Fake Blood

Fake Blood
Whitney Gardner
Simon & Schuster, 2018 330 pages
Grades 3-6
Graphic Novel

Sixth grade has a rough start for AJ at his Pacific Northwest middle school. His two best friends are always competing against each other and both seem to have had a more exciting summer than he did. AJ spent his summer at the library (gasp!) reading books (double gasp!) and feels like a nerdy turtle next to his two charismatic pals. Also returning this year is his crush, Nia, the smartest girl in the class. Although both have a lot in common, including a mutual love of books, and they are partnered up on a social studies project, AJ gets tongue-tied whenever he speaks to her. Then inspiration strikes in the form of impersonating a vampire. Nia is obsessed with vampire books and AJ thinks that if he can fool Nia into believing he's a vampire than she will fall in love with him. The plans goes a little too well and AJ has even more problems on his hands. More trouble develops as he gets into a terrible fight with his two best friends, revealing some truths, and damaging secrets about the new British 6th grade teacher are uncovered. AJ ends the story contentedly, having learned to be a better friend and to be comfortable with the person that he is.

Debut graphic novelist, Gardener, offers a fresh and funny take on the recent past vampire obsession, which rampaged through teen/tween culture. In the style of other realistic graphic novels, which have been very hot the past few years, a trend introduced by Raina Telegemeier, Fake Blood is unusual in that it features a male protagonist. AJ is a sweet, bookish character, who has no self-confidence, is age-appropriately self-obsessed and thinks the world finds him to be boring. Both boys and girls will enjoy and relate to AJ, giggle at his attempts to be "vampire-cool", and breathe a sigh of relief when he finally gets real. AJ is in constant awe of his best friends, so it is revealing when it is discovered that they are not quite as cool as they make themselves out to be. Although there is a crush at the heart of the book, the romance stays platonic and the two decide to enjoy each other's company without the pressure of labeling it something more. Gardner goes in a surprising direction with Nia's vampire obsession, making her a cool and formidable character, who is all about girl-power. The illustrations are in full color, scan easily, reflect the setting and are uncluttered and kid friendly. The noses are weird and were distracting for me, but that may be a matter of taste. Kids will love this story and walk away, hopefully, loving themselves a little more than when they started reading.