This is the follow-up story to The Maypop Kidnapping, the first book to feature Quinnie Boyd and life in her small Maine town. The story features characters from the previous book, and numerous references to that bygone book, enough so that even without having read it, I'm vaguely aware of the plot of the previous story now.

Quinnie's parents are kind of the lifeblood of their tiny town. Her mother is kind of the one-stop shop of all important jobs in town, from mayor on down to real estate agent, while her father runs the town restaurant and gathering place for all residents. This story follows the arrival of some unusual guests, mysterious vampire novelists that seem as though they could be vampires themselves. They are there for a retreat to work on their next book, but almost as soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen that lead Quinnie and some of her friends to believe that they might be actual vampires.

And though her mother tells her that there is nothing to be solved, Quinnie decides to put herself on the case of uncovering the truth about their town's strange new residents. This is a story that will appeal to readers of Sharon Creech or Deborah Wiles who are out for a mystery fix. It probably won't be a mainstay of the vampire novel crowd, though the author's take on vampires is more akin to the original Dracula than modern depictions, which will certainly interest some younger readers.

Overall, this was a funny, lighthearted and character-driven story that will certainly satisfy a tween with a penchant for mystery stories. It's funny, but also mildly suspenseful. A fun summer-time read that will certainly leave readers satisfied.

I'm always looking for a good book to fit into my Adolescent Literature course. I decided to read this book based on the description (and because it has vampires!); it turns out that the story itself was even cuter than described!

Main character, Quinnie Boyd is 13 years old and has a knack for solving crime, that is when she isn’t getting grounded for going out in the middle of the night with new neighbor and potential crush, Dominic (described as wearing a “Black t-shirt with a small pi symbol on the chest. Not-too-baggy jeans. Vans). Okay, so I even had a little crush on him. One of the parts that I loved was that Quinnie and Dominic hang out without all the older YA flirting. Gasp! They’re actually friends!

I didn’t realize until I was already into the story that this novel is part of a series (sigh! Why is everything part of a series now?!?) The Maypop Kidnapping (2016) was the first novel but Vampires on the Run completely works as a stand-alone novel with only a few references to the previous book and Quinnie’s adventures.

The basic plot is that novelist Victoria Kensington, which is actually the penname for Ella’s (Quinnie’s best friend) aunt and uncle writing-team, Ceil and Edgar, who may or may not be actual vampires! They’ve just released their latest novel Transylvanian Drip and come to the small town of Maiden Rock, Maine for a bit of rest. The town is so small that Quinnie’s mom is the real-estate agent, mayor, postmaster, and sheriff! And just like many small towns, news travels fast so everyone wants to read the famous author, especially since rumor has it that a real vampire tells Kensington the plot to each of her novels.

Because the famous author is in town, Quinnie’s teacher, Ms. Stillford decides that they will do a comparison of Transylvanian Drip and the Dracula. I love that this was included and Ms. Stillford seems like a great teacher although respectfully, I’m really not sure that the author C. M. Surrisi has even read Dracula. Much of Quinnie’s comments reflect some major misunderstandings; I’m chalking that up to unreliable narration since Quinnie is 13. And, because I have the Norton Critical Edition right beside me…seriously, I do!, I don’t know any Eighth Grade teacher who would assign 327 pages of Dracula plus whatever the length of the fictional Transylvanian Drip during the last week of school before summer break. But, it does fit into the plot so again, I’m not complaining.
While reading Dracula, Quinnie becomes completely freaked out by the story and cannot sleep. She texts her new buddy, Dominic and the two decide it’s a great idea to go walking on the beach together. It’s all good clean fun until their parents find out… and until they realize there is a mad dog/coyote/wolf/ vampire on the loose.

Quinnie’s imagination becomes overactive as she notices how Ceil and Edgar both dress in black, have white skin, bloodred [sic] lips, creepy long nails, and they cover the mirrors in the house. I overlook these stereotypes because Quinnie really isn’t a reader of vampire fiction (her words) and she tends to jump to conclusions.

While Quinnie is focused on vampirism, she and her friends actually expose a pretty serious scheme that leaves readers engaged until the end of the novel.

One of my favorite parts- Quinnie considers Dominic’s bite on her neck with fake fangs as her first kiss. Well, there is an opportunity for a real kiss but as Quinnie says, “There’s the whole summer ahead for that.” I also love that Quinnie and her friends remind me so much of the collective characters in Dracula during their ongoing chase scenes. It’s also a little bit like The Lost Boys (1987) and the Scooby gang.

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