What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghosts of Fear Street #13
How to Be a Vampire
One morning, Andrew woke up undead. First there were the bite marks on his neck. Then he tried to eat garlic...yikes! And now he's got this weird urge to sleep upside down.
Not that Andrew minds turning into a vampire. He'll be able to stay up all night, fly, and scare his sister silly. Cool!
But then Andrew meets his vampire teacher, one really scary guy.
Andrew isn't ready for a lesson on how to sleep in a coffin-- or how to drink blood!
But does he have a choice?
Not that Andrew minds turning into a vampire. He'll be able to stay up all night, fly, and scare his sister silly. Cool!
But then Andrew meets his vampire teacher, one really scary guy.
Andrew isn't ready for a lesson on how to sleep in a coffin-- or how to drink blood!
But does he have a choice?
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
18 people are currently reading
799 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,675 books18.5k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 7, 2017
After nearly short circuiting my brain pounding massive, phone-book sized classics like War and Peace and the first two volumes of Journey to the West, I decided that I would revisit some childhood favorites for some R&R. Pure YA junk food. And it doesn't get much junkier than R. L. Stine. I vividly remember eating these books up, knowing they weren't very good even then but consuming them addictively for their mix of comedy, horror, sci-fi and adventure elements. This one is a little schlockier than many (the heavy comedy influence never QUITE sticks, and the comic vampire villain swings between Mel Brooks and menace a little too loosely), but it's one I treasure for the memories it provides.
Christmas Eve and I was newly eight years old... I remember sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom, a room I improbably decided was my "reading room." The lamp cast an orange, shadowy glow as I read through this one in the dark, just after taking a walk in the light snow with my parents, my little brother and my aunt. We carried powerful flashlights and swung them around like lightsabers, with my mom and aunt teasing me that we were "just checking for vampires." With a story like that, who cares if the book was good or not?
Christmas Eve and I was newly eight years old... I remember sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom, a room I improbably decided was my "reading room." The lamp cast an orange, shadowy glow as I read through this one in the dark, just after taking a walk in the light snow with my parents, my little brother and my aunt. We carried powerful flashlights and swung them around like lightsabers, with my mom and aunt teasing me that we were "just checking for vampires." With a story like that, who cares if the book was good or not?
July 28, 2024
Great book altogether. I just sat down and enjoyed this one. It felt like a OG goosebumps book and the idea was simple and not overcomplicated by twists or random moments. It stuck true to its title and stayed solid the whole way through leading to a satisfying story and ending. Obviously the ending had to have a little cliffhanger type twist that reminded me of the werwolf of fever swamp from the OG goosebumps series ending. 5/5
July 10, 2019
I really liked this a weird take on a vampire story
March 10, 2023
EDIT: Here's my blog review https://spongey444.wordpress.com/2023...
This is one I'll have to review to go further into, as there isn't a ton to say and I don't want want to say everything here. Anyway, this is one of the ones I had strong nostalgia for, to the point where I recalled every major beat and even some small ones before I re-read this for the first time in ages which doesn't usually happen for me. This was one of my favorites back then although having a friend character with my name played a part in that lol.
The short version is I still enjoy this and see it as one of the better ones due to a weirdly solid and well thought out plot. Well, well thought out given what it is anyway. Nostalgia does play a part in me tolerating certain quirks though. Still, it was enjoyable as a solid vampire story.
Pop Culture Watch: King Kong, Archie, Dracula.
Continuity Watch: Miss Gaunt (Who's Been Sleeping my Grave) is mentioned, along with a mention of Hide and Seek...in such a way that tells me that Katy hall didn't know what the plot of it was lol. But there's an interesting main series nod, as the climax is set in the Cameron Mansion from Halloween Party. Location nods are common but usually the common ones that appear all the time, while I am fairly sure Cameron Mansion wasn't brought up again but given it's weirdly specific for this book, I assume it was and I forgot or haven't read one where it was yet.
(Ghostwriters means red-heads are coincidences...but the sister Emily is one if you're wondering)
This is one I'll have to review to go further into, as there isn't a ton to say and I don't want want to say everything here. Anyway, this is one of the ones I had strong nostalgia for, to the point where I recalled every major beat and even some small ones before I re-read this for the first time in ages which doesn't usually happen for me. This was one of my favorites back then although having a friend character with my name played a part in that lol.
The short version is I still enjoy this and see it as one of the better ones due to a weirdly solid and well thought out plot. Well, well thought out given what it is anyway. Nostalgia does play a part in me tolerating certain quirks though. Still, it was enjoyable as a solid vampire story.
