The Vampire's Curse

Secrets of Dripping Fang #3

by Dan Greenburg, Scott M. Fischer (Illustrator)

In an astounding turn of events, the Shluffmuffins twins' long-lost father has reappeared years after his tragic Porta Potti accident. Wally and Cheyenne, of course, are thrilled to see their dear old dad again. But would it be rude to point out how his skin appears to be rotting and falling off in chunks? Or that his breath smells distinctly like bloated roadkill? Come to think of it, he looks an awful lot like . . . well, a zombie. So imagine the twins' delight when they discover that their friend Professor Spydelle has developed a special life-restoring elixir, the only known cure for zombiism.

Hmmmm. Unfortunately, it seems there are still some kinks to work out on that special Elixir of Life. It cures Dad of his zombiism, only to turn him into . . . a vampire.

It would seem that things couldn't get much worse. But when two faces that look suspiciously like giant ants appear in Wally and Cheyenne's bedroom window one night, things take a turn from dismal . . . to dire .

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Juvenile, Horror, Vampires, Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

DAN GREENBURG BIO

BOOKS:
Dan's 73 books have been published in 24 countries.
His adult best-sellers include EXES, LOVE KILLS, HOW TO BE A JEWISH MOTHER, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE, and HOW TO AVOID LOVE AND MARRIAGE. How to be a Jewish Mother sold several million copies. It and How to Make Yourself Miserable were in print for 30 years and were on Publishers Weekly’s list of all-time bestsellers.
Amazon will publish Dan’s third psychological thriller, FEAR ITSELF, in January 2014. They’ll also republish his first two thrillers, EXES and LOVE KILLS.
He’s written four series of children's books: THE ZACK FILES, SECRETS OF DRIPPING FANG, WEIRD PLANET, and MAXIMUM BOY. The Zack Files sold more than 2 million copies, was translated into 20 languages, and generated an Emmy-winning 52-episode TV series that ran on Showtime and Fox Family.

ADVENTURES:
Dan has written extensively about his adventures:
Riding with NYPD homicide detectives for two years to research thrillers FEAR ITSELF, EXES, and LOVE KILLS.
Interviewing murderers alone in their maximum security prison cells for FEAR ITSELF.
Attending autopsies in the NYC morgue for EXES.
Learning how to discipline tigers and lions on a Texas tiger ranch.
Swimming with 80,000 lb. humpback whales in the deep ocean.
Flying upside down with a stunt pilot in an open-cockpit biplane.
Participating in dangerous voodoo rites in Haiti.
Riding with NYC firemen for four months and following them into burning buildings.
Searching for the Loch Ness Monster.
Assisting exorcists in a Connecticut house attacked by poltergeists.
Acting a major character role in a Western movie filmed in Spain.
Doing stand-up comedy at the New York Improv, and on TV talk shows.
Getting screamed at by Orson Welles on the set of Catch-22 in Mexico.

MAGAZINES:
Dan’s articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Time, Life, Newsweek, Ms., Playboy, and have been reprinted in 44 humor anthologies in the U.S. and England.

MOVIES AND TV:
Dan has had six of his feature films produced, two of which are on Variety’s list of top grossing films.

THEATER:
Along with Jules Feiffer, John Lennon and Samuel Beckett, Dan was a contributor to Oh! Calcutta!, which ran on Broadway for 21 years. He was also a contributor to Free to be You and Me, which ran off and on Broadway for years.

MISC.:
Dan has appeared on The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and Late Night with David Letterman. He grew up in Chicago, got his BFA from the University of Illinois, and his MFA from UCLA. He lives in Westchester, NY and British Columbia with his author wife Judith Greenburg and many cats.

