Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton (And a Youtube Feature!)

Vampires.

That’s all it took for me to want to read this book.

For real.

About the Book

Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See.

Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family.

Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late? 

My Thoughts

After talking with Deke in the Legit KidLit episode linked below, I knew I had to read this book. It is going to be part of a larger series too- the next one with WEREWOLVES!

This book was a great mix of lore, inclusion, diverse representation, humor, and high stakes. (ha, STAKES!) I really want to urge you to listen to Deke talk about their WHY of this book because once you do, you will know that this is not just a vampire story. It is a story of Judaism and anti-semitism as well. I went on a deep dive into some early vampire lore after hearing some of the things Deke explained from history.

I gave this book 5 stars. Things I liked include:

• Dual POV
• Great cast of characters
• Strong character development
• Mystery
• Steady pace

Order your copy!

Hear from Deke about Don’t Want to Be Your Monster!