“Vampire Loves”, by Joann Sfar

Sfar, Joann, and Audré Jardel. Vampire Loves. New York: First Second, 2006. Print.

In the summer I’m responsible for providing appropriate reading material for the kids at home to augment their own choices for pleasure reading.  I aim for three books a week – a fiction, a non-fiction, and a graphic novel. This was my pick for a 13-year-old boy who had read the Little Vampire books when he was younger. I end up reading most of the books I pick myself, and I found myself unimpressed with this one as I was reading it.  It has stuck with me, though, and I find myself thinking about it.

The drawings seem less accomplished than I remember from Little Vampire, although it has been quite a while since I’ve looked at them. The main character reminds me of a teenage boy, drifting from girl to girl and not quite sure what he’s doing, but never quite satisfied either.

I’m not sure whether to recommend this, but I’ll definitely continue to check out Sfar’s work, especially The Rabbi’s Cat, which seems to be popular and well-regarded.