Pop Culture Watch: King Kong, Archie, Dracula.
Continuity Watch: Miss Gaunt (Who's Been Sleeping my Grave) is mentioned, along with a mention of Hide and Seek...in such a way that tells me that Katy hall didn't know what the plot of it was lol. But there's an interesting main series nod, as the climax is set in the Cameron Mansion from Halloween Party. Location nods are common but usually the common ones that appear all the time, while I am fairly sure Cameron Mansion wasn't brought up again but given it's weirdly specific for this book, I assume it was and I forgot or haven't read one where it was yet.
(Ghostwriters means red-heads are coincidences...but the sister Emily is one if you're wondering)
June 14, 2022
This is the first Ghosts of Fear Street book I've (re?)read as an adult, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was always a bit snobbish towards this series for being ghostwritten, but of course that's a bit narrow minded and they can still be enjoyed if they are any good. And this one was pretty decent. Nothing very substantial, but it was a fun and quick read. Of course, you don't get that magic that Stine's writing has, but Katy Hall, the author of this one, does a fairly good imitation of his style.
The story itself is a pretty straightforward vampire tale, with nothing that really stood out to make it unique or deplorable. The only flaw that I can think of was the resolution to defeating the vampire (missing some logic), and the ending which I didn't really like. Falls into the mold of a twist ending being necessary, but not at all satisfying to the reader.
Overall this was decent, I give it a 2.5⭐, and I will definitely try out some more GoFS in the future.
The story itself is a pretty straightforward vampire tale, with nothing that really stood out to make it unique or deplorable. The only flaw that I can think of was the resolution to defeating the vampire (missing some logic), and the ending which I didn't really like. Falls into the mold of a twist ending being necessary, but not at all satisfying to the reader.
Overall this was decent, I give it a 2.5⭐, and I will definitely try out some more GoFS in the future.
September 22, 2018
I loved the suspense with this book. The thrills and the entertainment value of this story was impeccable and by far one of my favourites by this author. Simply put this book is fangtastic!
September 27, 2023
Cool vampire story. 3/5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️!
Not the greatest ghosts of fear street book, but it’s alright. I kinda recommend.
Not the greatest ghosts of fear street book, but it’s alright. I kinda recommend.
April 20, 2025
I’ve eyed this book on my shelf for months now. I love vampires a lot, and the cover and blurb of the book really intrigued me. Turns out—it’s a banger. This book is fun, simple, and kind of a nonsense plot… but in a good way. Like I said, this book is fun, and that’s due to how simply made it is. It covers what you’d want—kid turning into vampire, learning all he needs to know, and the personal battle that comes with it—and it doesn’t do anything inherently amazing or awful with it. It’s just good, and it’s never boring (aka, fun). The climax is really good, the ending is great, and the characters are even exceptional. This could honestly be a comfort read story. However, I have some mild downsides: the lack of Count Ved. He shows up twice (thrice if you count one teeny moment) and while their bigger scenes in the book, I wish he took up more page time than he got. But that’s my only problem with him. And my only problem with the book lol. Overall, 9.5/10. This book is like Shock Street from Goosebumps—it’s not very plot heavy and it’s clear that it mostly exists to entertain and deliver a cool and simple story, which is very much succeeds in.
May 29, 2019
I read this book 15-20 years ago. I actually don't remember the ending to this one.
The two most memorable parts:
1) his master is teaching him how to hunt for prey. His fangs aren't in yet, so he'll have to bite the skin with his normal teeth. He listens to the heart beat and catches the bunny. But he lets it go, and the bunny lives! (at least, that's how I chose to remember it...)
2) Edward isn't in it.
The two most memorable parts:
1) his master is teaching him how to hunt for prey. His fangs aren't in yet, so he'll have to bite the skin with his normal teeth. He listens to the heart beat and catches the bunny. But he lets it go, and the bunny lives! (at least, that's how I chose to remember it...)
2) Edward isn't in it.
January 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this one but not with it's messy storytelling. It mildly bothers me how this book has such a dilemma and it can't focus on where it would go, on one hand, it's about our main character slowly figuring out he's becoming a vampire and adapting how to live like one and at some points, I really enjoyed it, then another storyline crossover where the main vampire antagonist shows up of nowhere (granted, how the boy becomes a vampire and another mcguffin appears in front of him comes out of nowhere too) and it's just so messy when it goes from there, lots of random sequences show up and at the least, I like it as they try to be consistent with it's logic set up but how the book started where the boy adapting into a vampire is just thrown out of the window and it wasn't even resolved and the rest of the story is just an okayish by the numbers kill the monster story.
