Fast-paced series featuring a snarky half-vampire and his fellow paranormal classmates. Abraham Murray, or Bram, is an orphan with a penchant for running away from his foster homes. Bram, during his latest attempt to escape his most recent group home, gets picked up by a spider-man mutant named Crawler and is brought to the Van Helsing Academy, a school for supernatural kids. Bram always knew he had strange abilities but didn’t realize he was a half-vampire until he arrived at the academy. Bram also learns about the villainous Count Dracula and his plan to conquer the world. The series follows Bram as he learns more about his vampire abilities, tries to fit in with his new classmates, and saves the world from Count Dracula. This series would appeal to readers who enjoy tales about superheroes or mutants. VERDICT A great choice for readers who enjoy monster stories that are adventurous rather than scary.