Henry Hunter and the Beast of Snagov

Gr 4–6—The first installment in a new middle grade series about two English schoolboys who could not be more different. Sheepish Adolphus Pringle, known as Dolf, narrates as he follows the trail of the bold and brilliant Henry, a "twelve-year-old millionaire genius," to solve a Transylvanian mystery. A strength of the story is the bewildered voice of Dolf, who would have never gotten into any of this drama had it not been for his friendship with the quixotic Hunter. This is a fast-paced and humorous spin on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Matthews is a folklorist, so it is no surprise that the tale is filled with "revamped" myths of vampires, including a secret society, the Count's motorcycling daughter, and the mysterious slimy beast referred to in the title. It could be paired with the classic to learn more about the textual references or with a nonfiction book on folklore or Romanian castles. Some readers may find it funny that in this novel Dracula's daughter, Bella, shares the same name as Stephenie Meyer's protagonist in the "Twilight" series. That is about where the similarity ends. The vampire Bella frequently saves the two 12-year-olds from danger and despite her cool spiky hair never becomes a romantic interest. The stylized pen-and-ink vignettes by Tankard are atmospheric and playful. Like the author, he consistently portrays these characters with equal amounts of danger and humor.