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Vampire State Building (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Levy (Author), Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator) "Eleven-year old Sam Bamford chewed his lower lip and stared at the chessboard glowing on his computer..." (more)
Key Phrases: big nerves, chess tournament, Empire State Building, New York, Buddy Ryan (more...)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In the fourth title in the Sam and Robert Bamford series (including Dracula Is a Pain in the Neck and Frankenstein Moved In on the Fourth Floor), Sam's online chess partner, Vlad, visits New York City from Romania in Vampire State Building by Elizabeth Levy, illus. by Sally Wern Comport. Sam and family suspect Vlad's a vampire; Levy sensitively handles the post-September 11 realities of New York. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. In the fine tradition of Night of the Living Gerbil (2001), 11-year-old Sam, his younger brother, Robert, and their irritating cousin, Mabel, return for another tale set in New York. Sam is playing chess online with 12-year-old Vlad Clinciu living in Bucharest, Romania. Mabel prattles on about vampires and Count Dracula, but Sam and Vlad simply enjoy the back-and-forth of chess play. Vlad and his family come to New York so Vlad can be in a chess tournament, and Sam is astounded and annoyed to find that his friend is not a chess beginner at all. Meanwhile, Mabel and Robert find all sorts of reasons to believe that Vlad is a vampire and try to convince Sam. Along with the slightly mysterious goings-on, readers will enjoy getting a tour of New York City as kids and adults revel in showing their town to the visitors. Levy's light touch works well here. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (August 20, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060000546
ISBN-13: 978-0060000547
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,630,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#8 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Levy, Elizabeth

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Eleven-year old Sam Bamford chewed his lower lip and stared at the chessboard glowing on his computer. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
big nerves, chess tournament

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Empire State Building, New York, Buddy Ryan, King Kong, Count Dracula, Vampire State Building, Vlad the Impaler, Vlad Clinciu

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ah, but could a vampire beat a computer in chess?, May 13, 2005

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vampire State Building (Paperback)

With stunning regularity, the like of which I could have never have hoped to predict, I (as a children's librarian in New York City) have been approached more times than I'd care to recall by eight-year-old girls desperately wanting good vampire fiction. I kid you not. And, to be perfectly frank, this is a segment of the population showing a great need but without anything to fill that void. Oh sure, I can recommend James Howe's, "Bunnicula" until the cows come home, but vampire rabbits aren't what the ladies look for. And at eight I'm loathe to lower myself by mentioning Anne Rice's name. Thank goodness we've Elizabeth Levy instead. Now I'm not going to say that, "Vampire State Building" is the greatest book ever written. Quite frankly, it's repetitive and not particularly well thought out at times. Just the same, though it obviously owes quite a bit to the aforementioned James Howe, the book is an amusing mystery for young readers that have just grown comfortable reading chapter books on their own, but still need the occasional picture and potentially spooky premise to help them along.

The perils of online chatrooms are no stranger to anyone. But who would've thought that chess-loving Robert would've come into direct contact with a vampire because of it? At least that's what Robert's little brother Sam and cousin Mabel think has occurred. Vlad Clinciu is a Romanian chess wiz, and over the last few months he's been enjoying playing (and mostly beating) Robert. When a huge chess tournament is announced in New York, Robert discovers that Vlad's coming to visit. But why is it that Vlad has such pointy incisors? Why does he avoid garlic bagels? And what's the gigantic secret he's been hiding from Robert all this time? By the time the tournament is over, it's clear that there may be more to sweet Vlad than anyone really suspected.

The book is a step up from such similar kids-in-a-mystery-having-fun series like "The Magic Schoolhouse" or the "Droon" chronicles. Levy's writing, while not about to blow anyone away with its wit and wisdom, has enough jolts of cleverness to get one's attention. For example, when Robert shows Vlad his living breathing gerbil and his once living and now stuff gerbil, their names are Terminator and Exterminator. You can guess which is which. The plot is interesting without ever becoming scary. And I was intrigued by the relationships between the characters. Sadly, the girls in this book don't break out of the broadest of stereotypical devices (shopping seems to be their number one concern). Otherwise, all is well.

If a child runs up to you and insists on a vampire title, I still think "Bunnicula" is the way to go. But if they've already read through all the vampire bunny tales in the world, kindly switch their attention to Elizabeth Levy's Sam and Robert Bamford series. It has the added benefit of (if they live in New York and like their home town) a whole heaping helpful of pro-NYC information. A fun title. Not deep. But fun.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars online friends beware!, December 27, 2004

By	Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vampire State Building (Paperback)

This book is about a boy named Sam who plays chess on the internet as part of a school project. He has a friend named Vlad who lives in Romanina. Sam's brother and cousin think that Vlad is a vampire. Vlad likes to stay up late and dislikes garlic. Could he really be a vampire? Find out with Sam when Vlad comes to the United States to play in a chess tournament!

With simple vocabulary, even the lowest reader can read and enjoy this book.

I recommend this book to any student who enjoys or wants to start reading mystery books.

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5.0 out of 5 stars VAMPIRE STATE BUILDING, January 14, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Vampire State Building (Library Binding)

I read VAMPIRE STATE BUILDING.

I thought it was a really good book because it has chess in it.

It is about a kid named Sam and he plays chess on the internet with a boy named Vlad , who lives in Romania. But Sam does not no that Vlad is a Vampire!

I think every body would enjoy this book!

I recommend this book because it sounds like a good book.

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