Welcome to Camp Vampire

by Dustin Hendrix

211 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2026

Reviews

[A.D. Aro]

I had previously read a rough draft. This was my first read of the finished physical book.

With Welcome To Camp Vampire, Hendrix truly steps up his game, infusing both fun and frights but with a huge emphasis on the scares. Night of the Living Pizza, the first Creeptales book, was deliciously campy, but with this second installment Hendrix wants to drive the stake of fear directly into our hearts. The characters are likeable and believable, the summer camp setting is nostalgic, the vampires are terrifying, and the scares are abundant. If this is any indication of the coming books, the future of Creeptales is as bright as a blood moon.

[Alex Joseph]

I tip my hat to Dustin Hendrix: my expectations were blown out of the water. I was really excited for a vampire themed camp story (that wasn’t the middling Dangerous Girls or the very unpopular Camp Dracula which I haven’t read), let alone a kids’ horror one. And to retrospect on the first Creeptales… it’s fun and worth a read, but far from the best kids’ literature. However, Welcome to Camp Vampire is a legit one of the best things I’ve read this year. It hit every home run: the writing is thoroughly edited this time (THANK YOU), for starters, which is an issue I had with the first. The characters here, whilst I think could’ve maybe been a smaller cast, all had some level of purpose and persona which is commendable. The foreshadowing/expositional stuff is great, with some clever moments in the climax as well as a well delivered twist ending. Seriously, good work there. The story is well paced for it being just shy of 200 pages, feeling like an extremely complete book in itself, with a realized main character, villain w/ backstory and plot correlations that felt natural, and a gut punch thrown in (page 170) which displayed the threat level of the antagonist—also points for his aura. All-in-all, this is a highly enticing and practically flawless kids’ horror story, and this doesn’t come from me lightly, ‘least not these days. Overall, 10/10. This isn’t a paid nor contractual review by the way, this is at my own leisure. Check this out, please. Spike (BTVS) and TV Glow references? Might have to give this an eleven….

[Autumn Ketchum]

Ah this was SO much fun! A perfect nostalgic, cozy, summer read. I read this while being sick, and it felt like being a kid again and being wrapped up in a cozy blanket and reading books I would read as a kid that made you forget you’re sick! I appreciated some Easter eggs the author put in there, they were very appreciated and always fun to see. Dustin Hendrix does a fabulous job of capturing the essence of children’s horror growing up, while still being something kids today will enjoy!

[Jennifer Sahms]

Take a bite and sink your fangs into the second book of Creeptales: Welcome to Camp Vampire.

This story brings you back to the nostalgic feel of summer camp, only with far more spooks in the night than a simple campfire scare. From the first chapter to the last, you’re fully immersed in a perfectly crafted vampire tale that channels the classic vibes of Goosebumps: Vampire Breath and The Curse of Camp Cold Lake. Dustin Hendrix does a wonderful job of sparking a love of reading in a new generation, capturing the same magic many of us ’80s and ’90s kids felt when picking up books at school book fairs.

Be careful with your summer fun, you may just find yourself on the run if you enter Camp Crimson Lake. The grounds you’re staying on may be hiding far more than you bargained for. From the strange things that go bump in the night and the mysterious cabin hidden deep in the woods, this chilling read delivers thrills for readers of all ages.

[John Sara]

There's something about summer camp horror I love, and Dustin Hendrix hits all the right beats for me in Welcome to Camp Vampire. You have the eerie isolation of the wilderness, the questionable staff, and the campers going missing. But Dustin weaves his own story too, with a unique take on vampires, and a likable cast of characters to boot. In comparison to Night of the Living Pizza, this book feels like it veers more into full-on horror, which I appreciated. There's eerie visuals, such as the lab of dead animals, and even some darker moments, one of which quite surprised me. It's a worthy addition to the list of summer camp horror books.

[Carleycatandbooks]

This was such a fun spooky read .
It kept me guessing.
I loved Hannah as a character and Rachel.

[Kat Dicker]

"Welcome to Camp Vampire" (Creeptales book 2) is fun spooky reading whether you're a kid or used to be one!


The scares and tension ramped up and near the end there were some really frightening moments! But it was balanced well with humor, interesting dialogue and characters, and good pacing throughout. I really enjoyed reading it, especially on the cusp of summer starting. (I actually totally made s'mores in the middle of reading it too!)


This is now my favorite book in the Creeptales series (the first one is so good too!). And, there are more Creeptales books coming!


In my opinion, Dustin Hendrix is living up to his statement that his books are a love letter to nostalgic horror like Goosebumps by R.L. Stine. I'm really glad I found this series!

[Samantha Gonzalez]

I recently finished reading Welcome to Camp Vampire, in the series Creeptales by author Justin Hendrix.

This was a fun book to read . The story takes place at summer camp which is a fun aspect/setting that a lot of kids can relate with (especially now being summertime)!

The description and details were very good and made it easy for me to picture everything in my mind. I liked the characters. The story kept me interested and I wanted to learn the truth about the camp, right alongside the main characters.
The ending was good and a bit of a surprise!

I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Dustin Hendrix at an event where he was selling his books. I immediately was interested in reading his books. I grew up reading R.L. Stine books and enjoy a good thriller. Dustin has a passion for story telling. He admits to being a huge fan of Stine and was very influenced/inspired by Goosebumps . Dustin Hendrix has taken a similar approach with his books. Definitely check this one out if you enjoy a good spooky story/ thriller.

[E.D. Black]

Dustin Hendrix is back with another Creeptales, and it makes me thankful I was never forced to go to summer camp as a kid.

Hannah and her BFF Rachel are going to Camp Crimson Lake, a newly opened summer camp. Rumors of the camp being built on ancient vampire grounds gets everyone on high alert. Then things take a turn when Hannah and her bunkmates find a cabin in the woods. Maybe there is more truth to the rumors than they previously thought.

WTCV is more dark than book one in the Creeptales series, but still super approachable for early readers looking for a scare. Dustin does a great job building the world and lore while keeping the pacing smooth. It has all of the feels that I got reading any of the 90's middle grade summer camp books like Welcome to Camp Nightmare and Ghosts Of Camp Massacre. I really enjoyed this read and cannot wait to see what's coming next in the Creeptales series.

[Pepper Thompson]

My 8 year old loved this book so much she gave it TEN MILLION BILLION STARS! A super fun, creepy summer camp gone wrong read. Dustin is a terrific writer and nails the voice for middle grade readers perfectly. We love the Creep Tales series and can't wait for more of these awesome books!