"Fake Blood" was a fun, fast graphic novel about friendship, vampires, and the first hints of romance in life. The art style was good in spots (such as room and character design) but I feel like the backgrounds especially could have used a little more detail and texture. I mostly picked this up because I adore Gardner's two YA contemporary novels and wanted to see her artwork more. I think this could have used a bit more pizzazz, but overall it was a good read! ( )

First graphic novel of the year!
Very cute spoof of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight, told in the context of a middle school crush. AJ is my kind of kid, and I loved the plays on names—Nia Winters (instead of Buffy Summers) and the new British teacher Mr. Niles (not Giles). A fun, quick read which will be most entertaining for fans of the series it’s spoofing. My favorite line was when a young vampire was referred to as a “prismatic cad.” ( )

Middle school is tough. AJ is determined not to be the book nerd this year. He really likes a girl, and he will change himself to be what she desires: a Vampire. He darkens his eyes, looks tired, and uses fake blood to give the perfect effect. Too bad it works too well. This book was so much fun. It was about a kid trying to stand out so he could fit in. It was full of fun adventure, wacky friends, and crazy experiences. Sometimes being a book nerd is a good thing, as long as you are willing to share your story. ( )

children's middlegrade graphic novel (6th graders at Spoons MS have adventures involving vampires and vampire lore)
funny and cute graphic story. Recommended. ( )

Graphic novels get consumed so quickly by me that I sometimes forget I've read them, hence what happened with this book and a few others like it. This book was a clever response to what junior high looked like after Twilight was released, which was incidentally what I was doing with my life when Twilight came out. I love the idea that some boy who was crushing on a girl (who loved the fictional vampires) decided to pretend to be a vampire... and then saw it backfire in a few hilarious ways. ( )