Kaptain Vamp: KV Series, #1

By Joanne Lecuyer

Humans have long been afraid and distrustful of vampires. A young vampire named Allistaire, who is also part human, wants to change that. His family has been living among humans for hundreds of years and they’ve always used their abilities for good. One day, while reading his favourite superhero comic, Allistaire decides that he’s going to do everything he can to help humans. He enlists the aid of his best friend to help him become Kaptain Vamp.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Topsy Books
• Release date: Oct 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780986951725

Joanne Lecuyer

Stories and images can create whole new worlds and take you on endless adventures. Joanne has been channeling her love of magic, fairies, elves, witches, wizards, dragons, and even vampires, into positive fantasy chapter books for kids and the young at heart, since 2010. Her books are full of colorful characters and wondrous creatures who use their wits and imagination to overcome challenges and lessons in positive ways. Joanne also offers interactive writing workshops to encourage kids to read, stir their imagination, and maybe inspire them to become future writers and illustrators. Joanne Lécuyer is a Canadian independent children’s book author. See the Books tab on the Topsy Books website for more information. Many books are available in French. New books are usually available in the fall. Joanne lives in Gatineau, Québec. Retired since 2020, she has 35 years experience in the federal government in communications, management, and leadership development. Joanne has a BA in Communications and Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa, a Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Quebec, a Screenwriting Certificate (with Honours) from Algonquin College, and a Professional and Personal Coach Certification from Concordia University. She is also a Reiki Master. Website: Topsy Books Email: [e-mail] Facebook: Topsy Books Twitter: @JoTopsyBooks LinkedIn : Joanne Lécuyer

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

JUST LIKE ANY OTHER VAMP

Dear Reader,

What if you had special powers but seemed to be just like everyone else?

What if you really wanted to be a superhero and help the human race?

What if you were a vampire?

Welcome to the story of my life. I’m Allistaire Arturius Doppelganger Varning the IV. I’m a vampire. In human years, I’m going to be twelve in a few months. In vampire years, I’m much older. Regardless, in the human world I’m just a kid.

Mom says that there was a time, not so long ago, when humans were afraid of vampires. She can’t believe that some people think and write that vampires go around biting people. Neither of my parents believes in violence. They’ve been living a normal, quiet life among humans for the last one hundred and fifty years. In fact, my best friend, Rich, is human.

We have a few special abilities, things that humans can’t do. So I guess this makes us different. When we focus, we can hear a conversation even a mile away. Mom and Dad taught us that we should only do this in an emergency–if we feel that someone needs help.

We can also read each other’s thoughts. That can be kind of a nuisance, since Mom can tell when I’m not doing my homework. So, I try not to listen in, especially when it comes to our family.

We can also run really fast, travelling at least a hundred kilometres in the blink of an eye. That’s pretty cool. It means I can run to school and I don’t need to wait to get a ride from my dad. He likes playing classical music in the car—not so cool!

We’re also physically strong. I can pick up boulders that are twice my weight and throw them a hundred metres, as if they were baseballs.

But all the other vamps in our family can do these things, too. So as a vamp, I’m not really special. I’m just like everyone else.

I’m actually part human, too. My mom, Imilly, is a doctor and my dad, Emery, is a scientist. When they arrived in Canada from the Old Country a hundred and fifty years ago, they were determined to blend in. They decided that they wanted to have children who seemed naturally human, and began to experiment, crossing vampire genes with human genes. So my parents had three kids—part vampire, part human. I’m the middle child. I have a sister, who’s fifteen, named Katryanna Apollina Camra Varning III—I just call her Katy for short. I also have a younger brother named Deniston Caesarial Proudom Varning V, or Denni. He’s five.

What’s human about us is that we don’t have to drink much blood. Actually, we get what we need from eating fresh, raw meats and fish that we get from the butcher or the market. Dad’s been working on creating a blood supplement for the last three years. Denni asked him if he could make them grape flavoured and chewable. My brother, sister and I can eat almost anything as long as we get a daily balanced diet of raw meats.

We can also go out in daylight, but we have to stay out

Reviews for Kaptain Vamp

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a short novel with profuse illustrations. Allistaire is a young vampire with a human best friend. Allistaire wants to convince people that vampires can be helpful. To do that, he and Rich create an alter ego - Kaptain Vamp - and the two go around doing good deeds.Allistaire's first good deed involves helping a young boy who has fallen down a cliff and broken his arm. Fortunately, his mother is a doctor and had taught all the kids first aid skills. Of course, he also has his super strength and jumping ability to help him with the rescue. The problems the kids solve are real life ones including stopping the school bullies from preying on younger kids. The illustrations add to the story too. I liked the various full-color illustrations that decorated the book. I also liked the additional touch of magic that the necklace from Allistaire's grandfather gave him. It lets him wish himself into and out of his Kaptain Vamp costume when he needs to be Kaptain Vamp. The story was a good one about friendship and the satisfaction that comes from doing good deeds. I think this would appeal to upper elementary students who are interested in vampires but aren't ready for anything scary.