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The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #1
Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots
There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. But could the new third grade teacher from the Transylvania Alps really be a vampire?
The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!
The third grade at Bailey Elementary was very hard to handle. Most teachers quit -and moved far away - after trying to teach them.
But Mrs. Jeepers was different. No one ever dared make her mad - because whenever they did, the strangest things would happen....
80 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
About the author
Debbie Dadey
237 books332 followersDebbie Dadey is the author and co-author of 162 books for children, including the Mermaid Tales series from Simon and Schuster and the beloved Adventures of The Bailey School Kids from Scholastic. Ms. Dadey is a former teacher and librarian. Please like her at Facebook.com/debbiedadey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews
August 6, 2024
Someone mentioned this series, which I had not heard of before, so I thought I'd give it a try.
It was okay. Quick, moderately entertaining. The kids did not have much individual personality aside from being generally not very nice. Only the especially awful boy stood out. The author bio said she was a teacher which made this a little sad, especially the attitude that all the kids hate teachers and want to drive them away by being deliberately nasty. I didn't get that impression of 3rd graders personally!
It was okay. Quick, moderately entertaining. The kids did not have much individual personality aside from being generally not very nice. Only the especially awful boy stood out. The author bio said she was a teacher which made this a little sad, especially the attitude that all the kids hate teachers and want to drive them away by being deliberately nasty. I didn't get that impression of 3rd graders personally!
December 2, 2011
I got this book to read to my 7 year old niece at night before bed. She has been getting into the twilight series and vampires and werewolves, but I find them way to mature for her so I found this book and it is so great. It kept her attention. It had a little scare here and there but nothing bloody just things poping out at ya. It has funny parts that would
Make her laugh. So if you have a young one like me who wants to be into the stuff like the older kids this book is for them. It's from the point of view of third graders so it really relates to the preteens!
Make her laugh. So if you have a young one like me who wants to be into the stuff like the older kids this book is for them. It's from the point of view of third graders so it really relates to the preteens!
April 10, 2025
Read via audiobook.
Read this for the first time as a kid and loved it. Read it again as an adult and was still entertained. A great read all the way around!
Short, sweet and can be read in less than an hour. Highly recommended to those wanting to reread childhood favorites! :)
Read this for the first time as a kid and loved it. Read it again as an adult and was still entertained. A great read all the way around!
Short, sweet and can be read in less than an hour. Highly recommended to those wanting to reread childhood favorites! :)
January 29, 2026
Okay, so I read a lot of popular children's book series when I was a kid: Goosebumps, Magic Tree House, A to Z Mysteries, and so on... But somehow, I wound up skipping over The Bailey School Kids books. I honestly don't know how this happened since I was all in for monsters and spooky stories as a kid, but I just never picked up one of these books. That is, until now.
A big thanks to the infamous and hilarious J. for finally getting me into this series. It's long overdue, but just because I'm 21 does not mean I can't read kid's books. Actually, I think I enjoyed this first book in the series (Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots) more now than I would have even as a kid. I am able to appreciate the genius of it and realize just how unique and imaginative this series really is. But still, I wish I would have read these books when I was in Elementary School. As a kid with an overactive imagination, I would have eaten these books up.
One thing I love most about this book is that I never really knew if the Bailey School kids' new teacher Mrs. Jeepers was truly a vampire or not. It could have easily been all coincidence... but there are certain creepy occurrences that made me wonder if she was a monster after all. The authors leave that up for the reader to decide, and I think that's a great idea.
This book is also a very quick read. It is super short (under 80 pages), so I was able to finish it in one 45 minute sitting. It's written very simply, but that's what adds to its charm. It keeps you turning the pages to see what adventures the kids will have as they try to figure out what's up with Mrs. Jeepers. It's also a book I'd recommend to kids (and adults!) who are looking for a fun Halloween read. It's cute and funny, but it has just the right amount of spookiness for young readers. I know I'll be reading many of these books this Halloween season.
FINAL VERDICT: 5 stars!
