Appropriate for ages 11-15.Įnter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It has a cartoon feel to it that makes it approachable and then the humor completes it nicely.Ī great pick for fans and haters alike, this one would make a great graphic novel to book talk to middle-schoolers and teens. And the art work is excellent, offering large panels in a colorful vampire-filled world. There is no attempt to conceal it, either through the storyline or the art work. Readers will figure out that there is a real vampire long before the characters do and Gardner then lets that play out delightfully. Throughout there is a sense that the reader is in on the broader joke of it all, something that is entirely charming. Gardner wisely plays on the tropes of vampire novels, using similar character names and book titles. Full of cleverness, charm, andmost importantlyvampires, FAKE BLOOD gives readers a fresh new voice and a taste of something truly special. Getting it into the hands of Buffy fans would also be a great choice. 'Whitney Gardner puts an unexpected twist on the classic dilemma of how to be yourself. This graphic novel for teens and pre-teens is just right for both Twilight fans and Twilight haters. What none of them can see though is that there is a real vampire in their midst! Something they might figure out too late. However, when Nia does notice AJ, she thinks he’s a real vampire and she has dedicated her life to slaying them. Perhaps all it will take is some fake blood around the gums to get her to notice him. He knows she is way into vampire novels, so he starts to read them too.

He’s just not sure how to get Nia’s attention. But then he decides to take a big risk and start talking to a girl he’s had a crush on for years. Fake Blood Contributor(s): Gardner, Whitney (Author), Gardner, Whitney (Illustrator) View larger image. They are always daring each other to do things and have fantastic lives where they take big risks and brag about them. Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner ( 9781481495561)ĪJ just doesn’t feel like he fits in with his two best friends anymore.