Summer Vamp is a very well-written and well-illustrated middle-grade graphic novel about a girl named Maya who accidentally ends up going to a summer camp for vampires. Hilarious hijinks ensue and this book made my heart happy. I would have really loved it when I was a kid.

An absolutely charming middle grade graphic novel about being open to change and the unexpected. I loved the cast of characters at the vampire summer camp and the way their friendship slowly grew into something that helped Maya find her voice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this zany summer tale of shy-Maya who makes great friends at vampire camp, after missing the bus for cooking camp. I will definitely order this book for my library and am certain there will be many eager readers. My favorite part was the depiction of the angsty counselors but others will surely love the cooking scenes. Some people might hope for a scarier tale of a vampire camp but I was happy with the lighter take of the mistaken-identity story and enjoyed the comic moments and the comforting messages about creating strong and loyal friendships. Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing the advance ebook of this title.

This was a fun, nostalgic romp at summer camp. Just add vampires, and you can't go wrong! The conflict was low-stakes, which is perfectly fine. The art style was straightforward and no frill; the character designs were pretty cute. If I had one gripe, it's that I wish we actually got to spend time at the camp the main character thought she was attending instead.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this advanced readers copy. This book was so adorable!! Maya just finished school and is looking forward to a summer of cooking and spending time with her father. She doesn’t have any friends at school and now she finds out that her dad’s girlfriend is going to be moving in with them. The only solace is that she is told she is going to a cooking summer camp, Camp Umami, so she can learn new recipes and hang out with kids who have the same interests as her for the summer. But Maya unknowingly gets on the wrong bus and instead ends up going to Camp Dracula, a summer camp for Vampires! Maya is the only human in a camp full of vampires. This story is so heart warming about differences and making friends and communicating and speaking up for yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers, and the author for allowing me early access to read this graphic novel! I expected it to be a cute summer type of graphic novel and I would definitely say it fits that description. Definitely would recommend it to maybe more of a younger audience, but it can still easily be enjoyed by adults such as myself. I wish there was more time spent in the cozy kitchen as well as maybe more summer camp activities, but it was a very cute graphic novel for the length that it is. Definitely going to keep my eyes open for more from the author!

This is a charming graphic novel perfect for those kids who loved Julie Murphy's CAMP SYLVANIA last summer. Maya thinks that her father's girlfriend is sending her to culinary camp for the summer(THE DREAM!), only to hop on the wrong bus and end up at...CAMP DRACULA! That's right, she's the lone human at a camp full of vampire kids. But rather than ending up on the menu, she discovers that Camp Dracula is like your usual summer camp, just with blood juice boxes served at every meal. This is a heart-warming tale of finding friends in unexpected places that is sure to be a hit with the middle grade crowd.

This adorable graphic novel aimed at middle-grade readers I believe would appeal to the younger cohorts of middle-grade. The art is simple yet relentlessly cheerful, and the story easy to read, as Maya, a loner at school, finds out that her single dad wants to move his girlfriend in. This girlfriend has clearly been trying to make friends with Maya, and to engage with Maya's interests. The top of which is cooking.

Charlotte arranges for Maya to attend a culinary summer camp. Maya is thrilled! But...she gets on the wrong bus, and ends up at Camp Dracula. With a bunch of vampire kids.

The vamp stuff is very light, the emphasis on making friends and trying to understand each other. Maya has some hilarious adventures, gets a chance to cook after all, and undergoes an attitude change as she and her cabin mates work out differences and become a unit tied by friendship. I'd suggest this one for a youngster who maybe has some reading challenges. The pacing is fast, the language simple and full of humor.

This was actually a really happy book, even though it was about vampires! The pictures were really good, and the story was great. I actually laughed out loud! Summer Vamp is about a girl who meant to go to culinary camp-but ended up at a camp for vampires instead! You find yourself really loving all the characters, and their friendship. I would recommend this book to anyone, it is a great graphic novel.

I was bracing myself for a tired rehashing of the overdone "haunted summer camp" trope, and I was pleasantly surprised that this one took an upbeat, nonthreatening turn. I loved all the campers and appreciate the culinary elements in the book. I did think the subplot about the dad's girlfriend moving in with him and paying for summer camp felt a little creepy--like she's trying to buy the girl's love to gloss over any legitimate negative feelings the daughter might have. That element gives me pause about hand-selling this one.

Maya doesn’t have many friends, but she LOVES to cook. She plans to spend her summer experimenting all alone in her family’s kitchen until her dad’s girlfriend signs up for a cooking summer camp. With a suitcase full of cooking utensils Maya heads off to camp, but in her enthusiasm hops on the wrong bus and finds herself surrounded by vampires! Wondering why her dad’s girlfriend would do this to her, if she’s going to escape, and how to hide the fact that she’s human from her bunkmates, Maya must learn how to survive, and she might just pick up a few life lessons along the way. If you’ve ever wanted to spend a summer at sleepaway camp playing capture the flag, playing pranks, and making best friends, this is absolutely the book for you.

This is an adorable graphic novel with bright artwork that will pull the reader in and bring the story to life. At the core, this is a story about friendship, but it is also helpful on learning how to stick up for yourself and appreciating others for who they are. Though there are vampires, this book is not scary or gruesome at all. Maya Is very likable.