A big thanks to the infamous and hilarious J. for finally getting me into this series. It's long overdue, but just because I'm 21 does not mean I can't read kid's books. Actually, I think I enjoyed this first book in the series (Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots) more now than I would have even as a kid. I am able to appreciate the genius of it and realize just how unique and imaginative this series really is. But still, I wish I would have read these books when I was in Elementary School. As a kid with an overactive imagination, I would have eaten these books up.
One thing I love most about this book is that I never really knew if the Bailey School kids' new teacher Mrs. Jeepers was truly a vampire or not. It could have easily been all coincidence... but there are certain creepy occurrences that made me wonder if she was a monster after all. The authors leave that up for the reader to decide, and I think that's a great idea.
This book is also a very quick read. It is super short (under 80 pages), so I was able to finish it in one 45 minute sitting. It's written very simply, but that's what adds to its charm. It keeps you turning the pages to see what adventures the kids will have as they try to figure out what's up with Mrs. Jeepers. It's also a book I'd recommend to kids (and adults!) who are looking for a fun Halloween read. It's cute and funny, but it has just the right amount of spookiness for young readers. I know I'll be reading many of these books this Halloween season.
FINAL VERDICT: 5 stars!
November 5, 2019
This was one of my favorites as a kid. Now I'm not sure why.
I think it was my latent gayness, which was already identifying with spookiness and fabulously-attired alpha females. Mrs. Jeepers still reigns, but mostly this book is about a bunch of third-graders who are total dicks.
I think it was my latent gayness, which was already identifying with spookiness and fabulously-attired alpha females. Mrs. Jeepers still reigns, but mostly this book is about a bunch of third-graders who are total dicks.
March 31, 2024
A badly behaving class gets a new teacher...from Transylvania!
Very entertaining.
Very entertaining.
November 24, 2024
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Vampires Dont Wear Polka Dots is the first story in a children's book series called The Bailey School Kids and is aimed at children aged 8+. I've heard of this series but never read them as a child, so I thought I'd give the first one a listen to on audio.
The story follows a class of third grade children who have scared off their class teacher Mrs Deedee and now have a new teacher called Mrs Jeepers. The children are unsure about her as she is much different to the other teachers they've had. She's from Transylvania, and she seems to have some strange powers and a magical broach. This class may have finally met their match.
I think this book is perfect for children wanting to read this genre of books as it's not scary or gorey and just a little spooky. This would be a great starter before moving on to Goosebumps.
Vampires Dont Wear Polka Dots is the first story in a children's book series called The Bailey School Kids and is aimed at children aged 8+. I've heard of this series but never read them as a child, so I thought I'd give the first one a listen to on audio.
The story follows a class of third grade children who have scared off their class teacher Mrs Deedee and now have a new teacher called Mrs Jeepers. The children are unsure about her as she is much different to the other teachers they've had. She's from Transylvania, and she seems to have some strange powers and a magical broach. This class may have finally met their match.
I think this book is perfect for children wanting to read this genre of books as it's not scary or gorey and just a little spooky. This would be a great starter before moving on to Goosebumps.
February 5, 2024
After some kids bully their first teacher into quitting, the find themselves up against a more formidable opponent. The book even gives a little tip of the hat to Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson Is Missing!.
It was hard to like the kids since so many played along with the main bully, and the ending is abrupt and doesn't resolve any of the questions raised about the teacher.
It was hard to like the kids since so many played along with the main bully, and the ending is abrupt and doesn't resolve any of the questions raised about the teacher.
July 15, 2026
*Reread for first time since grade school in July 2026
As fun as I remember and I'm fairly certain this was my favorite in the series because it starred a vampire (and vampires were my favorite) - on reread Ms Jeepers is an icon. A stylish, unbothered, European badass who manages to scare the class clown straight.
It does end on a mystery, which is what I remember from the series in general, where it's left up to you to decide if the subject in the title is who or what the kids think they are lol I don't mind that personally, I think it was fun.
As fun as I remember and I'm fairly certain this was my favorite in the series because it starred a vampire (and vampires were my favorite) - on reread Ms Jeepers is an icon. A stylish, unbothered, European badass who manages to scare the class clown straight.
It does end on a mystery, which is what I remember from the series in general, where it's left up to you to decide if the subject in the title is who or what the kids think they are lol I don't mind that personally, I think it was fun.