July 25, 2015
Rating: Step Into The Light
(Good Enough to Read But Not Own)
A fun, fast junior fiction read for all fans of the old school vampire style. Middle school boy wakes up one morning to discover two small bite marks on his neck and comes to the realization that he just might have been a late-night snack for a hungry bloodsucker.
A bit like the Goonies meets The Little Vampire, this Fear Street novel is great for struggling readers and makes for a fun and easy summer read. It is thin enough that non-readers won't balk at its length and the short sentences and casual dialogue are designed to encourage rather than hinder hesitant readers. Think of it along the lines of a Goosebumps televisions series segment. Fun bubble-gum fluff with fangs.
(Good Enough to Read But Not Own)
A fun, fast junior fiction read for all fans of the old school vampire style. Middle school boy wakes up one morning to discover two small bite marks on his neck and comes to the realization that he just might have been a late-night snack for a hungry bloodsucker.
A bit like the Goonies meets The Little Vampire, this Fear Street novel is great for struggling readers and makes for a fun and easy summer read. It is thin enough that non-readers won't balk at its length and the short sentences and casual dialogue are designed to encourage rather than hinder hesitant readers. Think of it along the lines of a Goosebumps televisions series segment. Fun bubble-gum fluff with fangs.
June 4, 2011
3.68 · rating details · 60 ratings · 5 reviews
One morning, Andrew woke up undead.
First there were the bite marks on his neck. Then he tried to eat garlic...yikes! And now he's got this weird urge to sleep upside down.
Not that Andrew minds turning into a vampire. He'll be able to stay up all night, fly, and scare his sister silly. Cool!
But then Andrew meets his vampire teacher, one really scary guy.
Andrew isn't ready for a lesson on how to sleep in a coffin -- or how to drink blood!
But does he have a choice?
It was amazing book I read the whole thing.
One morning, Andrew woke up undead.
First there were the bite marks on his neck. Then he tried to eat garlic...yikes! And now he's got this weird urge to sleep upside down.
Not that Andrew minds turning into a vampire. He'll be able to stay up all night, fly, and scare his sister silly. Cool!
But then Andrew meets his vampire teacher, one really scary guy.
Andrew isn't ready for a lesson on how to sleep in a coffin -- or how to drink blood!
But does he have a choice?
It was amazing book I read the whole thing.
January 2, 2010
I wanted a light quick vamp read for New YEars so I chose this one. A boy who loves horror and is fascinated by vampires finds his life changed when he is bitten by one and starts changing into one - an official vampire-in-training
November 3, 2020
Todo lo que escribe stine sabemos que es terror y diversión asegurada, está no es la excepción. Un niño que ama a los monstruos y lo macabro, hasta que el empieza a ser una criatura de la noche y descubre que tal vez no es tan bueno como cree... O si?
Read
August 6, 2019Cool cool cool!!!! It was a very good book and u should read it
:):)
:):)
July 18, 2019
I first read this book as a kid (I read most of the original Goosebumps and Fear Street books back then) and never really forgot about it. Back in '96, '97, I was really into vampires and read quite a few vampire novels and watched vampire movies. I couldn't get enough! I was basically T.J., one of the book's main characters. This book really hit the spot. For a kid dreaming of being a fanged predator in the night, it represented the promise that all my bloody little dreams could come true. So of course I sought it out again, and here I am.
I just reread it. It took me an hour, maybe less, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It's not the finest prose, but one thing Stine and his contemporaries always did well was to keep kids books short and simple. The book relies heavily on readers' knowledge of vampires from movies and books out at the time (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview With the Vampire, and of course all the classics) to support the imagery. Basically, the story is in a world already built by a century or so of vampire literature and popular media. If you look at it that way, you can forgive the lack of actual world building in the book, though of course adult me wanted more background on Ved (the vampire), and the world of vampires at large. Why pick a kid for his "Dark Gift? Why was he so old and rotted? How many more vampires like him exist in then world? What happened to his previous vampires-in-training? Why was the book malfunctioning? Than again, once you start in the direction, it's a slippery slope, and the story would have hurtled away from Andrew's experience while the speedy plot ground to a crawl. That's probably too much metaphor.
In short, I think, even now post-Twilight, kids who are into vampires would love this book. It has some great vampire mojo scenes, and the ending is perfection. For adult readers, unless you're looking at this through the forgiving lens of nostalgia, this book leaves something to be desired. Is it a total disappointment though? Hey, if you have about an hour to kill, it's kind of fun. Grab a free 30 day trial of Scribd or something and give it a go. I don't think you'll feel your time is completely wasted.
Nostalgia/Vampire-obsessed kid rating: 5/5!
Actual rating: 3/5
Split the difference. Solid 4/5 from me!
I just reread it. It took me an hour, maybe less, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It's not the finest prose, but one thing Stine and his contemporaries always did well was to keep kids books short and simple. The book relies heavily on readers' knowledge of vampires from movies and books out at the time (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview With the Vampire, and of course all the classics) to support the imagery. Basically, the story is in a world already built by a century or so of vampire literature and popular media. If you look at it that way, you can forgive the lack of actual world building in the book, though of course adult me wanted more background on Ved (the vampire), and the world of vampires at large. Why pick a kid for his "Dark Gift? Why was he so old and rotted? How many more vampires like him exist in then world? What happened to his previous vampires-in-training? Why was the book malfunctioning? Than again, once you start in the direction, it's a slippery slope, and the story would have hurtled away from Andrew's experience while the speedy plot ground to a crawl. That's probably too much metaphor.
In short, I think, even now post-Twilight, kids who are into vampires would love this book. It has some great vampire mojo scenes, and the ending is perfection. For adult readers, unless you're looking at this through the forgiving lens of nostalgia, this book leaves something to be desired. Is it a total disappointment though? Hey, if you have about an hour to kill, it's kind of fun. Grab a free 30 day trial of Scribd or something and give it a go. I don't think you'll feel your time is completely wasted.
Nostalgia/Vampire-obsessed kid rating: 5/5!
Actual rating: 3/5
Split the difference. Solid 4/5 from me!
January 17, 2020
This one didn't have the narrative hook and umph that I was hoping for. Andrew is obsessed with horror and his "best friend" (love interest, cough) T.J. has all the coolest books. Andrew realizes he was bit by a vamp in a pretty undramatic reveal and finds a manual for vampirism that feels like a promising heart to the story, but then his teacher shows up and asks him to eat bunnies. It's fun, but not super engaging.
March 22, 2023
Feels very redundant and rushed. Even though it's a children's book and it was ghostwritten by someone other than R.L. Stine, How To Be A Vampire is still pretty mediocre. That being said, I do like how much vampiric lore is exposition dumped because it tries including almost everything folkloric about vampirism. The ending is pretty weak and overall this is a novice read for newbies introduced to R.L. Stine's world.
July 19, 2019
This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. And it still holds up to this day! It is an adventure to read this book each and every time. A true classic of literature. I think this book should be made into a feature film and I think Daniel Stern would be perfect for the role of Count Humphrey Ved.
March 16, 2021
bueno claramente es un clásico de vampiros, donde el ajo les hace mal, no pueden salir al sol etc, pero me re gusto, me sentí una nena de 7 años leyéndolo, en serio es muy entretenido y te lo lees en una tarde.
si lo hubiese leído de más chica me hubiese dado miedo sin duda, si querés leer un clásico de vampiros que sea cortito este es ideal :)
si lo hubiese leído de más chica me hubiese dado miedo sin duda, si querés leer un clásico de vampiros que sea cortito este es ideal :)
Read
September 7, 2021I read this many many years ago while i was still a goosebumps fan. this book has held a place in my memory since, to the point that today Ive searched to buy it :) It may not be the best book by Stine, but as an adult I was so happy to find and read this book again :D its a blast from the past and since I remembered it all this time, its clearly a memorable and worthy book!!!
September 20, 2019
It is an intersting shivering book.
October 11, 2019
I kind of love this cover - it just screams 90’s to me!
November 8, 2019
Has a nice vampire adventure.
January 10, 2021
Không ấn tượng lắm
December 24, 2021
I read this one with my daughter. It was fun, but predictable and light. Not nearly my favorite of RS Stine's children's books.
October 3, 2022
R.L. Stine - enough said.
May 29, 2023
Oye, this book is kinda intense. There
is fine detailing, nicely typed. It feels a
a little more real, to read, than I thought.
Chao.
is fine detailing, nicely typed. It feels a
a little more real, to read, than I thought.
Chao.
March 6, 2024
It's too all over the place, it's boring as well, nothing special about reading this. Ending made sense, I guess. I was wondering why Andrew didn't die from the sun. It's because he put sunscreen on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews