Making Curriculum Pop

A. I found this great quick summary on teenreads.com

 

THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP
Catherine Jinks
Graphia Books
Mystery
Hradcover: 9780152066093
Paperback: 9780547411668
372 pages

If certain bestselling novels and hit movies are to be believed, vampires are passionate, glamorous, romantic and downright sexy. Not so, says Nina Harrison, the narrator of Catherine Jinks’s dark comedy, THE REFORMED VAMPIRE SUPPORT GROUP. Nina, who has been a vampire since she was “fanged” at age 15, may write her own series of bestselling novels starring sexy vampire Zadia Bloodstone. However, in real life, Nina and her group of vampire “friends” (a term Nina herself would probably reject) are anything but glamorous or desirable.

Instead, life with Nina and her companions is a lot like an AA meeting. In fact, the loose-knit group of vampires meets regularly at a church in their native Sydney, Australia, in meetings overseen by a (human) priest. (It turns out, by the way, that the whole thing about vampires despising crosses and garlic was a bit of an exaggeration.) Being a vampire, we find out, is kind of like being an alcoholic. The vampires effectively have an infection that’s impossible to cure but possible to control, mainly by using willpower to overcome their desire for human blood and by fanging small animals (in their case, guinea pigs) and taking enzymes that mimic those in human blood.

Nina still lives at home with her mother (who’s now in her 70s), and she socializes by necessity with the other reformed vampires in her group. The only one she is at all fond of is fellow teenaged vampire Dave, a sensitive but moody soul who she likes in spite of herself. Nina can take or leave the other vampires, especially Casimir, the creepy instigator of the group. But when Casimir is staked through the heart and shot with a silver bullet, the Reformed Vampire Support Group must figure out which modern-day Van Helsing was out to get him --- and which of the other vampires might be the next target.

 

B. Even though Nina is technically fifty-one (she was changed in 1973) she is in the body of a fifteen-year-old, qualifying her for YA age appropriate. In the book, she even says that she's upset about looking her age, because she can never get a license. The book also deals with many adolescent issues. She has to accept who she is. There is no cure to being a vampire, so she must come to terms with it. Nina's a writer. She writes books about a superhuman vampire that kicks butt on a daily basis. We all do this at some point. We fantasize about being different, superhuman. Our dreams help us become us. Nina has to reconcile her dreams to her actual abilities. Also, there is the issue of family. Like it or not, Nina's support group is pretty much her family (in addition to her zany mother). Therefore, she has to find a way to get along with them and not go entirely insane. Nina is also in love with her friend Dave, which is adolescent appropriate. She constantly talks about how she doesn't want Dave to see her in bad situations or misunderstand what he sees. The book is also a fast read, and it is very entertaining. One thing that I think many adolescents will like is how Catherine Jinks deconstructs the "typical" vampire. This group has no superhuman strength or speed, they can't go into the sunlight, and they are frequently ill. Nina also constantly makes fun of other vamps, like those in Twilight.

 

C. For more information about the book, go to http://catherinejinks.com/default.asp?PageID=166

 

D. This book is age appropriate, although I don't know how you coud really teach it in a classroom. I love the discussion questions that I was coming up with. It's a great book to discuss. I think that if you were going to teach it, freshman/sophomore classes would benefit the most by reading it. The appeal of the book is that it's inviting, and it is so unlike other vampire books. There is no glorifying becoming a vampire or a werewolf. I loved that the most in the book. Finally, there is a book that doesn't make being a vampire sound at all appealing. For that I am greatful.

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