A teen vampire whose adult fangs have come in tries to hide his new difficulties with being around blood--and the way one boy's pulse seems to call to him--in this savvy and sanguine middle-grade graphic novel.
Thirteen-year-old Ivan can't tell any of his friends, all of whom are human, that he's a vampire. When his fangs come in, he hides them, too happy at Day School with the human kids to go to Night School, even though this disappoints his family. He has always eaten a plant-based diet and doesn't understand why he's suddenly woozy at the mention of blood--or why he can hear the heartbeat of Damien, a sweet classmate who is there to catch Ivan "each and every time" he faints. When a date leads to a near kiss, Ivan fears he'll only hurt this kind boy and enrolls in Night School without saying goodbye. "If I'm a monster," he decides, "why not act like one?"
First Kiss with Fangs by Marker Snyder is astoundingly heartwarming. There are secret notes and inside jokes, an encouraging school nurse, and a wonderfully supportive friend group when Ivan comes out as a vampire ("I'm more scared of a toaster"). Snyder uses color as a distinct signifier: humans have a full tonal range of gray skin and always wear sunshine yellow; vampires are and wear blue; red is only used for blood and the crimson streaks in Damien's hair. Snyder's debut is a wholesome and clever story about how to trust others--and oneself--with one's true nature. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer