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Cracked Classics #1

Transilvanya'da Tuzak:Drakula

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Tony Abbott adds humor and wacky antics to the familiar classics we know and love by catapulting two unlikely heroes into known story lines and making classic literature accessible and fun. The sixth-grade characters Frankie and Devin bring these time-tested stories into the world of today's kids, while encouraging readers to reach for the original books as well.Frankie and Devin are sent to do library duty after they fail to read the assigned novel for class. Ms. Figglehopper, the school librarian, sends the twosome to the back room -- with a slight wink. They quickly discover a crack in the wall, and they step into the world of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The wisecracking pair ham it up with Jonathan Harker, Van Helsing, and the rest of the Dracula crew as they drive out the undead and learn a thing or two about "blood"-thickening plots.

144 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2002

13 people are currently reading
147 people want to read

About the author

Tony Abbott

210 books403 followers
Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.

Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.

Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.

Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.

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5 stars
29 (32%)
4 stars
33 (37%)
3 stars
22 (24%)
2 stars
4 (4%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Apurva Khadye.
219 reviews17 followers
August 13, 2021
Ever wondered how it would feel if you were one of the characters in the book well this book just does that. this book brings fantasy of every bookworm and put it on the page. I really loved the concept. trapped in Transylvania is a book about two kids who don't enjoy reading had to read classics for the school and then they get sucked into the book world. what will happen with them is the plot of the novel. Intitally I thought main characters should have been book lovers in stead of teenagers who hate reading but that turned out to be a good surprise as it portrayed what a good book can do to the people and lets be honest book lover would have spent most timing fangirling after characters.
1,317 reviews4 followers
May 6, 2019
When two slacker kids get stuck in Dracula, they discover that the chubby book is actually pretty exciting. Trapped in Transylvania is a fun, and often funny, book that hits the highlights of Dracula and just might get your kid interested in reading the real thing (my ten-year-old said we should definitely read Dracula now). I highly recommend it to people of all ages. It makes a great family read aloud!
Profile Image for Steven R. McEvoy.
3,783 reviews172 followers
February 6, 2017
I have read 18 books by Tony Abbott over the last few years. These new Open Road editions of these books are a welcome edition to books currently available by Tony Abbott. I discovered Abbott's books a number of years ago and have really enjoyed all of his books I have read. But many of the older books or series were out of print. Thankfully Open Road Media has brought three of these series back to life as eBooks and with Kindle editions.

It is interesting to go back and read some of Abbott's books that were written before I discovered his writings. Having read 18 books by Abbott in just a few years I can say that he is an excellent children's author. This book was a really fun read. It is an interesting concept, and with six books in this series. There are a number of other books to enjoy with my children.

In this book reluctant readers and best friends Devin and Frankie get sent to the library for failing to do a book report. They get put to work repairing old books. As soon as they open the cover of Dracula something incredible happens, with a kboom and a flash of light and a cloud of smoke. A crack in the wall appears and going through to find the book they find themselves on a dirt road. And lo and behold they are in the book.

The children must read the book and help guide the characters to work towards the resolution of the story. It was wonderful watching modern children interact with this old story. And the children experienced a book, a story in a way they never have before.

Overall a wonderful little read. As mentioned it is great to have these older series available for a new generation of readers. I can only hope that Abbott's Time Surfers books will be available again. So give this book of some of Abbott's other books a try you will not be disappointed.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Tony. As well as an author profile and interview with Tony Abbott.
Profile Image for Shelli.
5,167 reviews57 followers
March 29, 2011
Don't judge a book by its cover is usually a said when describing a bad cover over a great book. This is the exact opposite. Gris Grimly was listed as being the illustrator of this small chapter book. I assumed it would be like the classic work of Pinocchio that his illustrations added to and gave a sinister twist to the story... nope he only designed the front and the back cover of this particular book. Didn't save it or made it worth investing the time I spent reading it. Love you Gris Grimly but this is one series I won't read any further just to enjoy some of your art.
Profile Image for Lily.
212 reviews3 followers
December 22, 2022
2 stars

I read these books once as a kid and re-read the series as an adult. The concept is great. It literally drags you into the most juicy parts of the novel and watch as two kids try to keep the story from going astray. I feel like they're also a terrific way to entice people to read the actual classic itself. I don't even like Dracula but this wanted me to read it.
Profile Image for Debesuota.
253 reviews
August 6, 2018
Devin erkek olarak seriye başlamış ama ikinci kitaptan sonra kız olarak devam etmiş.Bu da başrol seçimlerini sıradan hale getirmiş.Bunun dışında hikayenin dili ve karakterleri beğendim.Neşeyle okuduğum bir kitap oldu.Serinin de aynı şekilde devam ettiğini düşünüyorum
Profile Image for Alicia.
60 reviews
July 1, 2009
These books put an intresting spin on the clasics. They are more fun for younger children and helps them get into reading.
Profile Image for Ivy.
50 reviews
March 1, 2011
I really loved them a couple of years ago! They great for yonger readers!
Profile Image for Cana.
534 reviews
Want to read
September 26, 2011
Mommy says: not sure if she has read this yet.
1 review
Read
April 20, 2017
Frankie and Devin didn’t want to do nothing. School was just an issue. Mr. Wexler just wanted frankie and devin to cooperate with him but there behavior was the problem. The teacher Mr.Wexler wanted them to fix it and be helpful. He finally see’s no hope and sends them off witth a book project and only one day to complete it.
Frankie “francine’ Lang and Devin bundy both bestfriends, frankie and devin have no care in the world. Devin being the one with more brains yet “dumb”. As for frankie not as bright has many things to say with no point at all so she’s “dumber”. What you could say is that they’re dumb and dumber. When times come those brain turn on. They’re capable of lots of things but don’t try.
I can relate to this story because in the beginning i feel not as responsible and can relate on having a hard time having to do work. I feel i’m more like devin he’s capable of doing things and can be bright at times but is easily distracteed. Devin also has his friend alike as him and i can relate.
I did find the book rather intresting, the fact that they were these type of people. As well as for dracula having something to do with this. My favorite part was when frankie and davin got together to work but spent hours doing nothing but little excuses to not start on the project. When Mr. Wexler got on to devin and frankie for just playing and gave them a book project has to be my least favorite part because i can some what understand how it is. The author did really good putting together frankie and devin going into the dracula book. Although the author could have kept the original dracula story to keep it bitting our nails and wondering how they react to the situation.
I would recommend this book to many people. I would mostly recommend this to people into myths.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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