Dracula Madness

Sam & Friends #1

by Mary Labatt, Jo Rioux

After Jennie and her friend Beth show Sam the creepiest house in town, the dog detective is on the case! The Sam and Friends graphic novel series is perfect for girls who love spooky mysteries.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mystery, Comics, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Animals

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Mary Labatt is an award-winning editor and a writer. A graduate of York University, Mary has published many educational briefs, position papers and articles on reading, the effects of poverty on learning, drug awareness, language arts, violence, the needs of adolescents and special education. Mary was the founding editor of the FWTAO Newsletter, a magazine for women teachers, that she edited for 14 years. She is also the author of a history of women teachers in Ontario, called Always a Journey. Mary has been honored for her contribution to education with the prestigious Greer award and has been made a Fellow of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation.

In addition to freelance editing, Mary teaches a week-long course every summer on how to write for children. Now that her family is older, Mary devotes the rest of her time to writing for children and raising dogs. She breeds and raises champion rough collies and Welsh Springer Spaniels, which were imported from Wales. People who read Mary’s children’s books will readily see that she loves dogs, so it is natural that she and her family live on a farm and raise dogs. In the picture Mary is shown with two of her collie mothers, Annabel and Chloe. Mary has said she is never happier than when little fat puppies are running all over the yard.

Mary’s Sam books were based on a real dog. Sam was Mary’s very eccentric, very nosy Old English Sheepdog. Sam used to stare to get her own way and she was insatiably curious. Mary took the idea and created Sam, the dog detective. If you haven’t read the Sam novels, you can meet Sam, the dog detective, in a new series of graphic novels called the Sam and Friends mysteries.

Mary lives on farm in Clear Creek, Ontario, with her husband, Larry, three dogs and two of their three children. Their other daughter just got married, so there will be room now for another dog!

Reviews

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam the dog is a darn good detective - or so he thinks anyway. The story starts out with a creepy house. What follows is a lot of fun where human and dog both make far too many assumptions, but come away with new friends. This is a graphic novel and was just so much fun to read - I highly recommend this series, especially if you've got reluctant readers.

[Jason Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one because the illustrator is from Ottawa.

I liked the artwork a lot. The story was good but nothing mind blowing.

[DancingQueen13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars- Sam is a hoot!

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

When Jennie meets her new next door neighbour’s dog, she quickly realizes that he’s no ordinary pet: Sam’s a canine detective who has the unique ability to understand everything Jennie says. Along with eating junk food and going for walks just like every other dog, Sam is always on the hunt for new adventures. In this first installment of the Sam & Friends Mystery graphic novel series, Jennie investigates mysterious ol’McIver with the help of her friend Beth and Sam. McIver is a notorious recluse who lives in the spookiest house in Woodford. When Sam and Jennie notice a strange clicking sound coming from McIver’s house, they can’t help but wonder what he’s up to. Bats guard his property, he never turns on the lights in his house and he’s working on what appears to be a coffin… Could he be Dracula? All clues point to yes! This graphic novel adaptation of Mary Labatt’s junior fiction novel Spying on Dracula takes readers on an adventure through the overactive imaginations of Jennie, Beth and Sam as they try to get to the bottom of the McIver case. Whether the girls and Sam are spying, researching or interviewing, readers will surely be captivated by every step of this adventure. Jo Rioux’s black and white illustrations will be a hit with younger readers who are new to graphic novels, as well as readers who are fans of manga. This exciting tale is a great way to introduce younger readers to mysteries without subjecting them to the frightening moments or violence that might be found in mystery or detective fiction written for older readers. It turns out that Mr. McIver isn’t that scary after all… once you get to know him.

Reviewed by Naseem Hrab in Canadian Children's Book News
Spring 2009 VOL.32 NO.2

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first graphic novel I have ever read cover to cover. I found it was a lot of work to look at each picture to fill in the details I would normally read much faster. The pictures were in boxes just like cartoons with only the dialog for writing. I did not like it much but could really see why upper elementary students with lower reading levels flock to these books; you can get a good read that makes you think without having to read as much.

This is the story of Sam, a dog detective, who meets a new dog walker, 10 year old Jennie, that can hear her thoughts. Together they solve the mystery of a creepy old house where the town recluse lives.

If I had a student who struggled with reading and I wanted to get them reading something, anything, this would be a good start. No fifth grader wants to read a Kindergarten picture book or easy reader, but this is a great balance for ability and content. I would say this is best suited to third grade, but could go either way depending on the reader.

[Jasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first graphic novel! This bit of mystery/fiction was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end, partly because of the great graphics. The vocabulary was basic enough for young readers but I think the themes of the story would be more interesting to 3rd and 4th graders. One of the main characters' in the book, Sam (who happens to be a dog), just moved to a new town. Sam meets Jennie, a girl who is sad because her best friend just moved away. Sam is able to"talk" to her new human friend, Jennie, through mental telepathy. This starts the beginning of a great mysterious adventure. Jennie and Sam, along with Jennie's friend Beth,try to discover the secrets of a recluse who lives in the spooky house nearby. Their imaginations run wild. In the end Sam is the one that discovers the recluse's secret. This book could be used to show budding artists that there is opportunity to tell stories through communicating with both both writing AND drawing. This book demonstrates that ~You can't always judge a book by it's cover!

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is apparently a crossover from the chapter book series Sam, Dog Detective. I have not read any of those so I can't make a comparison, but this story about a dog who befriends a girl who can read his thoughts is entertaining and gently told. Its plot is not complext, but the illustrations are nice and it's a quick read. Essentially, the dog and a couple of girls, Sam's neighbors, investigate the local haunted house and its eccentric resident with typical results for a book aimed at this particular audience. I wouldn't recommend it for libraries just starting their comics collections, but as a supplemental title/series, it would do nicely. I'd certainly read another.

[Kate McCartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennie is sad that her best friend and next door neighbor has moved away.

Sam, the sheep dog, is not happy to have moved to a new city, in the house next door to Jennie.

Sam's owners ask Jennie to walk Sam and the two discover that Jennie can hear Sam talk. Sam likes mysteries and pulls Jennie along on her adventures.

While it seems strange that Sam's owners do not mind a the time that Sam spends at Jennies and out walking with her, this makes for acute graphic novel about friendship with slight spooky mysteries to solve.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam is a dog, but sort of the opposite of Scooby Doo...she loves solving mysteries, isn't afraid of ghosts or monsters, and drags her human friends into potential danger, rather than running away from it. Oh yes, she also broadcasts her thoughts, and a few people can hear her, including her new neighbor.
The story is cute and clever, but not great. I think that kids will like it.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the artwork in this book, and I like Sam the dog -- she's grouchy and funny. The plot, however, left something to be desired -- it was basically a Scooby Doo plotline, only it was even less creepy. I'm not entirely surprised this one hasn't taken off at my library.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a fun read-a-like to the Buddy Files chapter books, or maybe even the Bailey School Kids series. I wish the artwork was in color, and that might turn some kids off, but it's definitely a solid story.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spying on Dracula the Graphic Novel! Sam fans will be so happy.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this graphic novel about a dog befriending a young girl. The discover they can communicate with each other and set out to discover the mystery surrounding a recluse in their town.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

story/art are nothing special; about a dog who can talk to his new friend with his mind, and then he tells her to do things.