dan@dangreenburg.com

Reviews

[Brayden Marker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shluffmuffin twins find out that the zombie was their dad. The twins told him that they were trying to find a cure for him. The professor told them that he made a cure for dead things. He told the kids that he could make the last of his cure after they ate supper. They went into the lab. They dumbed the cure down the zombie dad’s throat. He dropped straight to the floor and was completely dead. The twins yelled at the professor and ask him why he killed his dead dad. Then they look down and saw their dad’s eyes open. Their dad sat up started to grow his body parts back. He got up and started to look human again. The professor took his pulse, and he didn’t have one. They looked in his mouth and saw two teeth that looked like fangs. They realized that he went from zombie to a vampire. The professor was amazed he went through that transformation. In the other side of the forest, the Mandible sisters were in their house. They were arguing about who let the twins slip away plotting their revenge. The Shluffmuffin twins went in the dining room looking at their vampire dad. Their dad was upset that his kids were afraid of him. The professor was in the bathroom shaving when he cut himself. Mr. Shluffmuffin smells the blood and went over to the bathroom. He entered the bathroom and saw the blood oozing from the professor’s neck. He couldn’t resist himself, and his fangs came out, and he licked the blood off of his neck. The professor screamed, and everyone else woke up from the noise. The professor and his wife Spydell said that he can stay here ,but he has to sleep in the garage. The Mandible sisters went into an instrument store looking for a virus. They got a flu virus to make the everyone sneeze for food for their larva for a super mutant race. The twin’s dad was mad; he got kicked out of the house, so he wanted to prove them wrong and snuck into the house. The door was locked, and he opened it with his tongue. He got into the house then went into the professor's room and stole one of the professor's lab coats. He left for the hospital. He got there and asked for some blood for a surgery he is going to do soon. They said he could go get some. In the morning the twins ask if there was any good ideas to get the Mandibles caught. Spydell say you should go to the F.B.I. They twins did and talked with an agent and told him about the Mandibles. They send a field agent to go look at the Mandible’s house. The agent got there and talked to the Mandibles. He saw nothing, so he called a report saying there is nothing there of a super human ant race. He got off the phone, walked out, and saw the cellar door. He asked if could take a look in there. They said to him that it is ok to take a look. They went down there, and that was the last they heard of him. The twins were told there was no harm over there. They went outside, called a cab, and was pulled in. The Mandibles were in there and told the taxi driver to go home. On the way home Wally had to go the bathroom, so they went to the nearest gas station. Wally and Cheyenne went into the bathroom and escaped out the window. They went into a corn field escaped away from the Mandibles.
Cheyenne is the twin who sees the best of every situation. Wally sees the bad side of everything. They are both ten years old and orphans. Cheyenne is the smarter one of the group, and when she was in the orphanage she read the encyclopedia. Wally a kid who doesn't listen to adults; when they talk to them he thinks they are wrong. Wally tries to do everything his way and fights with his sister sometimes. They both agree with each other because the only thing they have is each other. In their whole experience so far the twins are getting closer with each other and are bonding with each other.
The book drew me in in the first sentence. I recommend it to boy, and girls the ages of 12 and up. There are some things that kids will not understand in this book.
This book is very good. I really like it. I can’t wait to read another book like it. This book I very neat; so far in this book every page has action in it and has really great endings.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

plot: This was a good book. A lot of interesting events happened. Wally and Cheyenne run from the Mandible sisters. Another thing that happens is that they found their dad as a zombie that has been dead for three years. He was falling apart then they went to Professor Spydelle, a very smart person, who had an elixir of life that saved his wife from dying. She got bit by a spider and almost died. He used it on her and brought her back with just a few differences. She had eight legs and eyes. She had a spider body with some human features. They used the elixir on zombie dad, which turned him into a vampire that can start cars with his breath and use his tongue to unlock doors. This is awesome but his kids, Wally and Cheyenne, don't like the fact that he has a thirst for human blood so they tell him they love the Spydells more. The Spydelles are Professor and Shirley. Shirley is a giant spider and Professor, well, he's a scientist. He is the one who turned Wally and Cheyenne's dad from a zombie to a vampire. I gave this book four stars because its a really good book and I am a really big fan of mythical creatures

Characterization: Wally is a ten-year-old boy who has really stinky feet and looks at the bad side of things. Cheyenne is his twin sister. She is also ten and she has a really bad allergy to everything so she sneezes a lot. She looks at the good side of everything. There is Vampire Dad who used to be their dad but died. Three years later he was found as a zombie and turned into a vampire.

I recommend this book to kids of both gender from ages 10 to 18. I think people that don't like fiction books and people who don't like mythical beings wouldn't like this book because that's what is mostly in this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another great, suspense-filled addition to the series. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

[Olive Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably my favorite of the entire series. :) it solidified my love for the paranormal and reminded me of being an excited child all over again.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheyenne and Walter Shluffmuffin are 'sort-of' orphans. Their dad drowned in a tragic porta-potty accident (don't ask). Dad became a zombie, because there are only two ways you can become a zombie: "voodoo curses and drowning in a porta-potty." Their friend, Professor Spydelle claims he can bring people back from the dead with his special life-restoring elixir. Of course, all goes horribly wrong and dad doesn't exactly come back to life...he comes back as a VAMPIRE! Alas, he is cursed with wanting to drink his beloved children's blood. Cheyenne and Walter in for some hilarious escapades.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! And I'm fairly certain you will never think of vampires the same again; because quite simply this is the most unique, different, cool vampire bok ever. :P Wally and Cheyenne try to help their dad, who they've discovered to be the zombie from book 2, and they also continue their fight against the Mandible sisters.

[tree hugger]

i can't wait 2 read it!!!!!!

[Steven Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best book in the Dripping Fang Secrets.
I like it because this is the part in the secrets were the
kids see ther dad for the first time in a long time.

[Max]

i think that wallys dad is not going to drink blood

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for young kids (8-12) who want to read about vampires and zombies. Easy to read, entertaining and short. It is not really scary but a compelling story line.

[Zelda Pushkin]

LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barbara Signorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was really good. I liked this book a lot.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure with the Shluffmuffins. This time, they are reunited with their dad. And, of course, are still battling the onts.