The Vampire Blog

Vampire Trilogy #1

by Pete Johnson

On the night of his thirteenth birthday, Matt’s parents tell him that he’s actually half-vampire and is about to go through his vampire changeover period. Matt then has to get to grips with things like fangs, musty breath and being awake all night, as well as dealing with the everyday life of a thirteen-year-old boy!

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2010

Reviews

[Paul]

a little too YAish for my taste didnt really give it decent shot, but no time if I'm not into it

[teleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Marcus was convinced that vampires didn't exist. He was very wrong..."

I picked this audiobook to read as it was short and childlike, and I thought it would okay and I can move onto my next book, but I'm surprised to say that I actually really liked the book. It was funny and Marcus' reaction to finding out he was becoming a half-vampire was real and enjoyable to listen too.

His parents were wonderful people, especially his dad. For some reason, the accent made the book for me. It was a common accent, but not one you hear people talk in for books, it was great. Another thing I loved was that he wasn't becoming a full vampire, it was half a vampire. It was a little spin on the whole vampire craze that makes it stand out. Another stand out thing about this book is that Marcus is writing it on his secret blog, which makes me laugh at the thought of it for some reason. It's bizarre.

I actually said: "i know for a fact i’m not going to listen to the series" and I think that's a lie because I'm ready to finish this review up and move onto the second book.

As for the plot twist, I didn't know who it was. I guessed one person and I was wrong! It was a good choice, and it made sense, and I don't know, there's something about this book that I really loved.

[Glynis Hamlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a childrens book and I read it because my 10year old granddaughter insisted I did.. It was OK, simply written and easy/quick to read.. Ienjoyed it..

[Mae !!!!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

-SPOILERS-



WHAT?! THAT PLOT TWIST-
I genuinely had no idea Karl would be the vampire I thought it would be Tallulah or Joel or something but his parents are honestly so realistic it makes me think Pete published some kind of childhood blog
I KNEW HE WOULD END UP FANCYING HER AND I CANT FIGURE OUT IF IM HAPPY OR BUGGED BY IT COS DOES SHE LIKE HIM BACK OR DOES SHE JUST LIKE VAMPIRES?!
No because why didn't the real Karl call sooner I'm so confused did I miss the explanation or is it cos he didn't get the letter
Why is Marcus actually funny like he's got 13 yr old humour but it's still funny
Ved is a cool name I won't stand for any dissing even by Marcus himself
I wanna go on a nighttime fly as a lil bat :/
Overall good book- good and developed characters with lots of humour- love it

[TheBookAddictedGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's your thirteenth birthday. Becoming a teen is scary enough, right? Wrong.
When he turns thirteen, Marcus Howlett finds out his parents are half-vampires (well, 40% vamp) and Marcus will turn into one too.
Just what he needed, huh?!
This, and the knowledge he will grow a fang and have really bad breath, is so much worse than the "sex-talk" he was expecting.
What does he do with this knowledge? Well, he fights fang and nail against the transformation into a half-vamp, determined to remain human and not go around slurping blood.
Through his dreadful new half-vamp name "Ved" that his parents insist on using, his arrogant and annoying second cousin's howling lessons and as many vamp doctors as they can throw at him, Marcus resists. It's even working!
But what Marcus doesn’t know is how much danger he is now in...
I do love a good vamp book, especially the rare British ones I find! And The Vampire Blog was a really great little book! It was aimed at a younger audience than my usual vampire books, but I loved it! With a snarky and relatable teen hero, great writing and a just overall hilarious feel, I found myself truly enjoying this one to absolute pieces! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
Marcus Howlett was witty, snarky and totally hilarious. He literally had a sarcastic
All the characters were very varying and unique and all completely bonkers! The vast array of people was hilarious and just brilliant. There was someone for everyone! Marcus was brilliant: witty, snarky and totally hilarious, he had a sarcastic remark for literally everything! And his reaction to turning into a vampire was so real and refreshing – because it was a normal reaction. Nothing romantic or whatever, just shock and horror at being Not Human. I just loved cheeky, chatty, bonkers Marcus! Tallulah was another character I liked, simply ‘cause she was so weird: eccentric, bonkers, snarky, intense and kinda scary Tallulah was totally horror addicted, kinda creepy and twisted… I’m really not sure why I liked her, but I did! Marcus’ best mate Joel was funny 'cause he was bonkers too. Gotta love the bonkersness! "Karl with a K", Marcus' second cousin, was arrogant and confident and very annoying! I loved Marcus’ parents – ‘cause they were so, so weird! They were really supportive - but if the strangest things!
The writing was just very, very Marcus: witty, bonkers, hilarious, addictive. I really liked the blog layout, although the fact that Marcus almost always seemed to blog on a perfect '0' or '5' was quite odd. I mean, there were hardly any posts at, say, something '33' or '57'. Just an observation... But I loved Johnson's writing, always have. And I just loved the way Marcus talked to his blog, like it was a real live person - he had conversations with it. Admittedly, they were pretty one sided but Marcus always came to the right conclusion with blog's help! The plot itself was pretty straight forward, but was loads of fun and really addictive! It was also pretty spooky and really, really funny! I especially loved all the family drama! And I've gotta admit - I was kinda leaning the wrong way for quite a while!
As for all of the vampire stuff in this book, it was really cool and funny. The transformation was quite bonkers! And the howling was awesome. I loved getting to know more about the vamp world, finding everything out with Marcus. I’ve gotta say, the change between a human and half-vamp was actually pretty close to the change between childhood and teenager...ness. The way you desperately want to be a teen, but are scared to not be a child, to be expected to be more mature, etc. This was the same for Marcus, but even worse - he was becoming a whole new species, as well as a teen!
Ok, ok. Admittedly this book is aimed at 9+, so it wasn't as scary or complex as some other vamp books I've read. But I seriously loved it - it was funny, spooky, addictive and I really did love Marcus. And I adored the twist Johnson put on the traditional vamp mythology! Awesome! This book is definitely worth a read if you love hilarious characters and spooky-funny plotlines!
Finally! A vamp book with a witty male lead for middle grade kids to love and laugh at! I really, really loved The Vampire Blog - Pete Johnson is just such an amazing author: funny, witty, scary and addictive. I can't wait for my next Marcus hit! I have a feeling this series is only going to get better!

[TheVampireBookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, I get that this is supposed to be a book for kids, because it is written from a 13-year-old guy’s point of view. The guy is going through a transition. He is told he is soon to become a half-vampire and he will undergo some changes (growing fangs which will fall out, smelling totally awful for a certain amount of time, etc.) and while his parents are proud of his heritage and even give him a new special name to call him during the dark hours (yup, can’t talk about the vampire things during the day, duh), he doesn’t want to be like that.
I grew up on Darren Shan books so I somehow expect a lot from kid’s books. This one was kinda bad. Even though there is supposed to be action (the hero is attacked by a real vampire and is in grave danger) I didn’t find it sufficient. There is a light side to this book, too. The main character is one of those people who always come with a smart-ass reply. Well, a boy hitting puberty would sure do something like that, however, he is funny all the time and that makes him less believable. I just couldn’t come to terms with such a genial child. I’m a teacher and such kids are exactly the ones I teach, and never have I in my life encountered such a funny one. I mean, I did, but he was older. So points down for unreal characters. The rest, the interaction between the kids, is more believable though.
Honestly, I don’t know how to review this. I bought this by accident – liked the price and the name of the book and since the cheap used books online store didn’t have description of the book there, I just went with buying it. And now I’m supposed to review a kid’s book.
So maybe it’s like the movies for kids – it is primarily for them, however, the creators always include something for the parents who accompany them when watching it. And here, I found nothing. If an adult reads it, it’s gonna be funny for only a couple of pages then it’s gonna become dull.

[Donna Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased the book for my eleven year old grandson who is reading Harry Potter books. The Vampire Blog is definitely age appropriate.

The reason I rated this a four is that I thought I knew how the book would end. I became bored three fourths of the way through. I'm glad I didn't quite reading because the ending was not what I expected. I love it when a writer can surprise me. This definitely ended up surprising me.

[Maple Class · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aboy gets told by his parents that he is 40% vampire. They tell him this while he's eating and gets put off his food. He thought they were going to tell him about puberty, but no. He had a feeling when he started to crave blood. He was a big fan of vampires but thought they didn't exist. He starts a blog when he gets an iPod Touch.
By Elizabeth

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book. We follow Marcus as he discovers he is half vampire.
And that twist at the end was brilliant.

[Masoome · Rating 3 out of 5]

با اسم 《وبلاگ خون‌آشام، طعم خون زیر دندان》 منتشر شده.
بدک نبود. گره‌های خوبی داشت، مناسب برای بچه‌های سال پنجم و ششمه.

[Ruth clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute funny story , loved it

[Lena Krune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch hat mir richtig gefallen und war sehr lustig.

[Fernweh_nach_Zamonien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Verwandlung in einen Halbvampir ist humorvoll und spannend erzählt, außergewöhnliche Charaktere und skurrile Situationen!

Inhalt:

Markus wird 13 Jahre alt und steckt mitten in der Pubertät.

Als seine Eltern mit den Worten "Markus, wir müssen reden ..." beginnen, fürchtet er das übliche und oberpeinliche Aufklärungsgespräch. Doch es kommt noch schlimmer.

Markus' Eltern sind Halbvampire und ihr Sohn steht kurz vor seiner wundersamen Verwandlung.

Als wäre Erwachsenwerden noch nicht verrückt genug, muss sich Markus plötzlich mit Mundgeruch, wachsenden Eckzähnen, plötzlichem Blutdurst, einem verschwundenen Spiegelbild und einer fiesen Knoblauchallergie herumschlagen.

Und all das ist erst der Anfang ...


Altersempfehlung:

ab 10 Jahre (normale Schriftgröße, Blocksatz, kurze Blogeinträge und Kapitel)


Mein Eindruck:

Da Markus zum 13. Geburtstag sein erstes Smartphone bekommen hat, erzählt er von seiner Verwandlung in Blogform.

