Kaptain Vamp

Kaptain Vamp

Author Joanne Lecuyer

If you could read minds, live longer, run really fast and never need to take a bus and eat everything you want as long as you get a proper amount of raw meat from the butcher wouldn’t that be cool. Kids today need to understand that not everyone is the same and that people need to get along. What if one young Vampire/Human was able to break the barrier between humans and vampires and teach everyone to get along? One young man named Allistaire is determined to become a Super Hero. What if you were part human and part vampire? What if your mom was a great doctor for over one hundred years and your dad a scientist? What if you were just like everyone else but really not?

Reading comics is something that Allistaire loves to do. Convincing his mother to allow him to read them when he has a test not so easy. When your mother can read your mind and monitor your every move you need to be careful about what you are thinking and doing?

Best friends are cool but when you are a vampire you have to be lucky if your friends don’t get frightened away. But, Allistaire told his best friend Rich the truth and the rest well you just wait and see. Added to everything else he wears a special medallion that belonged to his grandfather around his neck. Lucky for him he was the first-born son and inherited this medallion for protection. So, how did he become a Super Hero? Amazing, mystifying and absolutely excited as I review this beautifully illustrated and quite wonderfully written book for all kids of every age Kaptain Vamp.

Rich is a really great friend so why not share with him his secret and some of his powers. But, in order for you to learn what he can do you are going to have to read it for yourself. Oh: Maybe I must might entice you to read it faster if I give away just a little more about him. He can jump up on a tree branch without having to climb and run across his backyard in a blink or wink of an eye. That’s all I am going to give away.

Kids that want to help others and do good deeds are rare. Having a best friend to help you really neat. So, Allistaire enlisted the help of his best friend, decided to change his appearance and have his mother create a special Halloween Costume for him as the first steps to becoming a good-deed doer super hero to save humans. How cool is that!

What about a best friend that help you create your new look, your new costume and be your assistant? Rich and Allistaire decide on what the costume will look like, his disguise and his name: Kaptain Vamp or KV. What better way to begin their quest to save humans then by teaching the school bullies are real lesson. But, first he saves a boy who fell down a ravine who broke his arm and along came Alli to save him and reset his arm as his mother had taught him.  When the time came for him to perform his first good deed they decided the right moment in school. How he teaches the Tamber boys a lesson he hopes they won’t forget you have to read and see for yourself. What the other kids and the Principal do is priceless. But, there is much more. He does another good deed and then something happens that will definitely give the reader much pause for thought. Allistaire could think about being KV and turn into him in flash. But, what happens at the end forces him to question everything that happened. Did all of this really happen? Will he ever be a super hero? Will Kaptain Vamp come back for another adventure? Let’s hope author Joanne Lecuyer brings the dynamic VAMP-HUMAN DUO of Allistaire and Rich back for some more adventures. She might even create a touch of friendship between Rich and Katy Allistraire’s sister.

This book teaches friendship, understanding, and tolerance, caring and encourages kids to explore things on their own. It teaches children that education is important; science is a great and learning things on your own invaluable. Author Joanne Lecuyer has a great series and outstanding character that children can model themselves after even if he is a vampire. Teachers can use this book for lessons in character education, real aloud, teaching respect for their parents, teachers and just for help kids embrace their difference. So, Alli and Rich: Great job in telling this story and let’s hope your friendship grows in many more stories to come.

The illustrations are really quite vivid, beautifully done and the expressions on the faces really help tell the story even for non-readers who can understand the events just by looking at the pictures. Kids of all ages will definitely love KV and want to be like him. Maybe humans can be saved ONE GOOD DEED AT A TIME.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer

This book gets FIVE GOOD DEEDS