Kevin the Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster

Kevin the vampire is part of a travelling carnival. When they run out of gold, they stop in Lower Drudging to put on the carnival for the town.
Susie lives in Lower Drudging with her terrible aunts, allowed no fun at all. The town is terrified of the You-Know-What returning. What will happen when the carnival comes to town?

I read this to my 6 year old (almost 7) and he absolutely loved it. We read it as a bedtime story with 2 (or 3 or 4) chapters at a time. Before the end of chapter 2, he'd asked if we could buy the book when it's published and by the middle of the book, he wanted to know if there were more Kevin stories. He had a lot of fun guessing what the You-Know-What is and was very pleased when he got it right!

I also loved the book (and genuinely had to stop myself from reading ahead to find out what the You-Know-What is). It's a lovely story, well written and the illustrations add to the story (probably better in print when you can see the illustrations across both pages).
The monster fact files at the end of relevant chapters were a great touch, adding extra information to the story.

We'll be buying a physical copy and looking out for more Kevin the vampire stories as they're published.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in what I think promises to become a well-loved favourite of children, parents and teachers alike.
Meet Frankie Aurelius, a young vampire whose family run Carnival Monstromo, featuring a variety of weird and wonderful creatures. When their Batnav fails and leaves them stranded in Lower Drudging, they decide to put on a show for the humans there. But the people of Lower Drudging do not like fun. They do not like noise. Living in the shadow of Cold Mountain, home to evil The You Know What, they know that a quiet town is a safe town. Only Susie, the orphaned niece of aunts Vilieous and Dingy, is excited about the show and willing to give the new arrivals a chance.
This hilarious tale of friendship, with its message of tolerance and acceptance, is the perfect read-aloud for 6-10 year olds. Get your voices ready for this colourful cast of characters.
With names such as Gladys Nightpips, Dr Frankie Stein and a supermarket advertising Very Little Helps, adults will also appreciate the humour.
This will be a sure fire hit for anyone who has read and enjoyed The Nothing to See Hotel series and what could be better than a book of vampires, werewolves and ogres in time for Halloween.

This book had us at the cover illustration and did not disappoint. Kevin is a great character and we loved following him on his father unexpected adventure. Are there more books in the pipeline ? Please...

Kevin Aurelius is almost eleven, not a great age for a vampire, and can't quite turn himself into a bat just yet! He is quite lonely too, his brother, sister, mum and dad all take part in the Carnival Monstromo but he's not old enough to ride the dragon Branwen which is what he really wants to do.

Although she doesn't know it Susie Cabbage is the same age as Kevin. She lives in Lower Drudging which is as dreary as it sounds! Brought up by her aunts, Susie lives a quiet life - everyone in Lower Drudging lives a quiet life because when they don't there are consequences!

When circumstances mean the Carnival and the inhabitants of Lower Drudging become neighbours it isn't long before things begin to go wrong. Can new friends, Kevin and Susie work together to prevent a disaster or is history about to repeat itself?

Matt Brown's new series is aimed at 7/10 year olds and should be a rip-roaring success. As an adult (yes, really) I found it a fun if little formulaic read but it wasn't written for me! I have no doubt my grandchildren will love all the jokes, silliness, and disgusting habits of quite a few of the creatures humans have never come across before. Susie's story, not unlike Cinderella's in places is also enjoyable and I have a feeling there is more to her than meets the eye!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Nosy Crow, but the opinions expressed are my own. I am looking forward to sharing this and think it will appeal to confident and reluctant readers alike.