Kevin The Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster
By Matt Brown
Illustrated by Flavia Sorrentino
Published by Nosy Crow

THIS new release for readers aged seven and up is the first in a fantasy adventure series full of spooks and laughs, as well as the lesson of never to judge people (or monsters) until you get to know them.

Matt Brown provides the fresh perspective of a young vampire who can’t quite seem to fit in. Kevin’s human feelings make him a relatable character to follow.

Kevin is an extremely young vampire and at only 10 years old, he feels the distance between himself and his parents and siblings, who already enjoy all kinds of vampire fun.

The fanged Aurelius family are part of a travelling carnival, and though they have heard scary rumours about odd and creepy humans, none of them have ever met one.

That is until, due to navigation issues, they end up in a human town in the middle of nowhere called Lower Drudging instead of the City of Monstros, where their greatest performance yet was meant to be held.

Amid their disappointment, Kevin comes up with a daring plan to make the money they need to get back on their way. They decide that if they put on a carnival, they can dazzle the humans of this sleepy town and safely continue their journey. However, this plan and this town are not quite as simple as they may first seem.

Lower Drudging is not any regular human town. After a switch in perspective, we are introduced to Susie, a girl living a spin on a classic Cinderella story, in which her life revolves around performing all of the household labour for the cruel aunts she lives with.

While Susie is excited, the rest of the town live in fear, having given up anything fun or loud to go into hiding, following their own monstrous secret which has just awoken again.

What follows is an unlikely friendship between Kevin and Susie, the highlight of this adventure, as they find that those who are unfamiliar are not always a threat.

Kevin serves as the perfect protagonist for this journey as he lacks confidence as a vampire, but holds a desperation to be old enough to properly perform in the carnival or even just be appreciated for his skills in communicating and connecting with any creature.

While he never expected to do this with a human girl, their bond building as they relate over families that don’t quite understand provides the heart of the story – or two hearts as vampires have.

Kevin The Vampire: A Most Mysterious Monster is a bright start to a brand new series which I hope will continue to cover some of its strongest topics.

Beneath all the jokes brimming with creativity is a real challenge to the way we have been taught to fear, that is, anything unfamiliar.

Brown and Flavia Sorrentino gently assure with every page that those with different experiences could be our greatest allies, a lesson all children should be exposed to.