Fake BloodBy Whitney Gardner
As Grade 6 begins, A.J. is feeling a little left behind. His two best friends, Ivy and Hunter, have had amazing adventures throughout the summer, like bungee jumping and climbing to the top of Mount St. Helens. A.J.’s summer consisted of reading 10 books and winning some cool shades from the library.
A.J. knows he can’t compete with Ivy and Hunter, but what he really wants is to impress Nia, the girl of his dreams. When he and Nia are partnered up for a project, he is thrilled. It turns out they have lots of things in common. For one thing, they both love to read.
But there’s something different about Nia too; she is obsessed with vampires. A.J. decides that if he can make Nia believe he is a vampire, she will want to hang out with him even more. A.J. starts putting on makeup that makes shadows under his eyes, and even putting fake blood in his mouth.
Nia actually starts to believe that A.J.’s vampire traits might be real. Turns out Nia has a secret side as well. Much to A.J.’s chagrin, she’s destined to be a vampire slayer.
Can the two of them ever really be friends?
This graphic novel is hilarious. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. But underneath all the fun, it’s really about a boy who wants to be accepted and to be able to accept himself.
Highly recommended!