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The Chronicles of Viktor Valentine

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A perfectly average boy uncovers a supernatural secret about his family that could put his whole town in grave danger—if it doesn't make him die of embarrassment first—in this mysterious and funny middle grade debut from New York Times bestselling author Z Brewer.

Viktor Valentine can't think of a better way to end his summer vacation than playing All the Vampires Everywhere, his favorite video game, with his best friend, Damon. Yet his parents, who make cringey jokes and call him dorky nicknames, seem set on ruining his plans. Viktor knows he can't really compete with Damon's "cool" friends—so their epic video game playing is the best Viktor can do to come close to being cool in Damon's eyes.

But then Viktor slowly starts to realize that his parents may be hiding something from him. They're acting very suspicious; they sneak out after midnight and return with bloody mouths. But he's probably just played too many video games. After all, vampires aren't real . . . right?

Seventh grade is tough enough without having to figure out if your family has fangs. And to make matters worse, the new girl that moved in across the street seems particularly interested in things that go bump in the night. Can Viktor protect his family, or will his sleuthing come back to bite him?

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 15, 2024
      Few things frighten 12-year-old Viktor Valentine more than the end of summer and the beginning of seventh grade. Now that the days of playing video games and watching scary movies with his only friend Damon have come to an end, Viktor must contend with bullies, the library job his mother volunteered him for, his difficulties with English class (which he failed the year before), and sharing Damon with a new group of friends. The only bright spot in his small town of Nowhere is his new neighbor Alys. But when Viktor’s father starts acting strangely, not even the arrival of his favorite aunt and her wife can quell Viktor’s misgivings. Family drama and enigmatic supernatural intrigue mount
      as Viktor finds himself caught between friend and foe. While he laments being at the center of it all (“He was just this dude, trying to live his life”), compassionate, mature Damon helps to assuage his friend’s fears. Viktor’s paranormal adventure unfolds alongside healthy and grounded depictions of shifting relationship dynamics, which Brewer (Into the Real) models via the boys’ evolving friendship and Viktor’s interactions with Alys. Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12.

    • Kirkus

      August 1, 2024
      The start of seventh grade might be the worst thing to happen to Viktor Valentine, and that's saying something. The town of Nowhere is as exciting as it sounds. Honestly, Viktor doesn't have much going for him, even by Nowhere standards, except for Damon, his sole, tried-and-true friend, who joins him for junk-food binges and virtual vampire killings. When school starts, Viktor meets a few new faces, including the girl from the family that just moved in across the street, who's actually nice to him. Viktor is excited to maybe have a new friend, but he's distracted by the weird way his dad's been acting lately...like coming home late at night, with blood on his face and shirt (the sight of blood makes Viktor faint). His assigned reading ofDracula for English class gets him wondering about some less-than-savory possibilities. This tale walks the line between casual and actual horror--it combines plenty of dad jokes and talk about garlic with on-page blood and serious discussions of taking lives--and Brewer manages to balance it all well. Viktor spends a lot of time with new people at school, but these connections aren't developed enough later in the story to make the interactions feel relevant. Still, the story clearly sets readers up for sequels, and perhaps these relationships will get more payoff in future entries. Characters are cued white. An appealing choice for fans of spooky stories.(Paranormal. 8-13)

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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