Vlad: The Fabulous Vampire

Ever since I met 𝘎𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘺 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵, I wait eagerly for Flavia Drago’s Halloween book of the year. And this year, “𝗩𝗹𝗮𝗱, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲” will steal your heart with a strong message on identity!

Vlad is a vampire with rosy cheeks that makes him look horribly alive – a misfit in the vampire community. That’s why he hides behind his same old boring black outfit to fit in, because what if his friends stop liking him if they knew who he really was? Eventually Vlad finds out that his friend Shelly also has a secret of her own and realizes that in order to feel good about himself, he does not have to change or hide.

I love the illustrations of the colourful and unique vampires and ghosts, signifying how different each one of us really are and how we hide behind our masks! What a beautiful message on celebrating our true selves and seeking our community – indeed, we do have a “𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴.”