"The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eigth Grade Bites," by Heather Brewer

            One book that I read during this past summer is The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eight Grade Bites, by Heather Brewer, and I had a great time with it.  There is a significantly shady mood throughout the book.  Whether a scene was about Vladimir Todd, the main character, spying on the local goth kids, or about Vlad uncovering secrets about his vampire father, there is definitely a whole dark feeling during most of the story.  It probably helps that Vlad himself is a teenage vampire also, in terms of adding to the gloom of the book.  Although the mood of the novel does not at all take away from the reading experience.  The story also revolves around the idea of being on the run, but the situation is eventually flipped, following the moment when Vlad decides to face the source of his worries and woes.  It is quite hard to discuss this book without spoiling the plot, but this is definitely worth reading, particularly if you are in eighth grade or high school, for the series goes on throughout high school in later books.

"Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo

            This past summer, I read a book titled Because of Winn-Dixie, written by Kate DiCamillo, which features a story of a little girl named Opal Buloni and a dog who is dubbed the name Winn-Dixie.  Throughout the entire novel, this story shines with a theme of friendship, on account of Opal and her companion, Winn-Dixie, exhibiting a perfectly harmonizing relationship together.  Similar to many other camaraderies, Winn-Dixie cannot stand to be left alone without Opal at his side.  As straightforwardly narrated by Opal Buloni, “Winn-Dixie couldn’t stand to be left alone” (31), but Opal compromises for this inconvenient reality of dogs being emotionally glued to their owners.  After a while, “everywhere [she] went, [she] took Winn-Dixie.  Even to church” (32), and this adjustment to Winn-Dixie’s preferences additionally proves to be a challenge of quite difficult proportions.  This is because maintaining silence in an energetic dog in the middle of a disciplined church hall is extremely tough to do.  However, despite the negative events that occur with Winn-Dixie interrupting prayers, Opal continues to put her trust in Winn-Dixie as she always brings Winn-Dixie to church with her since the first day she does so.  Sacrificing for her friend like this is just one of many examples from the book that further unveil the strength of this friendship.  With this optimistic theme, Because of Winn-Dixie is quite a fun read for just about anyone who is looking for a positively toned novel to enjoy.