“Peter and the Vampires” is a collection of stories about Peter Normal, a 10-year old boy who moves with his Mom and little sister to live with his grandfather in a big, old house outside of a small town. His grandfather is a cranky old man who tells Peter to never go in the garden, never go in the woods, and never ask about “that” door. Of course, Peter and his new friend, Dill, start breaking the rules, and find out that Peter’s new home isn’t as dull as he thought.

The first story, “Peter and the Dead Men”, introduces Peter, Dill, and their families.  The two boys quickly become friends and decide to make the most of their last few days before school starts.  They make a good team, teasing and daring each other.  The story kind of reminded me of episodes of Scooby Doo, with each part ending in a mini-cliffhanger like, “What’s that over there?”  However, at 68 parts, the story is a lot longer than a Saturday morning cartoon.  Not that that’s a bad thing, it just means there’s lots there to read if you’re starting from the beginning. 

The story is light and fun, with more dialog than action.  Each part it fairly short.  It’s a good children’s story.  Another reviewer used the word “whimsical” and that’s an apt description.  The boys never say what I expect them to and there were some interesting plot twists.  It reminded me a bit of the movie “Holes”.  The grownups are mostly kept out of the way except for setting up the story and giving out information near the end.  The focus is on the boys as they explore, get in trouble and run.

If you’re in the mood for light children’s fiction, this is a good story.  It’s well written, the characters are fun, and the mood never gets too scary.

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