Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)

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Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 16,853 ratings · 1,922 reviews

Vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school. Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers,...more

Paperback, 182 pages

Published March 13th 2008 by Speak (first published August 16th 2007)

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Mar 18, 2012 Jacki rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

I'm sure Heather Brewer thought she was pretty damn clever when she named her main vampire character Vladimir (as in "The Impaler"); or when she named another (pretty much non-existent) character Edgar Poe; or when she named the big, scary, dressed-all-in-black, bad guy D'Ablo. And then, of course, she just had to throw in that the street that the vampire family lived on was Lugosi Trail (the only street name, or spacial reference in the whole book).
The plot and build of the story was rather th...more I'm sure Heather Brewer thought she was pretty damn clever when she named her main vampire character Vladimir (as in "The Impaler"); or when she named another (pretty much non-existent) character Edgar Poe; or when she named the big, scary, dressed-all-in-black, bad guy D'Ablo. And then, of course, she just had to throw in that the street that the vampire family lived on was Lugosi Trail (the only street name, or spacial reference in the whole book).
The plot and build of the story was rather threadbare and lacking. Specifically in the time line area. Brewer skips forward in time by hours, weeks, and months without any acknowledgment to the reader. It starts at a Halloween; skips to the winter Snow Ball dance; then to Valentine's day, and the end of the school year. Arched across all of that is a plot line that should have taken place within 3 weeks tops. It's inconceivable that it would take a whole year to get to where it was going.
Another terrible characteristic of Brewer's writing is that she constantly makes her protagonist dumber than her audience. It drives me completely nuts. For the majority of the book, I felt like I was dragging the protagonist forward with every page turn instead of being led into a puzzling wonder. It's not like it's that hard to figure out that the cliche, scary, shadow man named D'Ablo is probably evil and the playful, eccentric guy named Otis Otis is probably not.
And why were they having such problems tracking Vladimir down? Brewer drew attention to her own plot holes and flaws with questions like, "Why didn't they just pick up the phone book?" Yes, Brewer, why didn't they? Are they just the stereotypical bad guys that always remain a step behind the good guy until the very end when they're magically a step ahead for the final confrontation? Oh wait, they are! You said that yourself when you called D'Ablo a cliche. Oh wonderful. Problem solved.
The book is dumb.

edited:
You know, the more I think about this book, the more I wonder if maybe the author wrote it as a joke. I mean, the plot formula was pulled straight out of Harry Potter; the names she used for characters and places sound like a bad joke; and she literally calls her antagonist a cliche in the book. Maybe she got drunk one night and thought to herself, "Hey! If J.K. Rowling could do it, so can I."
Maybe it's satire. But even as satire, it's still a bad joke. (less)

22 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Sita Sargeant rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, paranormal, reviewed, nl

This has got to be the best out of the whole series, I remember buying and reading these at the start of year 8, I loved them then, sped through all the books and bought and read the last one the day it came out. I recently read them and I was a little disappointed. I thought they were amazing in my mind, not so much in real life.

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But in saying that, I still found them slightly entertaining, and after re-reading them all. I again concluded that the first one was the best. This is why:
1)8th Grade...more

23 likes · like · see review

Apr 10, 2008 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vladimir Tod is no ordinary 8th grader. Like most 8th graders, he is trying to negotiate the trials and tribulations of middle school, including a pair of bullies, an unrequited crush, teachers and homework, and oh yeah, the fact that he is a vampire. On top of all this, his English teacher is missing and they get a bizarre new substitute. His mother was human and his father was a vampire but they died in a tragic and mysterious fire when Vlad was 10, therefore he has little guidance to help him...more

15 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2007 Bethany Andrews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a complete sucker for vampire stories and "Eighth Grade Bites" did not disappoint me. The story is about a boy named Vladimir Tod an eighth grader with a deep dark secret -- he's a vampire. After his parents died mysteriously and tragically in a flash fire, Vlad was taken in by his "aunt" Nelly, his mother's best friend. As far as Vlad is concerned, he's the only vampire in the world, aside from his now deceased father.

