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bhall237's review
4.0
"Come sparkle with us. Have oodles of dark fun playing vampire games and making new vampire pals.
There will be bloodsicles, coffin cakes, and lots of other goodies."
I read two books in the “Weenies” series from David Lubar when I was a kid. The first one was The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and the second was this. I read Attack of the Vampire Weenies directly after finishing The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and almost immediately I could tell that Vampire Weenies was an overall better collection of stories that appealed to me more than even the best from the former book. My thoughts for each story are below, but overall I was shocked by how great some of these stories were, and I would recommend this book unironically because of how well written and dark this collection is. This one is by far quality over quantity, and though there weren’t any stories I remembered from when I was a kid, there are a bunch in here that I will remember now.
Not Another Word - Well, instant karma’s gonna get you. Really fun read with a great ending.
Get Out of Gym for Free - Boys locker rooms, am I right? A funny little story, nothing amazing, though.
Ghost in the Well - That was fucking dark. Incredible short story, brilliantly paced, and a great ending.
It’s Only a Game - Very fun short with great characters and a wholesome, while at the same time twisted ending.
Attack of the Vampire Weenies - Holy shit. Out of all the stories I’ve read so far in the “Weenies” series, this one by far has to be the best. What an amazing story, the characters and their actions were so fleshed out, the twist is amazing, and the ending left my jaw dropped. Highly recommend reading this one for fun if you get a chance.
Rapt Punzel - Oh my God, what a retelling. Fantastic execution of a classic fairytale that had me laughing and mortified at the same time.
In One Ear - This is the story I had been waiting to read since I started re-reading the two “Weenies” books I had when I was a kid. This one has stuck with me for over a decade, and I can see why I still remember it in its entirety. So well written, so creepy, amazing ending.
Fourth and Inches - Fun little story of a high school football game. Not amazing, but not bad.
MutAnts - Really cool nature attacking back story that I dug a lot.
Cat Got Your Nose? - Clever, fun, cute, and wholly believable.
The Ride of a Lifetime - This was the other story I had been waiting to read since I started re-reading the two “Weenies” books I had when I was a kid. I remember this story every so often, like “In One Ear”, and like that one, I think this one holds up as creepy and fun in a way that just stuck more than the others. Closest to a classic Goosebumps story in my opinion.
Chirp - Simple enough concept with such a fun ending that had me grinning. Fun little short.
Bruja - Simple, fun, and executed brilliantly. Amazing set up and payoff that had me grinning from ear to ear.
Elf Improvement - Damn that got real. Life isn’t fair, but it’s almost unfair to everyone. Really important story, but not one that was truly amazing or memorable.
Sun Damage - Amazing story once again. Great setup and a dark ending, but a fitting ending that had me smiling.
Sweet Soap - Really dark and very cautionary in its message. Good, not great.
Roadwork - I’m not sure why this Weenies collection is so much darker than The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, but goddamn this one, in particular, was really dark. Is it ridiculous, sure, but the amount of violence against children in this book is crazy!
Finders Losers - Another dark as hell story with a really dark ending. I’m not sure what the moral of this one was, but it’s a dark one for sure.
Cloudy with a Chance of Message - Fun and simple, but extremely short and underdeveloped. Left a lot to be desired.
Family Tree - You know when a local at Waffle House orders a big breakfast with all the fancy lingo. This story is like that but in a card game. It was alright.
Gee! Ography - Fun little story that gave me a flashback to standing in line in the 5th grade each time we had a spelling test to go over the words.
The Spider Shouter - Creepy and very detailed. Good story if you’re scared of spiders.
The Pyramid Man - Really funny tale on pyramid schemes. Good little story that made me laugh.
Walk the Dog - Insanely frustrating. Terrible main character with not much substance.
Warm Rain - A fun “what if?” story that didn’t feel fully developed, good but left a lot to be desired.
Last One Out - Halfway dumb and halfway Sam Raimi, a very interesting story that got really dumb but had an amazing ending.
Dragon Around - Great political messages with surprising anti-war themes that worked really well. Very well-written story. The dragon was a great character, too, blending Smaug and Thanos oddly. Really funny ending and commentary.
Lost and Found - Holy fuck. What. My jaw dropped at the last paragraph. Wow. This is not a kids book.
Cooties - A very dark story with a very human characterization of a silly kids game. Great message, overall pretty good.
My Science Project - A fine short story that wasn’t offensively bad, but nothing that will stick with me.
The Blacker Cat - Very heartwarming and very well written. Stephen King has a similar pet companion story called “Laurie” that I really enjoyed. The main character has amazing development, and the fear she feels grew on me throughout. Solid short.
Little Guys - Another dark cause and effect that was short, silly, and not anything great.
A Cure for the Uncommon Vampire - This collection of stories is overall darker and gorier than I ever expected from a series of short horror stories for ages ten and up, and the final story is no exception. Those last two sentences disturbed me and shocked me by how depressingly violent and dark this kid’s story had ended. Highly recommend this story, overall really fun with a great twist.
There will be bloodsicles, coffin cakes, and lots of other goodies."
I read two books in the “Weenies” series from David Lubar when I was a kid. The first one was The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and the second was this. I read Attack of the Vampire Weenies directly after finishing The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and almost immediately I could tell that Vampire Weenies was an overall better collection of stories that appealed to me more than even the best from the former book. My thoughts for each story are below, but overall I was shocked by how great some of these stories were, and I would recommend this book unironically because of how well written and dark this collection is. This one is by far quality over quantity, and though there weren’t any stories I remembered from when I was a kid, there are a bunch in here that I will remember now.