October 5, 2023
I forgot these existed but randomly remembered this series - an ICONIC part of my childhood! Short, hilarious, and definitely a gateway drug to fantasy for kids. I will never not love this series, and as an adult I am now seized by the urge to hunt these down at the library and spend an entire day reading through them just for the nostalgia.
August 12, 2021
When I was 8, The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids was a really popular series in my class that everyone used to borrow for library period. I was really excited when I finally got a chance to borrow
Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots,
the first book in this iconic series.
Listen, you know a book is iconic when you remember exactly what you were doing while you were reading it. And 20 years later, I still remember exactly how I felt when I opened this book up at home. I was gripped, mesmerized, spooked. I'd never before read a whole chapter book in one sitting, but here I was, and I was loving it. What bookworm can forget the first time they ever locked themselves in a room to experience a book with all their senses? For the next library period, I got my hands on every available copy of a Bailey School Kids book that my school library had and read them all. I truly believe this series was my gateway to horror fiction at a young age. The Bailey School Kids paved the way for my Goosebumps addiction, along with Archie's Weird Mysteries, Scooby Doo, and so much more.
Reading this now as an adult, it definitely feels like a book for children. I've since read so much more shocking, scary, blood-freezing stories that this one just registers as okay to me now. But I still remember the place that The Bailey School Kids had in my heart. Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots might not be much for scare factor as an adult, but it definitely changed 8-year-old me's life.
Listen, you know a book is iconic when you remember exactly what you were doing while you were reading it. And 20 years later, I still remember exactly how I felt when I opened this book up at home. I was gripped, mesmerized, spooked. I'd never before read a whole chapter book in one sitting, but here I was, and I was loving it. What bookworm can forget the first time they ever locked themselves in a room to experience a book with all their senses? For the next library period, I got my hands on every available copy of a Bailey School Kids book that my school library had and read them all. I truly believe this series was my gateway to horror fiction at a young age. The Bailey School Kids paved the way for my Goosebumps addiction, along with Archie's Weird Mysteries, Scooby Doo, and so much more.
Reading this now as an adult, it definitely feels like a book for children. I've since read so much more shocking, scary, blood-freezing stories that this one just registers as okay to me now. But I still remember the place that The Bailey School Kids had in my heart. Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots might not be much for scare factor as an adult, but it definitely changed 8-year-old me's life.
April 21, 2013
This juvenile fiction book is about a third grade class who drove their teacher nuts. "Mrs.Deedee had not actually gone nuts, but she had quit her job after she found her top desk drawer full of shaving cream." After Mrs.Deedee left, the students got a new teacher who was weird and strange. She wore a green amulet around her neck, and the students thought she was a vampire.
Debbie Dadey, the author, use a great amount of detail. On the second page of the book, Dadey describes the incident with the shaving cream by saying: "She had been looking for a pencil when she stuck her hands in the mint-scented shaving cream. 'I can't stand it anymore!' Mrs.Deedee screamed. She held her hands up like a surgeon and looked around the room. A wild look came into her eyes." The author did a great job by describing what what kind of shaving cream it was, as well as how Mrs.Deedee reacted. As a reader, I was able to picture the incident and follow the story. I think that I could use this in my own writing, as well as allow my students to use it in their writing. This could definitely be used as a mentor text or in a mini lesson for students to write with detail. It is student appropriate and they could learn a lot from the book.
Debbie Dadey, the author, use a great amount of detail. On the second page of the book, Dadey describes the incident with the shaving cream by saying: "She had been looking for a pencil when she stuck her hands in the mint-scented shaving cream. 'I can't stand it anymore!' Mrs.Deedee screamed. She held her hands up like a surgeon and looked around the room. A wild look came into her eyes." The author did a great job by describing what what kind of shaving cream it was, as well as how Mrs.Deedee reacted. As a reader, I was able to picture the incident and follow the story. I think that I could use this in my own writing, as well as allow my students to use it in their writing. This could definitely be used as a mentor text or in a mini lesson for students to write with detail. It is student appropriate and they could learn a lot from the book.
August 6, 2011
I liked at the end because I think Howie knew Mrs Jeepers was a vampire but he was trying to protect her by not telling anyone.
March 18, 2009
Kallie is reading this whole series, so I read the first book so I could know what it's all about. I have a hard time reviewing kids' books as an adult. I'm obviously not the target audience. Kallie, however, loves them.
June 15, 2016
I don't remember much about this series, only that I really enjoyed them. It was a fun story for young readers and the writing style was great. Although, I do remember that I really REALLY loved this one!
books-from-my-childhood
August 16, 2021I remember being obsessed with this book series as a young kid. I can't for the life of me remember where in the series I stopped reading them, but I remember loving the ones I did read. This and the Thoroughbred series (A Horse Called Wonder is book one!) were two of my favourite series growing up! They're great books for kids. Definitely recommend!
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April 20, 2026
I liked the book I just think it was a little short and I NEED to read the 2 one if there is one.
Read
September 2, 2024Loved this series as a kid and now my son has read this first one and enjoyed it :)
September 4, 2019
I loved this series as a kid and it’s fun to go back as an adult an experience it again. Tbh I’d probably also considered a strange adult if I lived in Bailey city.
March 2, 2010
(I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. Find it at http://kidlit4adults.blogspot.com .)
A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year for the first time at writing children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process among other ways by first reading a stack of popular books that have been recommended to me. Today's titles are from yet another of these series of endless chapter-books designed for grade-schoolers, in this case all of them co-penned by a duo of friends who used to be grade-school teachers themselves; this is one of the types of employment I myself am hoping to find in the industry, to kick out such easy-reading 30,000-word titles once a month or so, which is why I'm reading so many of them these days. Now, admittedly, this particular series is based on a high-concept that I find tough to imagine lasting for as long as it has; basically, each title features yet another new adult in the lives of our middle-class child heroes who may or may not be a mythological creature, exhibiting strange traits throughout the story but never just coming out and saying whether they're a mummy or vampire or whatever. (And in fact there are almost 75 books in this series now, nearly all of them featuring a different mythological creature, which just on its own is pretty impressive.) These are very much for the younger end of the chapter-book crowd, in my opinion from ages 7 to about 9 or 10, featuring lots of illustrations and a ton of silly humor; and to their credit Dadey and Jones are much more interested in simply being entertaining than in trying to teach a moral lesson, usually a common trait among books for this age group. They're nothing special, but certainly readable and fun, and come recommended for younger readers looking for their first dose of genre excitement but wanting to avoid dark material altogether.
A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year for the first time at writing children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process among other ways by first reading a stack of popular books that have been recommended to me. Today's titles are from yet another of these series of endless chapter-books designed for grade-schoolers, in this case all of them co-penned by a duo of friends who used to be grade-school teachers themselves; this is one of the types of employment I myself am hoping to find in the industry, to kick out such easy-reading 30,000-word titles once a month or so, which is why I'm reading so many of them these days. Now, admittedly, this particular series is based on a high-concept that I find tough to imagine lasting for as long as it has; basically, each title features yet another new adult in the lives of our middle-class child heroes who may or may not be a mythological creature, exhibiting strange traits throughout the story but never just coming out and saying whether they're a mummy or vampire or whatever. (And in fact there are almost 75 books in this series now, nearly all of them featuring a different mythological creature, which just on its own is pretty impressive.) These are very much for the younger end of the chapter-book crowd, in my opinion from ages 7 to about 9 or 10, featuring lots of illustrations and a ton of silly humor; and to their credit Dadey and Jones are much more interested in simply being entertaining than in trying to teach a moral lesson, usually a common trait among books for this age group. They're nothing special, but certainly readable and fun, and come recommended for younger readers looking for their first dose of genre excitement but wanting to avoid dark material altogether.
April 22, 2011
This book is so awesome I swear it was written for me! How have I not read these books before?? Somehow I missed the Bailey School Kids series growing up :(
So far this series reminds me a lot of Louis Sachar's Wayside School series (which is equally awesome!). Can't wait to check out more Bailey School Kids books!!
So far this series reminds me a lot of Louis Sachar's Wayside School series (which is equally awesome!). Can't wait to check out more Bailey School Kids books!!
