Product Details
* Pub. Date: May 2010
* Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
* Format: Hardcover, 256pp
* Sales Rank: 141,189
* Age Range: 12
* ISBN-13: 9780061950995
* ISBN: 0061950998
Alex Van Helsing has just been moved to a new private boarding school after getting kicked out of his old one. His new roommates are bullies and he tries very hard not to stay in his room, so he wanders around outside at night. However, he happens upon a murder in progress. He catches a woman dressed all in white hovering over the body of a man. Much to Alex's surprise, this woman has fangs. In a twist of fate, Alex ends up accidentally killing this woman (let's be honest, vampire) in order to save himself from being her next victim. This starts him on a road of discovering his family's legacy and about what really happened during the summer in Geneva at the Villa Diodati. With a Van Helsing, you know there is going to be more vampire slaying and adventure, but how does a young Alex handle things when a very old vampire kidnaps two of his friends? Read to find out what perilous feats this young Van Helsing will go through to establish himself and save his friends.
This was a surprisingly quick read. There is a lot of action, which I think helps move the story along. As a fan of classic literature, I enjoyed the many references to Mary Shelley. It's always fun to mix some historical facts in with the action and adventure of vampire slaying. I think that children as young as 10 would enjoy this novel. It has some violence, but for the most part is pretty clean of language and adult content. My favorite part of the novel is when Alex is driving the armored vehicle to attempt a getaway. It's hilarious and gets your heart racing as well. I really enjoyed this book and am going to try to get a few copies because my students were immediately interested as well. I think the cover art attracts a lot of attention because it reminds students of the cirque du freak titles.
5/5 stars
* Pub. Date: May 2010
* Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
* Format: Hardcover, 256pp
* Sales Rank: 141,189
* Age Range: 12
* ISBN-13: 9780061950995
* ISBN: 0061950998
Alex Van Helsing has just been moved to a new private boarding school after getting kicked out of his old one. His new roommates are bullies and he tries very hard not to stay in his room, so he wanders around outside at night. However, he happens upon a murder in progress. He catches a woman dressed all in white hovering over the body of a man. Much to Alex's surprise, this woman has fangs. In a twist of fate, Alex ends up accidentally killing this woman (let's be honest, vampire) in order to save himself from being her next victim. This starts him on a road of discovering his family's legacy and about what really happened during the summer in Geneva at the Villa Diodati. With a Van Helsing, you know there is going to be more vampire slaying and adventure, but how does a young Alex handle things when a very old vampire kidnaps two of his friends? Read to find out what perilous feats this young Van Helsing will go through to establish himself and save his friends.
This was a surprisingly quick read. There is a lot of action, which I think helps move the story along. As a fan of classic literature, I enjoyed the many references to Mary Shelley. It's always fun to mix some historical facts in with the action and adventure of vampire slaying. I think that children as young as 10 would enjoy this novel. It has some violence, but for the most part is pretty clean of language and adult content. My favorite part of the novel is when Alex is driving the armored vehicle to attempt a getaway. It's hilarious and gets your heart racing as well. I really enjoyed this book and am going to try to get a few copies because my students were immediately interested as well. I think the cover art attracts a lot of attention because it reminds students of the cirque du freak titles.
5/5 stars
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Vampire Rising (Alex Van Helsing, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by John Jacobson aka "R.J. Jacobs" for TeensReadToo.com
Alex Van Helsing is a normal thirteen-year-old boy, who just so happens to have been shipped off to a school in Switzerland. He also gets a strange itch behind his eyes at the oddest of hours. Not to mention the strange being that he kills outside in the woods surrounding the private school and Lake Geneva on his first night there. Or how it blew up in a cloud of fire and ash when he stabbed it in the chest. Yeah, normal.
When Alex catches his English professor sneaking out on a motorcycle late at night, just as another one of those things - things that don't exist, according to his father - nearly kills him, he decides to investigate. More of those things wait in the woods, on motorcycles just like his teacher. Alex barely escapes death again...until his teacher takes him into a secret base known as the Polidorium, where he finds out the truth about vampires - and his last name's legacy.
Characters are important. Characters are half the reason I read a book, period. If I don't like them, then there is an issue. Especially because I like most characters. But the ones in Alex Van Helsing....They don't work well for older teens. Alex is funny and fairly smart for a male protagonist, and I like that. His friends are, of course, the nerds with cool ideas and quirks. One is also bigger than the average boy, the other is lankier and slightly more intelligent. And he meets a girl - Minhi - Minnie, but with an 'h'. And she kicks major ass. Not the most original characters, they have an air of immaturity about them that makes them more for a late-middle school crowd than an older YA, which is partially why I never warmed up to them.
I did like Minhi, though - her knowledge of a form of martial arts combined with a love of shojo Manga and an Indian (country, not the politically incorrect term Americans use for Native Americans) heritage makes for a fun read. Too bad she is kidnapped and not around for much of the action. The main villain gave me issues, too...mostly because I had an image of him before the book, and it didn't meld well with how he was pictured as a vampire. Even if vampirism changes the people, it just didn't work for me.