Not Another Word - Well, instant karma’s gonna get you. Really fun read with a great ending.
Get Out of Gym for Free - Boys locker rooms, am I right? A funny little story, nothing amazing, though.
Ghost in the Well - That was fucking dark. Incredible short story, brilliantly paced, and a great ending.
It’s Only a Game - Very fun short with great characters and a wholesome, while at the same time twisted ending.
Attack of the Vampire Weenies - Holy shit. Out of all the stories I’ve read so far in the “Weenies” series, this one by far has to be the best. What an amazing story, the characters and their actions were so fleshed out, the twist is amazing, and the ending left my jaw dropped. Highly recommend reading this one for fun if you get a chance.
Rapt Punzel - Oh my God, what a retelling. Fantastic execution of a classic fairytale that had me laughing and mortified at the same time.
In One Ear - This is the story I had been waiting to read since I started re-reading the two “Weenies” books I had when I was a kid. This one has stuck with me for over a decade, and I can see why I still remember it in its entirety. So well written, so creepy, amazing ending.
Fourth and Inches - Fun little story of a high school football game. Not amazing, but not bad.
MutAnts - Really cool nature attacking back story that I dug a lot.
Cat Got Your Nose? - Clever, fun, cute, and wholly believable.
The Ride of a Lifetime - This was the other story I had been waiting to read since I started re-reading the two “Weenies” books I had when I was a kid. I remember this story every so often, like “In One Ear”, and like that one, I think this one holds up as creepy and fun in a way that just stuck more than the others. Closest to a classic Goosebumps story in my opinion.
Chirp - Simple enough concept with such a fun ending that had me grinning. Fun little short.
Bruja - Simple, fun, and executed brilliantly. Amazing set up and payoff that had me grinning from ear to ear.
Elf Improvement - Damn that got real. Life isn’t fair, but it’s almost unfair to everyone. Really important story, but not one that was truly amazing or memorable.
Sun Damage - Amazing story once again. Great setup and a dark ending, but a fitting ending that had me smiling.
Sweet Soap - Really dark and very cautionary in its message. Good, not great.
Roadwork - I’m not sure why this Weenies collection is so much darker than The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, but goddamn this one, in particular, was really dark. Is it ridiculous, sure, but the amount of violence against children in this book is crazy!
Finders Losers - Another dark as hell story with a really dark ending. I’m not sure what the moral of this one was, but it’s a dark one for sure.
Cloudy with a Chance of Message - Fun and simple, but extremely short and underdeveloped. Left a lot to be desired.
Family Tree - You know when a local at Waffle House orders a big breakfast with all the fancy lingo. This story is like that but in a card game. It was alright.
Gee! Ography - Fun little story that gave me a flashback to standing in line in the 5th grade each time we had a spelling test to go over the words.
The Spider Shouter - Creepy and very detailed. Good story if you’re scared of spiders.
The Pyramid Man - Really funny tale on pyramid schemes. Good little story that made me laugh.
Walk the Dog - Insanely frustrating. Terrible main character with not much substance.
Warm Rain - A fun “what if?” story that didn’t feel fully developed, good but left a lot to be desired.
Last One Out - Halfway dumb and halfway Sam Raimi, a very interesting story that got really dumb but had an amazing ending.
Dragon Around - Great political messages with surprising anti-war themes that worked really well. Very well-written story. The dragon was a great character, too, blending Smaug and Thanos oddly. Really funny ending and commentary.
Lost and Found - Holy fuck. What. My jaw dropped at the last paragraph. Wow. This is not a kids book.
Cooties - A very dark story with a very human characterization of a silly kids game. Great message, overall pretty good.
My Science Project - A fine short story that wasn’t offensively bad, but nothing that will stick with me.
The Blacker Cat - Very heartwarming and very well written. Stephen King has a similar pet companion story called “Laurie” that I really enjoyed. The main character has amazing development, and the fear she feels grew on me throughout. Solid short.
Little Guys - Another dark cause and effect that was short, silly, and not anything great.
A Cure for the Uncommon Vampire - This collection of stories is overall darker and gorier than I ever expected from a series of short horror stories for ages ten and up, and the final story is no exception. Those last two sentences disturbed me and shocked me by how depressingly violent and dark this kid’s story had ended. Highly recommend this story, overall really fun with a great twist.
jrandazzo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
lindsayb's review against another edition
2.0
I was expecting this to be a bit sillier...I guess there is some dark humor, but it's pretty dark. Like, I'd say a solid 80% of the tales end in death. Good for the Goosebumps crowd. Classic horror, Sally-learned-her-lesson-for-being-so-bratty-with-this-totally-gruesome-death sort of thing.
gunner's review
4.0
This is a fun book of very short and mildly scary stories for young grade school kids. They're too brief to really scare your children, but many do insinuate terrible consequences for the main characters in each.
What I like about this book is that there is usually some simple and subtle lesson as well, usually that mean people will suffer. You never see a nice kid getting attacked by monsters, it's always someone being cruel or taking advantage of someone else. And since they're not too intense, they're a good measure of whether your kids will be able to handle something a little scarier in the near future.
What I like about this book is that there is usually some simple and subtle lesson as well, usually that mean people will suffer. You never see a nice kid getting attacked by monsters, it's always someone being cruel or taking advantage of someone else. And since they're not too intense, they're a good measure of whether your kids will be able to handle something a little scarier in the near future.
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