This book was one of my favorites as a kid, and absolutely terrified me. As it turns out, it's not nearly as scary now as it seemed at the time. That is, of course, not at all surprising. Still, it's a fun read with a legitimately creepy atmosphere to it, and a great early horror novel for younger readers who are looking for something on the darker and more serious side than what is usually offered for readers their age. Yes, there's some camp and silliness there, as you expect from books for younger readers, but not much of either. Overall, it was the perfect book for the young me, fascinated by horror but not old enough to be ready for the really major stuff, and it still holds up quite well for what it is. ( )

12 year-old Alexander Darlington isn't a bad boy. It's just that when he gets what he thinks is a great idea, he rushes to put it into practice without thinking things through. When you read his explanation to the court, it's easy to see that he meant no harm. His scheme did involve breaking the law, though, so he's on probation for a year with a strict curfew.

Alexander finally has a teacher who will let him write about vampires. The problem is that his paper has to have 50% of its sources be primary sources. Alexander thinks his chances of finding those sources will be better at the library next door to Vlad's Funeral Home. Unfortunately, he's all too right.

While Alexander is learning about vampires from the mysterious Radu -- who likes his roast beef very rare and claims to have a condition that prevents him from going out in the daylight, there's a mysterious 'flu' epidemic among young girls in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One of the victims is Alexander's older sister, Peggy.

This novel makes good use of some of the best known vampire books and stories, as well as the historic Dracula, which made it a special delight for this middle-aged horror fan. Another thing I liked about it is that there's nothing misleading about the title. A living person will be held prisoner by some vampires and it's going to take the combined efforts of young and old to save the day.

The illustrations are suitably spooky. I'd recommend this book to older fans as well as middle school students. ( )