A Bite Worth Getting Bitten For
So, I’ve been struggling with this toothache. Funny how those things seem always to happen on weekends, and a long weekend to boot in this case, when if you’re unwilling to hit the ER about all you can do is suck it up and slog through it until regular business hours come rolling around again. All in all it kind of proves my point that life can be a sadistic little bitch at times.
Anyway, I’ve been sipping soup, blah, and trying to sleep, impossible, and generally watching the moments crawl by on shackled feet. I think they were humming a dirge as they passed. I tried getting some writing done at one point but that didn’t work at all. Hard to be creative when it feels like someone is driving a dull nail up through your jawbone.
Desperate to pass the time, I thought I might find something to read. I can usually tune out most anything, even pain, if the read is engaging enough. There was nothing new on my to-be-read pile and no way was I going to attempt to ride my bicycle down to the bookstore so I spent several frustrating minutes looking through my stack of already read books and came away with the perfect one.
Vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school.
Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer.
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I first read Heather Brewer’s Eighth Grade Bites, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod a few months back and remember it as an enjoyable read. Heather, who is one of the original members of what was then the fledgling writers forum Backspace, was one of the first virtual friends I connected with there when I joined some nine months after the its inception. Man that seems like a long time ago.
Backspace was small in those days with membership hovering around a hundred struggling writers. Things were looser then, maybe a bit wilder. Heather and I clicked for some reason. Maybe it had something to do with our willingness to push the envelope every chance we got. It may be because we were both horrible flirts. Whatever the reason, it was a time of great fun. I kind of miss the crazy antics we shared in the same way I miss the old Backspace but change is rarely something you can stop. Backspace got bigger, more popular, more professional and more serious. It’s by no means devoid of humor now, mind you, but it has gotten tamer.
Anyway, rereading EGB was the best choice I could have made. It didn’t make the toothache disappear but it certainly forced it into the background of my consciousness for long periods of time.
What a hell of a charming book EGB is, and a wry, witty and well written book to boot. Heather has captured with near perfection that angst any teenager of any generation feels. EGB has strong, well developed characters, especially in the case of Vladimir Todd, an intriguing mystery, and one liners that zing right off the page and make you laugh out loud. Which, I am loath to admit, is not a particularly good thing when your lower jaw is swollen to the size of a golf ball. Still, laughter is strong medicine and endorphins are the bodies own pain killers. I Do Not, however, recommend you read EGB while sipping coffee at your computer. You will find yourself out shopping for a new keyboard.
Whether you’re a Young Adult in age or mental attitude, you’ll love this book. And be sure to check out Heather’s blog.
Oh, and Heather, the blood and chocolate chip cookie thing was wonderfully over the top. To steal a line from our beloved Stella, You Rock!