Summer Vamp is an incredibly wildly fun time. It is a hilarious and heartwarming coming of age book about friendship, courage and accepting change. Readers will LOVE going to camp with Maya, Daisy, Nico and the others. I can even see this as a wonderful animated show. I'd be delighted to carry this on our shelves and know that our customers and readers will adore this book as much as I do.

This book is adorable! As an adult I found so many parts that made me laugh out loud and parts that I know would make my middle school kids laugh out loud. There were so many good themes like being yourself, facing your fears and making new friends. Every character in this book has such a great personality and it was a pure joy to read.

Maya has a lot of change going on in her life. What she wants is a summer to expand her culinary skills. What she gets is a summer with new friends who teach her what true friendship looks like.

Violet Chan Karim has created a story with likeable characters and realistic tween problems, despite the fact that most of the characters are vampires. The illustrations compliment the story and leave readers hoping that Maya's story is the beginning of a series.

Loved this cute novel! It was so sweet! The illustrations and characters were absolutely amazing! I hope there is a sequel!

Thank you to Random House Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Twelve-year-old Maya doesn’t have many friends but really loves cooking, especially Kiki’s cooking channel. Her father’s girlfriend will be moving in and even though Maya likes her, she is disappointed. That is until Charlotte registers Maya for culinary camp. Maya is very excited and gets on the wrong summer camp bus. She winds up at Camp Dracula, a summer camp for vampires! Maya thinks that Charlotte lied to her and sent her to a different camp! The kid vampires have fangs and pointy ears but, otherwise, are not like vampires in other books and movies. They can be out in daylight as long as they use sunscreen – otherwise it is “mildly uncomfortable.” They don’t have reflections and hate garlic. The other campers don’t seem to notice that Maya is not a vampire and Maya, realizing that they don’t want to suck her blood, soon has made new friends. She has the best summer and also realizes that her dad’s girlfriend isn’t so bad.
I thought the story was slow to start. I also found it hard to believe that her father would not make sure she was in the right place. The story did pick up and the messaging improved. I realize that I am not the target audience and I can recommend this title for grades 3 and up.
#NetGalley #SummerVamp

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Maya thinks she's going to Culinary Camp this summer, and since she doesn't have any friends and her only solace is cooking she's really looking forward to it, she's finally going to find a place where she can fit in.
Only she gets on the wrong bus and accidentally goes to Camp Dracula, a summer camp for vampires.
At first she's terrified that if the vampires find out about her, they'll drink her blood. But then she starts making friends, and fitting in, and suddenly getting away from Camp Dracula doesn't seem so important.

This book was fantastic. Maya is such and adorably and relatabley weird character, and the summer camp antics she and her friends get up to are quintessential summer camp antics. She forms friendships that go deeper than just "we're stuck together so we might as well get along" and she does it by having real conversations with her friends, even when its hard.
I loved these kids and this was a super fun read!

This is a fun book, especially for anyone who has ever attended sleepover camp. Overnight camps forge memories you have forever. But sometimes the best laid plans go awry, with unexpected outcomes. 

Maya is a girl who loves watching culinary videos on her phone and trying out recipes and she’s become quite a goid chef. She lives with her father who is a single dad, presumed divorced. He is in a relationship with Charlotte. Mia likes Charlotte okay, but the event of her moving in with them seems understandably intrusive to Maya who is used to having her dad all to herself.

Charlotte has kindly arranged a culinary camp experience for Maya, who has never been to summer camp before. Camp has always been an expense her farther could not afford. Seems this will be a good opportunity to move in the girlfriend. Well other than that, Mia is more than excited about the prospect of camp. She eagerly packs not only personal items, but also basically her whole kitchen. The only problem is that she gets on the wrong bus and is headed to the wrong camp! So why did they drop her off without bidding her goodbye. Well that’d mess up the story, that’s why. It takes Maya longer than it should to understand she’s not at a cooking school camp. Rather, she is the only human in a camp full of vampires! How will she survive? After all they are all drinking blood boxes. If they find out she’s human, will they go after her blood?

It does have a happy ending, but does Maya ever get to the right camp?

The illustrations are vibrant and expressive and the character’s skin tones are rich. The expressions on character’s faces are quite exaggerated, but it works to display the many feelings throughout the story.

Put this on the summer reading list for sure!

What’s better than making memories at camp? I know for me camp was always a highlight of my summer but for Mia in Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim it didn’t go as planned.

This book follows Mia, a culinary obsessed girl whose father is in a new relationship. Mia has never been to summer camp before. It was always too expensive but when her fathers girlfriend decides to move in and make the transition for her better they decide that she should go to her dream culinary camp while they move his girlfriend in. Mia is more than excited and decides to pack basically her whole kitchen. The only problem is that she gets on the wrong bus and is headed to the wrong camp! Oh the Horror! She later realizes it but the problem is that she is the only human in a camp full of vampires! How will she survive? Will she make it to her culinary camp?

I thought this book was great! I loved the growth of their friendships and I thought it felt so real. I think it would be a great read for any middle grader who is scared of going to camp. Mia was an amazing character and she did so well with what she was given. Was she scared? Well yes but by the end of the book she wanted to go back. I loved how each character had their own personality and I thought over all that the author did an amazing job.