Today it's another stop on the #tommyvcancer blog tour. As you can see we are back on my blog, but it isn't me reviewing. Here is Abi Elphinstone's review of Fang of the Vampire for Tommy's tour.
Fang Of The Vampire by Tommy Donbavand
With his new friends, Resus Negative (wannabe vampire) and Cleo Farr (tomboy mummy), Luke Watson (reluctant werewolf) thinks Scream Street might just be somewhere he can call home. But his parents are terrified of their new neighbours and it's up to Luke and his pals to find a doorway back to the real world before it's too late. The first in the Scream Street series, Fang Of The Vampire is a pacy tale that cleverly combines a cast of skeletons, goblins, zombies and poltergeists with a sharply witty narrative voice.
****
The characters are quirky and memorable: a chocolate chip loving skeleton teacher, a goblin called Squiffer, a talking book spirit who claims the Loch Ness monster lived in his toilet bowl, a long-lost vampire with a toaster and a bicycle wheel stuffed up his cloak and, my favourite, a super feisty Egyptian mummy called Cleo who charges headfirst into danger again and again for the sake of her friends: ' "Luke Watson," moaned Cleo as she came round and forced herself into a sitting position. "Since I've met you I've been burnt, stabbed and now blown up... This is the best fun I've had in centuries!" '
The settings are deliciously dark - Sneer Hall, goblin tunnels and Everwell's Emporium, the plot is full of twists and turns with chapters ending on tantalising hooks and Lily Bernard's moody illustrations perfectly capture the atmosphere of Scream Street and its inhabitants. I particularly loved the image of Sir Otto Sneer on page 46... Fang of the Vampire is a fun-filled, fast-moving story that will delight pre-Darren Shan kids.
****
Thanks Abi, for taking part in the blog tour!
As you all know, we’re doing this blog tour to help raise awareness and donations for Tommy Donbavand as he battles cancer.
Here are the links to his website and how you can donate:
Tommy is the author of the popular 13-book Scream Street series for 7 to 10 year olds, published by Walker Books in the UK and Candlewick Press in the US. His other books include Zombie!, Wolf and Uniform (winner of the Hackney Short Novel Award) for Barrington Stoke, Boredom Busters and Quick Fixes For Kids’ Parties (How To Books), and Making A Drama Out Of A Crisis (Network Continuum).
In theatre, Tommy’s plays have been performed to thousands of children on national tours to venues such as The Hackney Empire, Leeds City Varieties, and Nottingham Playhouse. These productions include Hey Diddle Diddle, Rumplestiltskin, Jack & Jill In The Forgotten Nursery, and Humpty Dumpty And The Incredibly Daring Rescue Of The Alien Princess From Deep Space. He is also responsible for five episodes of the CBBC TV series, Planet Cook (Platinum Films).
As an actor, Tommy played the Clearlake MC in the West End musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story for over eight years, in addition to roles in the movies Zombie Love Stories (where he battled hordes of Scottish undead) and Going Off Big Time (where he was beaten up on a bouncy castle). A veteran of pantomime, he has portrayed just about every comic character from Abanazer to an Ugly Sister.
Tommy lives in Lancashire with his wife and two sons. He is a HUGE fan of all things Doctor Who, plays blues harmonica, and makes a mean balloon poodle. He sees sleep as a waste of good writing time.
Twitter Chat
To end the tour, Michelle Toy and myself will be hosting a twitter chat.
This will be on 30th June 2016, 8 – 9pm
The hashtag for the chat is #tommyvcancer
Please join us!
This is such a fun book. We read it too xx
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