We follow Vladimir through the mysterious disappearance of his English t...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2009 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vladimir Tod doesn’t have much to look forward to in school. As a skinny pale boy in eighth grade, he is often subject to taunts and bullying. To make matters worse, the principal probably hates him and his crush probably likes his more popular best friend Henry. But puberty and teen angst aren’t all Vlad has to worry about; in fact, those are the lesser of his problems because Vlad is only half human—the other half is vampire. The disappearance of a well-liked teacher and the appearance of not...more Vladimir Tod doesn’t have much to look forward to in school. As a skinny pale boy in eighth grade, he is often subject to taunts and bullying. To make matters worse, the principal probably hates him and his crush probably likes his more popular best friend Henry. But puberty and teen angst aren’t all Vlad has to worry about; in fact, those are the lesser of his problems because Vlad is only half human—the other half is vampire. The disappearance of a well-liked teacher and the appearance of not only a strange and nosy substitute teacher but also a mysterious and likely dangerous stranger alert Vlad that someone knows his secret—and is out to get him. But in order to fully understand what’s happening to him in the present, Vlad has to drag up painful memories of the past and learn vital information about a vampire world he never knew existed before.

Eighth Grade Bites is a hilarious debut to an intriguing sounding vampire series that successfully combines supernatural dangers with the trials of being a teen. I just have to say that I love Vlad as the protagonist; he has emotional depth as well as determination and spunk, when he needs it. I really enjoyed reading alternately about Vlad’s vampire mischief or woes and his “human” crushes on girls and struggles with being bullied. The plot is interesting enough, mostly told from Vlad’s perspective thought with occasional flashes from other characters, with a nice balance between action and internal maturation. I truly enjoyed the unpredictability and suspenseful nature of the story as it kept me eagerly reading. The concept of a hidden vampire world isn’t quite so unique because it’s used in similar novels, and its background could’ve been better explained, but it is still an interesting addition that I hope to learn more about in the continuation of this series. Fast and funny, though a bit disappointingly short, Eighth Grade Bites is an excellent choice of vampire lore to read.

Readers who enjoyed Kimberly Pauley’s Sucks to Be Me will want to start Brewer’s vampire series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. I can’t wait to read more of Vlad’s story in Ninth Grade Slays and the not-yet-released Tenth Grade Bleeds.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Apr 20, 2009 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids, paranormal-urban

A quick read, but a surprisingly good one, even for an adult. Typical of a kid's book, the plot is a bit simplistic, but it was a good story with believable characters. A lot of background had to be covered & it was well done. This is mostly Vlad figuring out what he is, which fits rather well with his age, too.

One of the more interesting points is the characterization of the various people. They're not as simple as in most books of this type & even the bad guys have redeeming qualities...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod is being raised by "Aunt" Nelly, his mother's best friend. His human mother and vampire father were both killed in a fire, leaving their young vampire son an orphan. Life is not easy for Vlad...the school bullies harass him, the principal seems to have it in for him, and the girl he likes best and wants to ask to the dance seems to prefer his friend, Henry.

Aunt Nelly understands his problems and helps him to hide the fac...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Michael.herrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book I have read,is about a boy named Vladimir Tod and he is a vampire. His parrents died in a car crash or so they thought. His best Freind is named Henry and he knows Vlad'd secret ever sence he was seven. They both go to the same high school and they are both bullied by bullies, nagged by his teachers, and the girl he likes would rather be his friend. Vlad struggles each day with blood, he lives with his aunt Nelly who also knows his secret. Each day Nelly gives him blood bags which is ea...more

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Mar 10, 2009 Mr. Z rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: middle school boys

Shelves: a-classroom-library, fantasy-mythical-magical, school-life-friendship-drama

Several students recommended this book for me to read. The vampire genre has regained popularity, with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga and now Heather Brewer's The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. Vlad is a middle schooler born to a vampire father and a human mother. He is not your typical vampire from legends, feasting on bags of blood his aunt gets from a hospital instead of killing humans to feed. At school, Vlad has trouble with his principal, teacher and bullies. It seems life couldn't get more...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2010 Julie Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classroom-books-grade-7-8

It's unfortunate that this enticing book cover and concept (an 8th grade vampire) were wasted in this way. I didn't think I'd make it through, and only did so out of sheer determination, but the ending turned out to be suspenseful and exciting, causing me to bump my 1 star to a two. The first 120 pages, however, were like having to read an 8th grade student's first draft of a "book".

Not only did the writing fail to engage, but it actually grossed me out. Imagine an 8th grade vampire who eats fr...more

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May 02, 2012 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, yummy-boys, series, to-re-read, to-buy

"If I concentrate, I can make my body float, and sometimes I can read people's thoughts. But for the most part, being a vampire bites."

Adorable. This was such a cute story...OMG. I read some not so kind reviews and I think people's expectations were too high. If you're looking for an earth shattering read...skip this. It's not going to rock your world. But...it's damn cute. It's exactly what I expected it to be. Vlad is adorable and super sweet...crushing on a girl, hanging with his BFF Henry (R...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Cathy Keaton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, reviewed

For some reason, I had high expectations about this book and I assumed I'd love it. But, that really wasn't the case after reading it. (I need to stop having high expectations!) It is a well-written story, and I think perfectly targeted for its intended Middle Grade audience. It's plenty safe reading material for children, but, isn't particularly original.

I figured I'd love a story about an adolescent teen vampire who has to learn to hide his true identity from most everyone in his small hometow...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Debora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: da_autori_e_caseeditrici, fisicamente_posseduto, read_2011

Primo capitolo della nuovissima saga urban fantasy per giovanissimi (10/14 anni) dedicata all’affiscinante figura del “vampiro”, elemento fantasy ormai decisamente inflazionato e che sembra non aver più nulla da “raccontare” ai lettori. Heather Brewer, invece, riesce a fornirci un romanzo (-etto, visto che conta meno di 200 pagine) in grado di affascinare i giovani lettori grazie alla sua fresca ironia. Qualcosa di divertente e innovativo che potremmo affiancare, quasi, al lavoro di James Patter...more Primo capitolo della nuovissima saga urban fantasy per giovanissimi (10/14 anni) dedicata all’affiscinante figura del “vampiro”, elemento fantasy ormai decisamente inflazionato e che sembra non aver più nulla da “raccontare” ai lettori. Heather Brewer, invece, riesce a fornirci un romanzo (-etto, visto che conta meno di 200 pagine) in grado di affascinare i giovani lettori grazie alla sua fresca ironia. Qualcosa di divertente e innovativo che potremmo affiancare, quasi, al lavoro di James Patterson con il suo “Daniel X”. Differenza essenziale fra i due romanzi? Vladimir Tod si regge perfettamente, come trama, e non traballa come un trepiedi zoppo. Non ci sono fastidiosi deus ex machina, punti morti o incongruenze; un romanzo senza troppe pretese ma che regala ai lettori tutto ciò che promette.

Il linguaggio è molto elementare, diretto e immediato, così come lo sono anche le scene d’azioni e le parti descrittive. Le vicende sono narrate in prima persona, il punto di vista di Vlad è decisamente ben reso e l’autrice è riuscita a riproporre un gergo giovanile che non risulta forzato (merito anche dei traduttori, possiamo supporre?) riuscendo a suscitare spesso il sorriso.

In quanto primo di una serie, come sempre, vengono lasciati in sospeso molti punti e i caratteri dei personaggi vengono approfonditi il minimo indispensabile, giusto quelle poche pennellate necessarie affinchè non diventino semplici marionette in mano all’autore.

Vladimir Tod è un vampiro, un vampiro orfano che sembra vivere con una donna, sua zia, che benchè umana risulta perfettamente a suo agio con le necessità del giovane adolescente dai canini accuminati. Leggiamo di bicchieri di sangue, dolcetti con le gocce di sangue, bistecche al sangue, barattolini di ketcup che in realtà contengono ben altro… Insomma la vita di un normalissimo ragazzino americano dalla dieta un po’ particolare.

Vlad crede di essere l’ultimo, se non l’unico, della sua specie e questo lo turba anche se, alla fine, il suo cruccio più grande sembra essere in realtà la ragazza che ama ma con la quale non riesce a parlare, i bulli della scuola, il suo migliore amico e la sconparsa dei suoi genitori; anche in questo molto “normale”.

Un giorno, però, il suo professore sparisce, il sostituto sembra essere inquietante e pericoloso e suo padre, dall’aldilà, sembra volergli far arrivare alcune informazioni sottoforma di diario, diario in cui passo dopo passo Vlad scoprirà del suo passato.

Ovviamente la figura del vampiro, soprattutto quella del giovane Vladimir, è ben lontana dall’invincibile macho senza macchia e senza paura che ormai imperversa le nostre librerie. Vlad è una ragazzino giovane, fragile ma forte e ben deciso a non arrendersi, grazie anche al suo cervello.

