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Five Faves: Vampire J Intermediates

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If you like slightly spooky stories about fangs, friendship and fitting in, here are some illustrated chapter books you can sink your teeth into! 

Written and Illustrated by Lisa Anchin
Candlewick Press, 2026. J Intermediate. 64 pages.

Join Maud the vampire for a week's worth of amusing vignettes, from a possessed teapot to a catastrophic cooking project with her best friend. I love the art in this book: charming illustrations with great compositions and lots of details. The world Lisa Anchin has created is warm, soft, funny, and a little creepy. Recommended for newly independent readers who are looking forward to tackling Princess in Black on their own.

Written by Matt Brown
Illustrated by
Lincoln, MA : Nosy Crow, 2026. J Intermediate. 196 pages.

Kevin is a young vampire who has grown up in a traveling circus full of monsters. When Carnival Monstromo gets stuck in a strange, quiet town called Lower Drudging they're met with fear and suspicion from the humans who live there. It turns out that Lower Drudging has a monstrous secret, and it's up to Kevin and his new friend Susie to save the circus and the town! This clever, unique fantasy adventure is the longest book on the list with the highest reading level but it still includes lots of illustrations. The text is broken up with expessive fonts and Monster Fact Files describing the different characters as they are introduced. I would recommend Kevin the Vampire to fans of Roald Dahl, Riot Brothers, Sam Wu, or Geronimo Stilton.

Written by Sally and Brian Dutra
Illustrated by Tiffany Brown
Toronto, ON : Kids Can Press, 2024. J Intermediate. 186 pages.

Frankie's vampire family is leaving Transylvania and moving to America for a fresh start as vegans. They must keep their superhuman, nocturnal identities hidden, so Frankie's parents have set some ground rules for him including "No Biting," a tall order when classmate Eddie torments him endlessly! It's hard to be a newcomer to a new school, new culture, and a new country. We've heard similar plotlines before but Frankie's deadpan narration sets this book apart. He is a funny, idiosyncratic protagonist who is undeterred by his setbacks and willing to help even his bully overcome challenges. 

 
Bella and the Vampire
Written by Erin Dionne
Illustrated by Jenn Harney
New York : Pixel+Ink, 2023. J Intermediate. 131 pages.

Bella Gossi just moved to a rundown beach town to help her mom renovate the movie theater. When Bella and her new friend Cooper clear out an old trunk, out pops an actual kid vampire, in bat form! Bram seems scary at first but he's really just hungry, scared, and lost. Bella and Cooper work to help their new friend find his way home. The Shiver-by-the-Sea series would be a good fit for someone who likes realistic intermediate books as much as they like Eerie Elementary but is looking for a slightly higher word count. 

Written and Illustrated by Jarrett Lerner
New York : Aladdin, 2024. J Intermediate. 138 pages.

Bash the ghost is back for his second year of Scare School! He's nervous when he's assigned to research the nearby spooky forest which is populated by fanged flora and fearsome fauna. Even worse, he's paired up with mischievous slacker vampire twins, Vlad and Vicky, who seem dead-set on sabotaging the project. Will Bash learn to confront his fears and and his group project woes? Large, simple text and lots of comic panels make this a fun, accessible read.
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