My Sister, the Vampire [Turtleback]

Nancy Garden (Author)

Book Description

Tim and Sarah Hoskins are delighted that they have been left on their own at the family cabin in Maine, but their carefree summer is transformed into a nightmare by an invasion of bats--and vampires.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This novel--whose subject is handled more seriously than its title suggests--concerns Tim, 12, who worries that his sister Sarah may actually become a vampire. A profusion of bats in their summer cabin brings in two peculiar exterminators. Shortly thereafter, Sarah appears under the same hypnotic spell as their friend Emily, who has become so pale, gaunt and listless. Emily's brother John, convinced of strange goings-on in the Maine resort town, joins Sarah and Tim in ferreting out the truth. Garden's main protagonists are quick-witted and courageous, yet deceptive: they fib to their temporarily absent parents about being under the guardianship of an aunt who, in fact, has postponed her visit. The dialogue often sounds strained and the essentially bizarre story is slow in starting. It grows needlessly convoluted (a drug-runner theory, for example, is thrown in as a possible reason for the strange goings-on), but there's enough tension overall to appease SF/horror fans. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Unexpected events leave Tim, Sarah, and their younger sister, Jenny, alone and unsupervised at their family's summer cabin in Maine, where their pleasure in having total freedom is dampened by frightening incidents. Hundreds of bats invade the house; the girl in the neighboring cabin is wasting away, haunted by disturbing dreams; and Sarah seems to be developing the same symptoms. Dark strangers appear in the community, using a formal and stilted form of speech suggesting that English might not be their native language. Then Tim and Sarah face the fact that the bites on their necks are not from mosquitoes and that vampires have come to Starfish Harbor. Can the kids track them down and destroy them before Sarah becomes a full-fledged bloodsucker? Prim, rigid Great-aunt Clara seems to be a deliberate stereotype intended for comic relief, and the adult vampires are straight out of an old horror movie, but this scary adventure has likable child characters, good dialogue, and a nice relationship between the two sets of siblings in the neighboring cabins. Readers will figure out what's going on long before the kids do (and they take a ridiculously long time to see the light), but this could work in the book's favor by building suspense as the characters slowly put all the clues together and move toward the exciting climax. Acceptable entertainment if you don't analyze it too closely. --Lyle Blake Smythers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606015671
• ISBN-13: 978-0606015677
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MY Sister The Vampire By Nancy Garden, April 2, 2002

By 

Peter (El Salvador) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Sister, the Vampire (Paperback)

This amazing story, which was well written and has a fabulous cover page,gaveme the opportunity to read it and enjoy it. This is a story about three siblings: Sarah, who is twelve,Tim, who is one year younger than her, and, of course,th little one, who is Jenny , with their dog Tink. They usually go with their parents to their cabin in Boston adn spend the summer there. But there is a change of plans for them this year. Thier grandfather is very sick and and their parents have to go up to Maine and give him some company since he is in the hospital. So when you think about it, you say"They cant be left alone , or could they?" They were supposed to be watched by thier aunt Clara ,but unfortunately she couldn't make it. You know what that means: total freedom to do whatever they want, but what you didn't know is that they aren't alone. They have one problem that will make their lives miserable and that was "bats",lots of them. Where did they come from? Why did they come? nobody knows. All they know is that they are there. So they decide to get an exterminator, but when they do they are all out on vacation. Out of nowhere, they get a weid looking card saying "exterminators". They call and have them come over, but what they didn't know was that these exterminators werent ordinary ones. They were someting else. This is what occurs in the story My Sister, the Vampire.

The book is really good and really interesting. Once you start reading you can't stop. It's too good to be true, but it is scary, and when you find out who is the bad person, or maybe not even a person, you know what's going on. So go out and grab this book because you will love it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First the kid next door then..., June 23, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: My Sister, the Vampire (Hardcover)

Sarah, Tim, and Jenny don't know what they got
theirselfs into refusing a babysiter. Everythings
fine till they find out about the new owners of
Spool Island

...the friendly professer, then the next victum!