Amos and the Vampire

Culpepper Adventures #26

by Gary Paulsen

Amos's big sister Amy is always dating rejects. But this time, her boyfriend was rejected by the grave! He's got pale skin, dark hair, mesmerizing eyes, an annoying tendency to disappear, and he wants to have the Culpeppers over for a late night Halloween snack.... Can Amos and his best friend, Dunc, stop the vampire before he starts to bite? Or will Amy and her man do a little necking she will never forget?



Join Gary Paulsen's cool sleuths in their creepiest caper yet!

60 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder why the Culpepper Adventures series lasted so long. For an author of Gary Paulsen's deep literary leanings to pen thirty books in a shallow, madcap comedy series is bewildering. He always did have a weakness for crazy comedy; maybe the Culpepper Adventures were a needed break from crafting serious junior novels. As Amos and the Vampire opens, Dunc meets C.D. Drago, a strange European boy recently come to the United States. Amos's sister, Amy, is C.D.'s girlfriend, and Dunc quickly forms a theory: C.D. is a vampire. Amos tries to distract him from following up on this as their latest detective case, but when has he ever derailed the Dunc train?

Dunc and Amos sneak inside the Drago house for proof the family are vampires, and Amos finds a coffin. Dunc is sure they can defeat C.D. by nailing his coffin shut when he's asleep inside, but after that doesn't work out, they explore other means. Too late...C.D. invites Dunc and Amos, with Amy, to his house for dinner. Will the Drago family make their move tonight? Amos has his heart set on attending a Halloween party coordinated by Melissa Hansen, the unrequited love of his life, the same night as the Drago dinner. He'd rather win her heart than vanquish a vampire, but Dunc believes Amos can attempt both. Are the Dragos actual vampires, or is there a logical explanation for their vampiric traits? Dunc and Amos will find out tonight.

As with nearly all books in this series, Amos and the Vampire is a dilapidated story that manages to be strange but not very funny. It hardly forms a coherent narrative, while redoing worn-out jokes that appear in every one of the Culpepper Adventures. I might rate Amos and the Vampire one and a half stars, but this isn't the sort of writing that earned Gary Paulsen his reputation for greatness. At least the books are short and easy to get through.