The premise is one thing that is great about this book, despite my qualms with action-oriented plot. I can't read action. And really, the action part isn't the most well thought out. Though I enjoyed how Alex has contact troubles and the resulting flub-ups with them. As someone with contacts, I felt his pain. The really enjoyable side of the premise is the mythos. The school's location at Lake Geneva has a brilliant, and for me, great purpose.
Vampires in this world have a deep history, but the ones centering in this book connect to the party of writers at the villa alongside Lake Geneva. If that doesn't ring a bell, think of a contest involving Mary Shelley, John Polidori, and Lord Byron, with two others, including Shelley's half-sister, Claire. As a fan of random facts, I loved this connection, and the clues involving Frankenstein were fabulous and creative, and more than made up for the slower parts.
The writing is standard fare. Nothing bad, nothing that I would scream about. Though it goes by pretty fast. I actually liked the ending as well, at least in terms of the cliffhanger. I actually want to keep reading despite my action-novel reservations. And the little romance going on between Minhi and someone else was surprising. I'm always up for a pairing like that; the hero doesn't always get the amazing girl. Especially if she's the only one around a group of testosterone-flooded teenage males.
While I wouldn't say this is a great book for me, if you're a middle grade reader or more of an action-adventure lover, then this will work out better for you. Me, I love characters and premise, so it just didn't flow. If I had known this was more intended towards the younger part of YA, I would have came in with different expectations, and possibly a better outlook. It rates an average for me, but I will be on the lookout for the coming books, if only because the cliffhanger involving the villain was just good enough to make me want more.
Alex Van Helsing is a normal thirteen-year-old boy, who just so happens to have been shipped off to a school in Switzerland. He also gets a strange itch behind his eyes at the oddest of hours. Not to mention the strange being that he kills outside in the woods surrounding the private school and Lake Geneva on his first night there. Or how it blew up in a cloud of fire and ash when he stabbed it in the chest. Yeah, normal.
When Alex catches his English professor sneaking out on a motorcycle late at night, just as another one of those things - things that don't exist, according to his father - nearly kills him, he decides to investigate. More of those things wait in the woods, on motorcycles just like his teacher. Alex barely escapes death again...until his teacher takes him into a secret base known as the Polidorium, where he finds out the truth about vampires - and his last name's legacy.
Characters are important. Characters are half the reason I read a book, period. If I don't like them, then there is an issue. Especially because I like most characters. But the ones in Alex Van Helsing....They don't work well for older teens. Alex is funny and fairly smart for a male protagonist, and I like that. His friends are, of course, the nerds with cool ideas and quirks. One is also bigger than the average boy, the other is lankier and slightly more intelligent. And he meets a girl - Minhi - Minnie, but with an 'h'. And she kicks major ass. Not the most original characters, they have an air of immaturity about them that makes them more for a late-middle school crowd than an older YA, which is partially why I never warmed up to them.
I did like Minhi, though - her knowledge of a form of martial arts combined with a love of shojo Manga and an Indian (country, not the politically incorrect term Americans use for Native Americans) heritage makes for a fun read. Too bad she is kidnapped and not around for much of the action. The main villain gave me issues, too...mostly because I had an image of him before the book, and it didn't meld well with how he was pictured as a vampire. Even if vampirism changes the people, it just didn't work for me.
The premise is one thing that is great about this book, despite my qualms with action-oriented plot. I can't read action. And really, the action part isn't the most well thought out. Though I enjoyed how Alex has contact troubles and the resulting flub-ups with them. As someone with contacts, I felt his pain. The really enjoyable side of the premise is the mythos. The school's location at Lake Geneva has a brilliant, and for me, great purpose.
Vampires in this world have a deep history, but the ones centering in this book connect to the party of writers at the villa alongside Lake Geneva. If that doesn't ring a bell, think of a contest involving Mary Shelley, John Polidori, and Lord Byron, with two others, including Shelley's half-sister, Claire. As a fan of random facts, I loved this connection, and the clues involving Frankenstein were fabulous and creative, and more than made up for the slower parts.
The writing is standard fare. Nothing bad, nothing that I would scream about. Though it goes by pretty fast. I actually liked the ending as well, at least in terms of the cliffhanger. I actually want to keep reading despite my action-novel reservations. And the little romance going on between Minhi and someone else was surprising. I'm always up for a pairing like that; the hero doesn't always get the amazing girl. Especially if she's the only one around a group of testosterone-flooded teenage males.
While I wouldn't say this is a great book for me, if you're a middle grade reader or more of an action-adventure lover, then this will work out better for you. Me, I love characters and premise, so it just didn't flow. If I had known this was more intended towards the younger part of YA, I would have came in with different expectations, and possibly a better outlook. It rates an average for me, but I will be on the lookout for the coming books, if only because the cliffhanger involving the villain was just good enough to make me want more.
