Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Fantasy (graphic novel)
Suggested Age: Kids (Age 8-13)
What is This Book About? Garlic spends her days working in the garden with the other vegetable folk, where her main worry is oversleeping on market days and disappointing Witch Agnes. When Potato notices smoke coming from the eerie, abandoned castle across the valley, Witch Agnes tells them all a story of an old vampire who used to live there a hundred years ago. Panicking, the vegetable folk agree that Garlic is the obvious choice to confront the vampire and save them. Kind and anxious Garlic strongly disagrees, but with some vampire hunting basics from Witch Agnes, Garlic sets off on a mission to destroy the vampire and save their valley.
My Review: Garlic is an admirable character – despite her worry at possibly becoming the vampire’s victim, Garlic still faces him head-on. Witch Agnes is a motherly figure who encourages Garlic to develop her own talents, and lets Garlic set her own boundaries. Garlic solves their vampire problem by finding her own strength and creative solutions, demonstrating that she was the perfect person to head to the castle. The gentle illustrations of thriving gardens and bright forests evoke a sense of old-world charm. Paired with exclamations of “Cheese ‘n’ chives!” and “Oh grapes,” it is clear that this book is nowhere close to horror, and is instead about making new friends.
Three Words that Describe this Book: courage, kindness, imagination
Give This A Try if You Like… The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill, The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego, Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez, Tidesong by Wendy Xu
Rating: 5/5
