Review: I Wish I Was a Vampire

I Wish I Was a Vampire by Stephanie Rose

157 pages

Middle Grade

Synopsis

Autumn Parker has been waiting all year for Halloween. It is the one day she should get to be spooky, scary, and exactly herself. Instead, her mom buys her the same pop-star costume the popular girls are wearing.

With help from her older sister and her best friend Chris, Autumn turns the costume into something better: a vampire pop star. But when her picture is taken for the school costume contest, the photo changes. The girl in it has perfect fangs, perfect hair, and the kind of creepy confidence Autumn has always wanted.

Then kids start seeing those fangs in real life, even when Autumn’s plastic chompers are in her hand. At first, being the scary girl everyone notices feels almost worth it. The Jessicas want her in their photos. Her costume might actually win. But the more the vampire version of Autumn takes over, the more she risks losing Chris, her own voice, and the messy, weird parts of herself that were real all along.

Now Autumn has to decide what she wants more: to look perfect, or to be herself.

Review

I adored I Wish I Was a Vampire! It was a super nostalgic read for me, even though Autumn is much more awesome than I ever thought I was at her age. Autumn loves Halloween and she wants to be herself, namely, spooky and fun! Her mom, however, gets her a run-of-the-mill popstar costume which is what everyone is wearing. I understand her mom’s motive (who wants their kid to be bullied and made fun of for what they’re wearing or what they like?), but I could feel Autumn’s hurt, and I was right there with her. I loved reading how her older sister helped her transform her costume with a little help, giving Autumn that individuality she was seeking.

I thought the way Rose transformed the story into something a lot bigger was truly fantastic. This story is about self-discovery, friendship, peer pressure, and how much reinventing yourself is actually worth - is it worth losing who you are?

I recommend this lovely book to readers of all ages. This is great for kids and pre-teens (and honestly, teens too) because it has a great story with a much-needed message. How much do you want to lose of yourself to be liked? Shouldn’t people like you for who you are? It’s a perfect coming-of-age question. I also recommend this book to adults because it has a cute and magical nostalgic feel to it, and we really aren’t ever too old to be who we are. This book gives us something to think about.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.