Sein Schreibstil ist lässig und cool, ein wenig rebellisch und absolut passend für Pupertiere. Markus hat immer einen frechen Spruch parat, sarkastisch und ironisch scheint er damit jeder Situation gewachsen.
Humorvoll und spannend erlebt man seine Verwandlung hautnah mit: der Kampf der menschlichen Seite und der Vampir-Seite im Körper, ein neuer Name, wachsende Eckzähne, vergessene Ratschläge der Eltern und vieles andere führen immer wieder zu Missverständnissen und witzigen Situation.


Auch die Nebencharaktere, Markus bester Freund und die Außenseiterin Tallulah mit ihrem Faible für Monster, Werwölfe und Vampire werden mit viel Liebe zum Detail geschildert und sind sofort sympathisch.

Der erste Band der Reihe "Wie man 13 wird" macht Lust auf mehr, denn nach dem abschließenden Showdown und der Verwandlung geht es (wahrscheinlich) erst richtig los!


Fazit:

Eine außergewöhnliche Geschichte über die Verwandlung eines pubertierenden Jugendlichen zum Halbvampir.

Witzig, schräg und spannend erzählt.

Ein großartiges Lesevergnügen - nicht nur für 13 Jährige -sowie für Jungen und Mädchen.

Wir sind gespannt auf weitere Abenteuer des Halbvampirs und freuen uns bereits auf Band 2.



...

Rezensiertes Buch "Wie man 13 wird und überlebt" aus dem Jahr 2019

[Nina (Death, Books, and Tea) · Rating 3 out of 5]

On his thirteenth birthday, Marcus is told that his parents are half vampires and that, joy of joys, he'll become one too. He really doesn't want to be one, and spends part of his time denying that he is one. And then strange things happen, yes, even stranger than discovering you.re about to be a half vampire, and Marcus ends up in even more danger than he first thought.
The writing in this is ok. I liked the way that Marcus responded with witty remarks to everything. His personality change from disbelieving and denying to accepting is interesting to watch, if not the most original. The way he handles everything with sarcasm and cutting remarks add to his personality. However, I can't really connect with Marcus, possibly because I'm not a thirteen year old boy turning into a half vampire.
The supporting characters are interesting with individual, if extremely odd, personalities. Joel is really your average friend to have a laugh with, and the parents are your standard I'll try and do what's best for you ones. Even if they are guiding their son through transformation into a half vampire. Tallulah, the weird girl, while I started off hating her, as the story progressed she seemed less insane and more likeable and I feel really bad for how she ended.
Like I said, I couldn't reall feel that much connection to Marcus, or indeed any of the characters. This book was a bit predictable and I guessed what would happen at the end about 2/3 of the way through. However, it's an original take on traditional vampire myth, and done well.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a book more for the boys looking for something they can relate to, rather than the standard brooding romantic vampire boys of today.

[Jennys Bücherkiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Idee des Halbvampirs finde ich interessant und amüsant umgesetzt. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass die gängigen Vampir-Klischees abgewandelt werden: Markus hat lediglich eine Knoblauch-Allergie und sein Spiegelbild geht nur kurzfristig verloren. Das fand ich sehr kreativ. Außerdem hat mich die Geschichte mit einer Wendung vollkommen überrascht, weil ich, gelenkt von Markus subjektiven Schilderungen, jede Menge falsche Vermutungen angestellt habe. Insgesamt ist dieser geheime Blog sowohl inhaltlich als auch von der Gestaltung (im gedruckten Buch) so angelegt, dass Fans der beliebten Reihen Gregs Tagebuch, Tom Gates und Co. auf ihre Kosten kommen.
Sprachlich hat die Geschichte mich allerdings nicht angesprochen. Unglaublich viele Sätze beginnen mit dem Wort „Ich“. Ich tat dies, ich sagte jenes. Dialoge werden in einer Mischung aus direkter und indirekter Rede wiedergegeben, die sich sehr merkwürdig las. Außerdem hat diese Mischung zur Folge, dass der Ausdruck „sagte XY“ noch häufiger verwendet wurde. Fast jede Aussage wird gesagt und fast jede Frage wird gefragt. Diese Wiederholungen mögen dem Alter des Erzählers angemessen sein, haben das Buch für mich aber teilweise so eintönig gemacht, dass ich es beinahe nicht zu Ende gebracht hätte. Außerdem war für mich kein einziger Charakter ein Sympathieträger, weil sie mir alle zu überzeichnet waren.

[Jan Brinkmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich habe das Buch meinem Sohn vorgelesen. Ich glaube es waren zwei oder drei Abende. War wirklich sehr kurzweilig und vor allen Dingen die story so nicht vorhersehbar. Mit offensichtlichen verdächtigen wurde gut gespielt und am Ende war es doch irgendwie ganz anders. Meinem Sohn, elf Jahre. Hat es sehr gut gefallen und wir werden auch die weiteren Bücher der Reihe nun lesen.

[Faaiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my sister's. One day, I just picked it up and started reading. This book is funny in some parts and the main character is funny and likable. Overall, a nice book for preteens.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good!!!

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute :)