Little Vampire Women [Paperback]

Louisa May Alcott (Author), Lynn Messina (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 4, 2010

"Christmas wont be Christmas without any corpses."

The dear, sweet March sisters are back, and Marmee has told them to be good little women. Good little vampire women, that is. That's right: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy have grown up since you last read their tale, and now they have (much) longer lives and (much) more ravenous appetites.

Marmee has taught them well, and so they live by an unprecedented moral code of abstinence . . . from human blood. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy must learn to get along with one another, help make society a better place, and avoid the vampire hunters who pose a constant threat to their existence. Plus, Laurie is dying to become a part of the March family, at any cost. Some things never change.

This horrifying—and hilarious—retelling of a timeless American classic will leave readers craving the bloodthirsty drama on each and every page.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up For fans of vampire literature, this book can be fun. It is a retelling of the Alcott classic with the March family as humanitarian vampires they will not ingest the blood of humans. Set as the original is during the Civil War, the story follows the traditional plot. The family must survive without Mr. March, who is off at war, bolstered by his abolitionist views. Marmee is home with her four lovely daughters. They are not interested in furthering their numbers. Jo refuses to mate with Laurie, even though he desperately wants to be a vampire, too. The Marches are not shunned from society and intermingle with some ordinary humans, though there are those who would do them harm. Although vampires are supposed to live forever, a strange illness has threatened Mr. March, and Beth does eventually succumb. Thus the role of the vampire defenders becomes important, and Jo is passionate about joining their ranks. Messina has cleverly interspersed footnotes in the text to explain some past vampire accomplishment or event. The serious, scholarly tone with which they are written makes them quite humorous. The author's prose style is sharp, and her imprint on these characters is distinct. There is certainly an audience for this selection, and it may introduce readers to a classic. Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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From Booklist

“‘Christmas won't be Christmas without any corpses,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.” Alcott's classic receives the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009) treatment—and it's surprisingly effective. The original March family was characterized by their poverty, independence, and firm morals in the face of wealthy neighbors and decadent temptations. The vampire version has the equally poor Marches resisting the urge to dine on humans, instead drinking the blood of rats, beavers, and in Beth's case, her beloved kittens. These Marches preach humanitarianism and fight valiantly against vampire slayers, but most of the original plot is preserved. Meg marries John Brooke (after “siring” him as a vampire), Amy marries Laurie (ditto), Jo falls for the Transylvanian vampire Mr. Bhaer, and Beth . . . dies (from poisoned kittens). Jo's tomboyish behavior translates perfectly to a vampire's impassioned need for blood. Though the audience is necessarily limited mostly to those who have read the original, those who have will be delighted by Messina's clever and loving spoof, replete with excellent wordplay and footnotes to clarify vampire history. Grades 7-12. --Debbie Carton

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061976253
• ISBN-13: 978-0061976254
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lynn Messina grew up on Long Island and studied English at Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked at The Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media), TV Guide, In Style, Rolling Stone, Fitness, Self and a host of wonderful magazines that have long since disappeared. She mourns the death of print journalism in New York City, where she lives with her husband and son. She is author of seven novels, including the best-selling Fashionistas, which has been translated into 15 languages and is in development as a feature film.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Take on Little Women July 23, 2010

By Teen Books

Format:Paperback

This fun twist on the classic Little Women has vampires and humans living uneasily together in society. Humanitarian vampires like the Marches try to promote harmony and understanding amongst their human neighbors. Jo is a vampire defender rather than an aspiring writer, and the fight scenes could be edgier, but these are victorian lady vampires after all, and it is still a fun read for those who has a sense of humor about their favorite classic novel being turned into a vampire book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A (hee hee) DISGUSTING (ha ha) and APPALLING (har) pastiche (heh) June 3, 2010

By Ellen Etc. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This novel mashes an abridged Signature Classics - Little Women (Signature Classic Series) with an in-vogue vampire slant. The Marches of this tale are all vampires, though the well-to-do Laurence neighbors are not.

I imagine that Lynn Messina read the original "Little Women" as a girl (as I did myself, many times), because she's true to the spirit of the original. I'm so familiar with the story that I can open the book at any point and relocate myself within it instantly. So the idea of a take-off pastiche was repellent, until I read the opening lines, "'Christmas won't be Christmas without any corpses,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug." The March girls are now part of a "humanitarian" vampire family that doesn't feed on humans, which is pretty funny if you know about Bronson Alcott's dietary ideas about fruitarianism for his family (and the nice dinners for himself in society). Vampires and humans live uneasily in society, but humanitarian vampires such as the Marches do what they can to promote harmony and understanding amongst their human neighbors.

Rather than being an aspiring writer, in "Little Vampire Women," Jo is an aspiring vampire defender. There's a whole new plot line, with Jo attempting to find out who is causing a rash of vampire illnesses, which freshens the familiar story for old readers. If you want to be struck anew with Meg's romance, or grieve over Beth's long illness, this is the book to do it, since we never know just what Lynn Messina is going to do to the family next.

The vampire fighting is insufficient to carry this pastiche on its own, however, and even as a pacifist I found myself wanting more action. So I believe this spin-off will appeal more to those of us with a modern sensibility who truly loved Signature Classics - Little Women (Signature Classic Series) in our girlhood.

I do wish there'd been more footnotes. The current ones are a hoot, with references to vampire literature and the growing social acceptance of them in polite human society.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Little Revamped Women!! January 28, 2011

By BookGirl

Format:Paperback

This is a good idea because contemporary fiction trends have moved toward the supernatural and paranormal as well as the occult. The modern American audience has decided to embrace vampires in the same way that they embraced ghosts in the early 90's and late 80's with R.L. Stein and Steven King. Now with the new fad, it seems to be the British novel, seen as old-fashioned and hard to read, going head to head with the new American teen novel that is battling to return to prominence in popular culture. It seems that the new American reader does not like little women as much as they liked what it represents, a strong female protagonist.