
Rules for Vampires
by Alex Foulkes, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+
Published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, 2021
About this book
Leo Von Motteberg is a vampire and must abide by a stringent set of rules, such as avoiding daylight and steering well clear of garlic. However, she is rather anxious about the eighth rule, which stipulates that on the dusk of her 100th vampiric year, she must undertake her first hunt and drink the blood of her human prey.
When Leo nervously embarks on her deadly quest, she heads to a bleak orphanage, where she hopes to find a submissive victim.
Unfortunately, the hunt goes disastrously wrong. The orphanage is destroyed, killing two of its residents, the evil Orphanmaster and a young girl called Minna, both of whom become very angry ghosts. The Orphanmaster is even more vicious in death than he was in life. Although it is unheard of for vampires to associate with ghosts, Leo vows to help Minna vanquish his evil spirit, before he destroys the whole town.
Wonderfully ghoulish, this gruesome tale, which is accompanied by fabulous black-and-white illustrations, is ideal for Halloween. With grisly characters, a thrilling plot and plenty of humour, this spooky book will have readers checking under their beds before they turn out the lights.
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Halloween books for primary school children
Spooky stories can be utterly thrilling, and provide a safe space to be scared in an entertaining way