest age: 9 to 14
Reading age: 9+
Published by Macmillan Children's Books, 2026
About this book
If Alex hadn’t climbed the fence to get the football back, it would never have happened. He wouldn’t have died and wouldn’t have been made undead by a 250-year-old vampire.
Being a vampire comes with some perks like superfast speed and never getting tired but Alex really wants to be human again. The thought of no more ice cream makes immortality seem unbearable.
Unfortunately, his quest for new life accidentally starts a war with the local werewolves and a series of catastrophic events puts his town, his family and his friends in mortal danger. Who’d have imagined there were so many complications involved in supernatural existence?
At its heart, this is a story of community and cooperation – even between humans and supernatural beings. All it takes to live in (relative) harmony is a bit of understanding and tolerance. And the ability to defeat a monstrous fire demon.
Written in the form of a journal, and interspersed with lively black and white illustrations, there are plenty of laughs along the way as Alex and his friends dive into terrible danger.
Encounters with trolls, fire sprites, swamp goblins and dragons will keep readers hooked in this first book of a comedy/horror adventure series.
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