Fake Blood
By Whitney Gardner
ISBN: 9781481495561
Author Website: heywhitney(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro
Synopsis: 
It’s the beginning of the new school year and AJ feels like everyone is changing but him. He hasn’t grown or had any exciting summer adventures like his best friends have. He even has the same crush he’s harbored for years. So AJ decides to take matters into his own hands. But how could a girl like Nia Winters ever like plain vanilla AJ when she only has eyes for vampires?
When AJ and Nia are paired up for a group project on Transylvania, it may be AJ’s chance to win over Nia’s affection by dressing up like the vamp of her dreams. And soon enough he’s got more of Nia’s attention than he bargained for when he learns she’s a slayer.
Now AJ has to worry about self-preservation while also trying to save everyone he cares about from a real-life threat lurking in the shadows of Spoons Middle School. (Goodreads)
Review:
This was such a fun book! Loved it.
Fake Blood is a graphic novel filled with all of your favorite vampire references that come together to narrate the back-to-school story of sixth grader AJ and his friends. It has a very dynamic illustration and Easter eggs everywhere. One of my favorites is all over the book but you have to read it to see it and I especially loved it because it’s a very special book reference for me 🙂
Throughout the story AJ struggles to find the courage to talk to the girl he likes, to have something interesting in his life, and to find who he truly is without having to be what he isn’t. It’s a new school year and his friends encourage him to talk to Nia, the girl who knows everything about vampires. An opportunity arrives when AJ’s new British teacher teams him up with Nia for a school project. This gives AJ a reason to talk to Nia and eventually discover that they both share the same love for books which brings them together. AJ pretends to be a vampire and things start to change, but they don’t turnout so good when Nia has to kill him revealing herself as a vampire slayer.
In Fake Blood we see AJ interact with different groups of people in his life. First there is his family, which consist of mom and his sister. His family sees his struggle and try to advise him the best way they can. Then there are his friends Ivy and Hunter who are just trying to make his life more interesting. And finally Nia and his new foreign teacher. One he tries really hard to get close to and the other one gives him the tools to know Nia better. All of these people help AJ’s new school year become more interesting and find that you don’t have to use fake blood to be cool.
I loved the references and the character of Nia. when she revealed herself as slayer I couldn’t help but think of her as Buffy. She was really determined as a slayer. There are events that you see coming but they are still really funny once you read them. The illustration is also really good. I like when it’s flat colors and very little gradients.
Fake Blood is a graphic novel for all ages, especially if you’re a vampire fan. It has funny moments, parody moments, and great twists. I had so much fun reading it and it was the perfect book to end the summer. Fake Blood is a must-read.
Favorite Quotes:
“I never really thought about how I would die. But dying at the hands of someone you love might not be the worst way to go.”
