Review - Vampirina Ballerina Hosts a Sleepover

Vampirina Ballerina Hosts a Sleepover (Vampirina Ballerina)
by Anne Marie Pace
illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Date: 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Before Vampirina can host her very first sleepover there are a few things she must keep in mind: be polite and offer her guests food (like blood pudding); plan some games like scavenger hunt (but keep the clues simple so no one gets lost); and don't forget to dance! Vampirina may be a little nervous at first, but by following a few simple rules she will host the Best Sleepover Ever.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I haven't read any of the Vampirina Ballerina books before, but if this is what they're all like, I don't think I'm really a fan. Sure, the illustrations are cute and there's lots to look at. But there's not a heck of a lot of story. It's just a little vampire getting ready to host her friends for a sleepover.

Some of the little touches in the illustrations are cute, but there are others that are just weird. While the idea of a vampire reading The Sun Also Rises is funny in theory, I don't think parents will appreciate it if their eight-year-olds go out and try to read a Hemingway novel about a guy with a missing dick who drinks a lot and watches bulls get slaughtered for entertainment.

I guess this series has its fans, but I don't think I'm one of them. The best part of this is probably the illustrations; the rest is kind of weak.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5