Don’t Want to be Your Monster by Deke Moulton [MG Review]

Summary 💬

Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See.

Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family.

Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in life (well, death) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?

Goodreads

Review ✍🏻

I enjoyed Don’t Want to be Your Monster a lot more than I thought I would. Vampires make me wary but hey, this is the second middle grade vampire book I’ve read and loved in recent months! However, the author’s review of their book on Goodreads also made me wary.

‘Adult Standards’?

If you have to disclaim that adult readers and reviewers “may find the vocabulary, structure, characters or plot not up to adult standards, and that is by design!” – then I’m thinking your book might be poor quality, because why do you need to advertise that is not ‘up to adult standards’??? 🤔 I believe a truly good children’s book is a good book when read by any age, and not just ‘good enough’ for kids’ low or non-existent standards. But I try to stuff my gut reaction to such statements by authors, because 1) I don’t think ‘standards’ is the word actually meant in that claim and 2) I understand it can be frustrating when someone reviews your book poorly specifically because it follows the conventions of children’s literature. That’s what I’m guessing Moulton meant when they said ‘standards’ – that the book is written according to the conventions of children’s literature and not the conventions of adult literature. The use of the word ‘standards’ put me on edge lol. A good book is a good book, nevermind what age it’s written for. And this is a good book! Not even just by ‘kid’s standards’.

Okay, finished rambling. Onto my thoughts about the story itself.

Sibling Conflict

The story is told in first person, with chapters alternating between brothers Adam and Victor. (Strictly speaking, chapters don’t always alternate. Sometimes several chapters in a row are told from the same perspective. But you get my meaning.) Adam, the younger brother at 10 years old, worries about his family and about murdered mortals. 14 year old Victor cares less about the murders and more about vampire oppression, and how he can protect his little brother. The two clash over their differing priorities and struggle with communication. This dynamic between brothers isn’t something I’ve read often in middle grade. It’s one of the main strengths of the novel.

Plot: Draw Out Vampires by Murdering Mortals

The nature of vampires being secret from society at large allows Moulton to craft a unique family dynamic. Adam and Victor are both ‘foster’ kids, taken in by their moms after they (ie Adam and Victor) became vampires. Both boys have tragic backstories as to how they became vampires, which impact their views of the world. Their vampiric nature shapes the story in further ways, such as the story taking place primarily (entirely?) at night because vampires can’t abide sunlight. Plus, throughout the book, there’s a lot of creative lore about vampires’ place in the world and how society’s views of them changed over hundreds of years.

The murder plot is also well crafted. The narrative’s dark at times and doesn’t shy away from the fact that these are murders of innocent people, meant to draw out vampires, but it doesn’t become too mired in either gore or guilt. The mystery of who is killing people isn’t particularly complex, there aren’t any “OMG WHAT A SHOCK” twists, yet the story is well-paced with plenty of high tension moments as they race to to stop the villain.

Challenging Anti-Semitism

Lastly! The story also does some gentle work to push back against anti-semitism. One of Adam’s new friends is Jewish, and Adam learns he has grown up disconnected from his Jewish heritage (being vague to avoid spoilers). The characters draw parallels between the persecution of Jews and vampires. I did not know until I started learning more about this book that some vampire tropes have their roots in anti-semitism. I recommend you check out the interview linked below (conducted by Amanda @ Bookish Brews!) to read more from Moulton on this topic.

The Bottom Line 💭

For a contemporary middle grade tale about the conflict and bond between brothers which incorporates a healthy dose of dark moments alongside heartwarming moments, be sure to pick up Don’t Want to Be Your Monster.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Interview @ Bookish Brews (“Vampire Books: Deconstructing the Antisemitic History of Vampires With Deke Moulton”)
🍂 Reviews: Katy @ A Library Mama, Zach @ Horror DNA
🍂 Related: Check out Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing for a non-fantastical MG murder mystery, or The Last Hope in Hopetown for more MG vampires.

Do you have any favourite stories about vampires?
What’s your favourite middle grade releases of 2023?