December 12, 2008
i read half this book but want to finish it .
June 26, 2015
Awwww reading this takes me back to my childhood, bittersweet memory's 
July 12, 2022
I like this concept generally, but Eddie as a main POV is so insufferable.
January 14, 2026
I just finished Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots from the Bailey School Kids series.I figured January would be the month for the number one books in the series.The story begins with us learning that the teacher Mrs.Dee left the school,because the students were misbehaving.Someone ended up putting shaving cream in her desk and she flipped out basically saying the kids will get what they deserve.After this is where we meet Mrs Jeepers,a new teacher wearing a polka dotted blouse with a green brooch.She talks with an accent.She tells the kids she moved from Romania ,but wont explain why.We even learn that Mrs.Jeepers isn't her real name.She apparently changed it when she moved to America.I actually didn't know this.The kids are on the way home one day, when they notice somebody is moving into a supposedly haunted house nearby.It turns out Mrs.Jeepers is moving in and she talks to the group of kids.The kids notice the moving people are moving a large wooden box inside the house.The next day the kids are in class behaving and Eddie doesn't like it.He begins to make noises and eventually throw a book on the desk.Mrs.Jeepers responds to this with a simple sentence saying "That is quite enough."Eddie continues tp try and get Mrs.Jeepers to react,but nothing happens.Eddie ends up getting dared to go into her house to prove he's not scared of her,with Melody coming with him.The two kids get inside the basement by unlocking a door through a broken window.The kids end up going inside and finding a box that sounds like knocking is coming from the inside.They get back to school and tell the other kids the story and one of the kids named Carey suggests that Mrs.Jeepers is a vampire,and she sleeps in that wooden box.Eddie also has an interaction with Mrs.Jeepers,where he blows bubble gum and she points to it and makes it pop.That was pretty cool.The kids end up sprinkling garlic around the room.When Mrs.Jeepers gets there,she starts sneezing and stuff.She eventually gets the janitor to clean up the mess.The climax of this book has Eddie shooting spitballs at Mrs.Jeepers.This was a fun book.Mrs. Jeepers was super intimidating and we are left in the dark at what she says or does to him.I give Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots a four out of five stars.
December 28, 2025
I read all of the books in this series when I myself was in 3rd grade, they were my absolute favorite! So I wanted to revisit them now that I’ve graduated college, and they are as amazing as they were back when I was 10. I got them for myself as a Christmas present, the first 12 in the series that is. My favorite thing about these books is how up to the readers interpretation it is whether or not the person is a monster or not! They give us a lot of proof for either side, but especially proof for the notion that they ARE monsters, which I love. They’re honestly so well written and funny, and scary tense! I do think these people are all monsters, like Ms. Jeepers is 100% a vampire like come on. It just inspires so much creativity, I love these books still as much as I did back then.
May 18, 2017
I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVEN'T MARKED THESE AS "READ" YET!!! This was one of my absolute favorite series growing up, and I read them again, and again and again! So quirky and weird and funny! I just found a whole box of them while my mom and I were cleaning up and AAAAH I MISS THEM SO MUCH!
For parents: These books are perfectly clean. None of the people the kids imagined were secretly "monsters" were ever actually monsters. There was always a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything. These stories are just good ol' silly fun. XD
For parents: These books are perfectly clean. None of the people the kids imagined were secretly "monsters" were ever actually monsters. There was always a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything. These stories are just good ol' silly fun. XD
April 3, 2025
I had fond memories of this book from when I was a kid, so I got it from the library to read with my daughter. Turns out I didn't really remember anything about it besides the title.
It was... kind of boring? Not a lot happens and it isn't even particularly funny or clever or anything.
My daughter liked it enough for us to place a hold on the next one though, so we'll see how that goes!
It was... kind of boring? Not a lot happens and it isn't even particularly funny or clever or anything.
My daughter liked it enough for us to place a hold on the next one though, so we'll see how that goes!
August 5, 2025
I used to read these books like my life depended on it when I was in 2nd grade. I had completely forgotten about them till a few weeks ago when I was scrolling Goodreads and a friend had it marked as want to read. These books bring back so many memories and I’m happy I found them again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews