Vampire and vampire slayer meet and become good friends.Initially, at least, 11-year-old Londoner Maggie Helsby has no idea why she's immune to the terror spell that keeps local residents out of the woods abutting the wonky old house in a rural village that Mum and Dad inherited from Great-Uncle Bram. But this imperviousness allows her to meet Sharptooth Shadow, a resolutely vegetarian student at a hidden vampire training academy who is fascinated with all things human. The two immediately click, and soon Maggie is secretly introducing her fanged friend to classmates, inviting her to venture out of the woods for Halloween fun, expanding her beet-juice diet by introducing her to ketchup ("What is this magical food?"), and loaning her Roald Dahl novels. Of course, it's only a matter of time before the grown-ups find out. In the wake of learning that she's actually the latest in a long line of slayers-hence her immunity to vampiric spells-Maggie wages peace. She reaffirms an ancient treaty by standing between Sharptooth's roused vampiric clan and a mob of townspeople whipped into a frenzy of fear by their clownishly corrupt mayor, who wants to level the woods and build a golf course. Birchall pulls off a happy ending, complete with a dance party and shows of mutual respect between neighbors with (rather) different lifestyles. The cast, undead and otherwise, reads white.A "fang-tastic" twist on the theme of dangerous friends. (Humorous paranormal. 8-12)

Gr 3–5— Birchall's contribution to Buffy's legacy might feature the titular bloodsucking fiends but is far from spooky. This warm, fuzzy vampire tale features 11-year-old Maggie, her family (of vampire-slaying lineage), her newfound human friends Ari and Miles, and (vegetarian) vampire bestie Sharptooth Shadow. As Maggie and Sharptooth learn how to embrace their tweenage quirks and come into their own identities, they must also heal the long-standing rift between humans and vampires and save the mysterious forest from a greedy mayor. While seasoned readers will find nothing particularly unique in this lighthearted novel, Birchall's writing is energetic and engaging. This title will likely find a home with readers who are enamored of the idea of scary rather than the actual experience of being frightened. Characters' physical descriptions are fairly sparse, ultimately adhering to the white default (note that Ari is described as having brown, curly hair and generally unkempt in contrast to Miles's tidy appearance). Vampire puns abound. VERDICT Consider for large collections and readers just starting to dip their fangs into dark(ish) fantasy.— Taylor Worley