The Vampire Named Murray
Written by Judy Miller
Reviewed by Patrick L. (age 10)
This book is about a vampire that likes to play with children. I like him because he does not like to suck people's necks. He really likes to make friends and also help others who need help.
I think that this book is good because it has a lot of fantasy. I like it when he drinks V-8 juice because he does not open the cap to drink. Instead, he uses his long fangs to bite holes on the glass. The kids thought it was weird for Murray to have lots of trash every week so they decided to look in the trash. They found the V-8 juice jars with holes in them and decided to keep them as souvenirs.
The part I hated in the book was when the big mob tried to attack the vampire. I wish that did not happen because the vampire did not do anything. I cannot believe that the dad who was living with the vampire hated Murray so much. He led the mob to chase Murray.
I liked the mom because when she found out that Murray was a vampire, she knew that the mob was going to chase Murray. She decided to protect him since Murray helped her wash the dishes, do the laundry, and clean the floor. When Murray was helping her with the work, she got to write poetry. When the vampire was finished, he liked to listen to the mom read her poetry. Murray also sometimes gives her ideas on what to write. The kids also like Murray. They like to go out with Murray every Saturday to the park. There he would tell stories about when he was a child. Lots of people would come to hear the stories, especially the chidlren.
If I were to change the book a little, I would have the beginning the same but the end different. I would not like the mob to chase Murray. If I were to change the title, I would like it to stay the same because "The Vampire Named Murray" sounds good. I like the idea about a vampire coming into town and living in somebody's house. I also like it when the vampire went to work in the post office sorting out mail. I think that this book is very interesting. I think that the vampire named Murray is very nice, helpful and generous. I think that he did not do any harm to others and the others should not do harm to him.