VAMPIRES RUIN EVERYTHING

Having saved Cauldron’s Cove from clones and zombies in previous books, Darius, Regan, and stepsiblings Sofia and Bennett reunite to protect their town once more.

Darius and his mom, the mayor of Cauldron’s Cove, are preparing for Halloween, a holiday that brings hordes of tourists to the town each year. When four carnival workers turn up drained of blood, levelheaded Darius, brainy and dyslexic Regan, prickly Sofia, and popular and resourceful Bennett investigate. A strange new family dressed in black has checked in to Regan’s family’s bed-and-breakfast, and Regan is crushing on their son…but could the newcomers be vampires? The four friends support each other through ups and downs—as when Regan is taunted by fatphobic bullies—all while stockpiling Super Soakers filled with holy water to wage war on the vampires. Intrepid readers who disregard the unseen narrator’s introductory warning of “super terrifying and grody scenes” to come will be rewarded. The narrator’s sophisticated vocabulary is balanced by the occasional mention of farts and “spoiler alerts.” The funny asides are most effective when they give readers a break from more intense moments. If scenes involving black vomit and bubbling skin seem a bit over the top for tweens, readers can’t say they weren’t warned. Darius is Black, while Sofia is Latine, and Regan and Bennett are white.

Hand to middle graders seeking horror laced with humor and tinged with budding romance.