The Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne #1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kevin Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2008 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A compelling new take on contemporary fantasy & vampire stories with a new kind of hero, torn between dark and light, on a quest to discover the truth about his origins and his significance.

Oliver Nocturne has a fairly typical childhood - for a vampire. But Oliver is different from those around him - his gore-loving vampire schoolmates, his loving vampire parents, and his obnoxious older brother, Bane. That's because, unbeknownst to Oliver, he's a little more human than the rest of them. When Emalie, an artistic and defiant human girl with a troubled past, unknowingly takes a picture of him, its sets them both off on a quest to uncover his true origins and the special purpose the vampire world has in store for him.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–7—Though he experiences typical middle school troubles—being bullied, fighting with his older brother Bane, thinking his parents don't understand him, and feeling like a misfit—Oliver is a vampire. Like others his age, he still consumes only animal blood, but Bane, who has recently bonded with his otherworldly demon to become an adult vampire, now enjoys human blood. Despite the ironclad prohibition against associating with mortals, Oliver is attracted to the daylight world and fascinated by Emalie, a human girl who has been exploring the ruins above his family's crypt home. He soon learns that she suspects the existence of vampires and intends to write an exposé—something the highly secretive undead want to avoid. Oliver agrees to help her, even guiding Emalie and her cousin into the hidden subsurface city to consult Dead Désirée, the weird keeper of secrets and powers that even vampires fear. He soon realizes that there is something mysterious about his background, and that danger threatens not only his human friends, but also himself. This volume devotes considerable space to background exposition about the vampire meta-world. While the pacing is slow in spots, the details help to fully realize the idea of parallel human and undead worlds, and the cliff-hanger ending promises more excitement.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

KEVIN EMERSON is a transplanted Easterner who now lives in Seattle, Washington. His novel for Arthur A. Levine Books, Carlos Is Going to Get It, will be published by Scholastic in September 2008.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545058015
• ISBN-13: 978-0545058018
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About

Kevin is the author of the OLIVER NOCTURNE series and CARLOS IS GONNA GET IT. His next novel, THE LOST CODE, the first book in the Atlanteans series, comes out in May 2012 with Katherine Tegen Books. His next middle grade novel, THE FELLOWSHIP FOR ALIEN DETECTION, comes out in January 2013 with Walden Pond Press.

Kevin is also a musician. His current project is THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, where he writes imaginative, poppy songs about elementary school and life in the spirit of Schoolhouse Rock.

A former elementary school science teacher, Kevin continues to work with kids and teens at 826 Seattle, Richard Hugo House, and with the Writers in the Schools program of Seattle Arts and Lectures.

Kevin grew up in Cheshire, CT, where he wrote stories all the time, played in the marching and jazz bands, and ran track. One time, he won a spelling bee, prevailing over his ex-girlfriend in the final round. Another time, as a contestant in the Mr. Cheshire pageant (a benefit: not a real pageant), Kevin chose to wear an actual suit of armor as his 'formal wear.' He didn't win.

Kevin went to Colby College in Waterville, ME. As a sophomore, he was excited to begin the creative writing program, but instead was given his alternate class: Painting. He ended up loving painting and kept writing stories on his own. He also played in the jazz ensemble, and sang in the Chorale, and ended up majoring in Biology. He spent a semester in Kenya studying wildlife conservation.

Kevin moved to Boston after college, where he briefly worked as a bank teller, and then as a camp counselor, before getting a job as an elementary school science teacher (and he found that he loved teaching!). He kept writing stories, and kept playing in bands. While he was teaching, he got excited about books for young readers, and set out to write his own. He had two near-misses, and his third manuscript, CARLOS IS GONNA GET IT, landed him his first book deal.

Now living in Seattle, Kevin is still writing stories, playing in bands, and teaching.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, July 29, 2008

By 

David Wyllie (Hamden, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is very well done. Mr. Emerson has a crisp, clean style of writing that is eminently readable, but he does not talk down to young readers. The character of Oliver is realized and believable as is the parallel world that Mr. Emerson has created. I look forward to reading the next one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Vampire World, February 13, 2009

By 

Chad Helder "Author of The Vampire Bridegroom" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm reading the first installment of the Oliver Nocturne series for the second time. As a bookseller for a large independent bookstore, I had the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Oliver Nocturne several months before it was released. I was really impressed by the intricacy and depth of the story-world that Emerson creates. Basically, he creates his own vampire mythology that has all of the features that we love about vampires, but it also invents lots of cool aspects of vampire life like how they reproduce, the powers that they employ, and the way they organize their society, complete with their own culture. It is really awesome.

On top of all of that, Emerson also creates a wonderful protagonist who is questioning his identity, and he knows that he is different, which is something that a lot of young readers can identify with. The emotional texture of the story will really engage readers.

I'm totally in love with this first novel in the series, and I am about to read the second book in the series for the first time.

I also had the pleasure of hosting a reading with Kevin Emerson at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, and he is a wonderful reader and storyteller. Go and hear him read if you have the opportunity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take a Picture, September 16, 2008

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Oliver Nocturne is about thirteen in human years - but over sixty in vampire years! He's the youngest in his family, which consists of a businessman father, a sleek, sophisticated mother, and a trouble-making older brother. You see, vampires have been secretly co-existing with humans for years, living underground or in abandoned buildings, feeding on humans without hurting or killing them. The young vampires go to school at night when the human kids are asleep.

One night, a young girl named Emalie sneaks into Oliver's house. She does this again and again, camera in hand, ready to capture the unknown. Oliver and Emalie become friends, but her cousin Dean is worried and wary of Oliver. Emalie tries to develop a photograph of her new pal, but he keeps coming out blurry.

The more Oliver talks to Emalie and the more things he learns about humans, the more surprised he is - but nothing could prepare him for what he learns about himself and about his own origins. Is he really a full-blooded vampire? What role does he play in an ancient prophecy? With cliffhangers and continuing mysteries, this series is sure to hook young readers.