Vampires: The Truth Behind History's Creepiest Bloodsuckers

by Alicia Z. Klepeis

Overview

Stories about hungry vampires hunting for a meal of fresh blood have been around for thousands of years. Take young readers on a trip through time to learn about ancient and medieval lore about vampires. Then explore how vampire stories have changed over time until these bloodthirsty monsters became the lonesome and tortured creatures often seen in today's popular culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491443354
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Series:	Monster Handbooks Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	8 - 14 Years

About the Author

From jellybeans to strange snakes, Alicia Klepeis loves to research fun and out-of-the-ordinary topics that make nonfiction exciting for readers. Alicia Klepeis began her career at the National Geographic Society. Alicia’s travels have taken her from Singapore to Sydney to Sumbawa. Everywhere she goes she samples the local ice cream, gum, and candy options. Alicia has written several books and magazine articles for many markets, and is currently working on several nonfiction projects on international food, cool inventions, and world cultures. She lives with her family in upstate New York.

Table of Contents

Creepy, Undead Bloodsuckers 4

Chapter 1 Vampires in the Ancient World 6

Chapter 2 Medieval Vampire Folklore 10

Chapter 3 Medieval Monster Hunting 16

Chapter 4 Vampires Today 22

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Index 32

Interviews

1. Explores the history of classic monsters from ancient times to the modern day. 2. Discusses the characteristics of monsters and how they have changed over time. 3. Discusses the changes in how monsters have been portrayed in popular culture throughout history.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2015
Gr 3–6—Through four chapters of straightforward description, these volumes demystify the fearsome qualities of each well-known monster. A bit of preface is followed by information on ancient beliefs in assorted countries, medieval folklore from Europe, tactics supposedly used for hunting and killing the cursed creatures, and continuing appeal of these subjects in popular media. Grisly details, both on the part of the monsters and of the fearful citizens, are provided matter-of-factly, and widely selected illustrations include quaint and fairly tame images, as well as a few that are gory. Highlighted words that appear in the closing glossary are also defined right within the chapter. The vampire and werewolf volumes each include a crude worldwide map locating different beliefs, and all the books have a nice chart of related film, TV, novel, and game titles. The three books in each bibliography are small samples of the many available on these popular subjects. VERDICT Any or all of these will be useful for libraries needing more titles.

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