Un nuovo eroe, quindi, per i giovanissimi che non potranno non amarlo, per un lettore più adulto potrebbe risulta invece troppo semplice e un po’ scontato ma non dobbiamo mai dimenticare a “chi” è diretto il romanzo. Non sarà il nuovo “Harry Potter” ma sicuramente potremmo avvicinarlo alla figura di “Daniel X” (J. Patterson) e “Percy Jeckson” (R. Riordan).(less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Taneika (Flipping Through The Pages...) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

More of my reviews can be found at Flipping Through the Pages!

This is probably more 3.5

This book follows a 13 year old boy, Vladimir Tod, a vampire, through his first year of high school. Vlad is a human-vampire hybrid with a human mother and a vampire father. Vlad deals with the usual dilemmas in highschool like crushing on the pretty girl at school, putting up with bullies and having your aunty hide your blood fix in your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…

Vlad has to deal with a creepy subsi...more

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May 06, 2010 Ralph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires

Vladimir Tod isn't your normal thirteen-year-old. Instead, he's a half-vampire. Vlad's parents died when he was ten and he has no idea of the extent of his powers. The only people who know his secret are his aunt Nelly and his best friend Henry - whom he bit when they were eight. When one of his teachers mysteriously vanishes and the new substitute begins questioning him a little too much, Vlad begins to fear for his life.

You'd think after all the hype over Twilight, I'd be sick of vampire books...more

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Sep 22, 2009 vicki_girl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, format-deadtree, young-adult, fiction, series_reading, fiction_speculative, favorite_characters, fiction_speculative_supernatural, vampires, bookmarkswap_sent, series-complete

I was first attracted to this book by the cover art. I really liked the clean lines and the stark color scheme. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the story just as much.

I found the main character, Vladimir Tod, both funny and endearing. He has a sarcastic self-deprecating sense of humor that I just loved. I found myself laughing out loud several times. Vlad also felt really genuine as a person, and not two-dimensional or sterotypical.

I also liked that the action moved along very...more

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Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As if eighth grade isn’t hard enough when your human, try being a vampire. As is the life story of Vladimir Todd. Vladimir Todd half human half vampire, orphaned nearly three years ago, only two humans now his is secret; his best friend Henry and his guardian, Nelly.

Vlad is disturbed by the disappearance of his teacher Mr. Craig, and something is defiantly a little strange about the new substitute teacher Mr. Otis. Vlad discovers more about he mysterious death of his parents, through his father’...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kate Elbee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire-fiction

Okay, first of all this book is cheesy, practically every vampire stereotype applies to young (you guessed it) Vladmir. Poor Vladmir cant go near garlic, go out in the sun, and drinks a nauseating amount of blood.
I think this book is a bit too immature for a teenage audience as I feel I cant suspend my disbelief to continue reading the series, as this walking stereotype doesn't live up to the many other, more original vampire novels.
I can see how maybe a young primary school boy could maybe enj...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Kandice Dover rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

I read this a while back, and even though I have sworn off vampire books, I reread this because I forgot what happened in this book and I have to finish this series. And despite others' reviews, I thought this was a good read.

Reading this I felt bad for Vladimir. There were times where I just wanted to hug Vlad because of his loss. I do have to give him points for being brave when it came to standing up for Nelly, even if she wouldn't listen to him.

Umm...I liked how he embarrassed Tom in front...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Autumn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eight Grade Bites is really two thumbs up. This book is about a boy who is in he second year of middle school. But there is one thing wrong with Vlad. He is a vampire. How will Vlad survive the eight grade? With bullies,a teachers that turn out his long lost uncle Otis Otis. Living with his aunt Nelly dicorvering his parents strange death. Read Eights Grade Bites and all the other book in the series.

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Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it

Shelves: 11-eltemplo, que-no-leerás-en-español

"Vladimir Tod es algo más que el chico esmirriado de trece años que intenta pasar desapercibido en el instituto. Es algo más que el último pringado de la clase con el que se mete todo el mundo. Vladimir Tod es hijo de una humana y de un vampiro, y ha heredado todos los aspectos sobrenaturales de su progenitor: se alimenta de sangre, puede escuchar los pensamientos de las personas si hace un gran esfuerzo y planea con cierta autonomía si salta desde lugares altos. Pero con todo, Vlad no es especi...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Booker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire-books

This book was pretty good, though it had a complicated story. Another thing was that it rushed right into the story, went slow-mo, then rushed to the end. Other than that, it had lots of subtle humor thrown in, and it was mostly fast paced. It's not a book I'd want to give an award to, but it's still worthwhile.

Summary:
Vladimir Tod is a vampire, and he's trying to fit in with the rest of his eighth grade class. Ever since his parents dies in a fire, he doesn't know if he's normal...as far a vamp...more

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Dec 27, 2008 R.j. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My apathy toward vampires is nigh-legendary, but I keep finding books that make me reconsider. The last one was Claudia Grey's Evernight, and I thought that was just a fluke; but now that I've met Vladimir Tod, it seems that I now have two vampire-related series of books to follow.

Vladimir is a sweetheart. Not in a wimpy way (though he does get picked on by a couple of lunkheads at school, but he finds his own ways of dealing with that), I just mean that he's a really nice (yet normal and believ...more

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May 16, 2013 Joel N rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer is the first book of one of my favorite series, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. Heather Brewer has done a good job of writing a great fantasy about a teenage vampire, something that i am usually not interested in. Vladimir Tod is a teenager that lives with his aunt Nelly, since both of his parents died when he was young. He found out that he was a vampire at a young age and Nelly and his best friend, Henry, help him along the way. Nelly gives him blood bags t...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vladimir Tod lives with his aunt and is still struggling with the loss of his parents, three years after they died in a bizarre fire. He's in eighth grade, dresses like a vampire for Halloween and has a crush on fellow eighth-grader Meredith. Sounds perfectly normal, right? Except in his case he's also figuring out how to be a normal half-vampire kid, which is quite difficult because as far as he knows, he's the only one.

His last year of junior high seems to be progressing along smoothly, other...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Chantae Kieffer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the book “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod” By Heather Brewer our main character is a teenage vampire who tries to act like a normal kid. He not only has to worry about normal teenage problems but also he’s a half vampire. Vlad is a 13 year old who likes to pull jokes, hang out with his best friend Henry, and crushes on a girl at school all while trying to keep his secret. When his teacher mysteriously goes missing he is presented with a new substitute teacher, he is interested in mythological...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Linda Jaejoong rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Erst mal die Aufmachung: Das Cover ist richtig toll, der schwarz-weiße Hintergrund mit dem roten smile in der Mitte ist einfach ein richtiger Hingucker!! Genauso die Rückseite und der Buchrücken, der sieht besonders gut im Regal aus!!

Die Autorin hat sich eine super Handlung ausgedacht, ein Halbvampire Teenager der mit fast ganz normalen Teenagerproblemen, wie die erste Liebe, zu kämpfen hat und nebenbei noch versucht normal zu wirken und nicht umgebracht zu werden!! Und da sagt man die Teenager...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Nic Echo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vladimir-todd, heather-brewer, urban-fantasy, vampire, young-adult

About the Book:
Vladimir, for the most part, is your typical thirteen year old. He dislikes school, has problems with bullies, and is battling his courage so that he can talk to his crush. Oh yeah, he also happens to be a vampire. It is Vlad's nature that starts to cause problems when a mysterious man starts hunting him down. What's worse is that his aunt doesn't seem to be taking him seriously, and he still needs to finish that math homework...

Review:
I have to admit that I had a little trouble r...more About the Book:
Vladimir, for the most part, is your typical thirteen year old. He dislikes school, has problems with bullies, and is battling his courage so that he can talk to his crush. Oh yeah, he also happens to be a vampire. It is Vlad's nature that starts to cause problems when a mysterious man starts hunting him down. What's worse is that his aunt doesn't seem to be taking him seriously, and he still needs to finish that math homework...

Review:
I have to admit that I had a little trouble rating this book. In general, I put it at a low three, but for it's intended audience, I kept placing it at a high three or maybe even a four. This is because I felt that the book, in general, was merely okay, but I also think that it will hold more merit for its intended audience. Now, before you start griping to me about how this is a book for teens therefore I should judge it for teens alone, I ask you why? Why hold youth and young adult books to a lower standard? There are several youth and young adult books that can be enjoyed by those other than the books' intended audience (IE Howl's Moving Castle, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter), and this is why I refuse to rate something for only its intended audience. Of course, that's not to say I will ignore who it is intended for either so expect this review to have both pros and cons for both teens and broader, more general audience.

With that being said, I would like to start off by saying that one of my favourite things about this book is that Vlad actually seems to act like a thirteen year old boy! Now, this makes a good chunk of the characters annoying to me, but it pleased me greatly that they acted their age. All too often you come across teenage characters that come across as either too young or too old. With Vlad seeming more like a typical teenager, this would more than likely get more teens relating to him. It is because of this that I feel many teens would end up enjoying this book.

