Review: TheVanquishers

The Vanquishers, by Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury Children’s Books 2022)

First line: “Vampires are extinct. Everybody knows that. But some people just can’t let the undead stay in their graves.”

Have I got a great new book to share for #MiddleGradeMonday! YA author Kalynn Bayron launched her middle grade debut just before spooky season a couple months back, but don’t wait for next October to pick up this one — it’s too much fun keep it hanging!

Malika “Boog” Wilson and her two best friends Cedrick and Jules have grown up hearing the tales of blood-sucking vampires and the Vanquishers who eliminated them two decades ago. For most people, they’re just that — heroic stories from the past — but for some reason, Boog’s, Cedrick’s, and Jules’s parents seem to think precautions are still necessary, which makes them the butt of many jokes at school. The friend crew is excited for adding someone new to the mix when Aaron moves onto their block, and he fits into their group seamlessly. But when Aaron disappears from a school event not long after, Boog’s parents double down on their restrictions, leading Boog and her friends to wonder if they know something no one else does… could vampires still exist?

I loved this book so much. I loved the friend crew and their devotion to each other, I loved the parents and their interactions with the kids and each other, I loved the gentle (but real!) spookiness as Boog and her pals try to figure out what happened to Aaron. More than once I felt some late pandemic similarities too — that feeling that you and your family is the only one still taking precautions from an invisible foe while everyone else is going about their lives. Who knows if that connection was Bayron’s intention, but I couldn’t help but make it.

This book had me laughing out loud and shivering with creepiness and I highly recommend giving it a try!