Garlic and the Vampire is an adorable graphic novel that families will delight in kicking off their Halloween reading season with. Garlic is just one of a group of magical vegetable folk who grow and sell fresh produce for the humans in their village. One day, the enchanted edibles notice smoke coming from the nearby castle overlooking the town. It's supposed to be abandoned. It's also fabled to house a vampire!
As garlic is known to ward off a Vampire, the vegetable people elect little Garlic to scout out just who is living in the scary old fortress. Armed with an assortment of items known to fight off a nosferatu, brave Garlic makes it to the castle and comes face to face with the Count! Only, he's not such a bad guy. In fact he's nice and he's been trying to cut himself off from his regular diet of Type A-negative.
Can Garlic trust the word of the Vampire? If not, does she have what it takes to save her village from the Count?
This book was a delight! Garlic and the Vampire was the solo first work of writer and illustrator Bree Paulsen. Every page was magical. The water-colored effects of the art. The enchanted dialogue. The warmth of every character. I didn't just want to read this book. I wanted to live in it.
Amazon suggests that Garlic and the Vampire is appropriate for readers age 8-12. I think the only reason some aged 6 might not be able to read this book is because some of the words are rather advanced. There's a slight creepiness to the book as the vegetable people speculate as to whether a vampire does reside in that old castle upon the hill. But I don't think there's really anything parents and guardians should object to. There is a vampire in the story. And there is a witch. How else do you think those walking vegetables turned into people? If monsters on the level of what you might see on Sesame Street or an old-fashioned Disney cartoon, then this book is sure to become a classic for the whole family!
Garlic and the Vampire came out in 2021. Not sure why my local library just picked this up as a new book, but I am sure glad they did. Thankfully, the story of Garlic and her magical friends is far from over. Last year Bree Paulsen released a sequel, Garlic and the Witch! I'm hoping my library has this book as well. If not, I'll be ordering myself of copy of it for sure!
A fantastic read full of magic and wonder!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
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