My main annoyance with Eighth Grade Bites was the writing and depictions of the characters and the story line. Everything was overly simple, making it where I could see what was coming from a mile away. Now, this isn't always an issue. There have been several books that I have read where the plot was nothing extraordinary yet the writing style and/or the characters made up for it. Sadly, this was not the case with Eighth Grade Bites. The characters remained flat throughout the book and never filled in their basic outline. All I know of Henry is that he is good looking and Vlad's best friend. Vlad's crush, Meridith, is pretty and nice. D'ablo is dark and clearly a villain. As for Mr. Otis, well, he was a little better though I think that was due to the fact that I kept envisioning him as John C. Reilly's Mr. Crepsley from The Vampire's Assistant so it had little to do with the author's skills. Again, he was little more than an outline. In this case, we have the kooky and eccentric character type, but as I have already said, the problem is there is no colour, flair, or flesh to these characters, causing the, to be little more than words on the page.

But what about the plot? You would think that with a vampire hunting Vlad down that it would be quite interesting. Not really. It may be with a younger audience, but the problem is that you could predict nearly everything that would happen, making it where there is little tension. (view spoiler)

Even with these downfalls, I can still see plenty of young teens enjoying this book. Another reason I could see it being enjoyed by a younger age bracket is due to the humour. The jokes were a little cheesy, in my taste, but they were also cute. You get to see Vlad drinking "tea" and his Twinkies are filled with blood capsules so that he never gets to enjoy switching lunches with other students. We also get to see Vlad dress up as Dracula for Halloween, which is bound to bring a few smiles to faces. Personally, I thought the jokes seemed to be trying too hard, but I would imagine the intended audience would enjoy them well enough.

Overall, this book is fairly simple, but even simple things can be enjoyed. I think the fact that Vlad acts his age will endear the younger audience. As for the general whole, I would not find myself recommending this to many outside the book's intended age bracket. As for recommending it to the intended audience, I probably would, but it would be on the lower end of recommendations. Of course, this is only the first book so there is a chance that The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod could become interesting. I may not have been a fan of the first book, but I still plan on giving the second book a chance so expect another Vladimir Tod review in the future. So far though, I will be sticking with my earlier mentioned recommendations: good for teens but others should probably stay clear -- you will probably just be bored.(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Christian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vladimir Tod was a teenage boy, who always runs into trouble somehow. Just like all teenagers, we have a ton of problems and drama. This book has exactly that, and told in a relatable way. Vladimir, being half-vampire and half human, goes through many struggles involving his crush, tragedy, and stressful situations. Brewer does a great job relating his life to many teens lives.
Vlad goes through many struggles throughout the story, including his best friend. In my opinion, almost everybody has...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Mikayel Galstyan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Warning... may contain some spoilers...........................

I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to see the world in a vampire’s perspective. This book started with Vladimir not knowing anything about his secret abilities and led up to him having to fight one of his favorite teachers. Throughout the book Vladimir was learning how to use his powers from a book he had found after his parents had burned in a fire. My favorite quote in this book is, “The world is full of m...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Vampires	11	38	Mar 15, 2013 10:39am
should this be made into a t.v. series?	22	59	Feb 11, 2013 08:16am
music	5	34	Jan 29, 2013 03:06pm
how would you use your powers against bullies .	15	30	Aug 28, 2012 05:25pm
Virtually (virtua...: Eighth Grade Bites	1	6	May 15, 2012 11:08pm
Eighth Grade Bites	3	22	Oct 17, 2011 06:07pm

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About Heather Brewer

Heather Brewer was not your typical teen growing up. She wore black, danced under full moons and devoured every book in sight.
She hasn’t changed much.

Today, Heather can be found writing in her funky, black Happy Bunny jammie pants, dancing under the full moon, devouring every book in sight, and attending Renaissance Festivals in costume (and in character).

When Heather's not writing, dressing up,...more

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Books by Heather Brewer

Ninth Grade Slays (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #2)

Tenth Grade Bleeds (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #3)

Eleventh Grade Burns (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #4)

Twelfth Grade Kills (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #5)

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Trivia About Eighth Grade Bites

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Quotes from Eighth Grade Bites

“Whoever had decided that school should start so early in the morning and last all day long needed to be hunted down and forced to watch hours of educational televison without the aid of caffine.” — 326 people liked it

“Because teachers, no matter how kind, no matter how friendly, are sadistic and evil to the core.” — 243 people liked it

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Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1)

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