Mysterious neighbors appear in Gravesend.Not much time has gone by since Devin and his cousin Tommy saved the town of Gravesend from the dastardly Cuddle Bunnies (Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies, 2017), and not much has changed. The only big development is the peculiar coffin Devin saw moved into the empty house on his street. The new family is rumored to be actors that collect movie memorabilia, and Devin is more than happy to let things lie and admire Lily, the new neighbors' enchanting daughter. Of course, Tommy thinks Lily and her family are vampires, and it isn't long before the evidence stacks up in his favor. The author wrings some good gags out of the stale premise, but the novel's big problem is its protagonist. Readers know that Lily is a vampire, and Tommy points out again and again how she is one, but Devin digs in his heels and refuses to engage with his own narrative. A reluctant protagonist works for a few pages, but not over nearly 100. If the story's own protagonist can't bother to engage with it, why should readers? The result is a grating experience, rubbing readers the wrong way as the story presses on without real intrigue and the lead characters (all evidently white) bicker repeatedly with no variance or modulation. A hackneyed tale that gets further scuttled by its own main character. (Horror. 10-12)

Gr 4-6 Devin Dexter and his cousin Tommy are used to battling evil; after all, they recently saved the town from a bunch of demonic stuffed bunnies in Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies. Now the two face another terrifying challengethe undead. Tommy is convinced that the new neighbors, the Moroi family, are vampires and need to be destroyed. However, Devin has fallen head over heels in love with one of them, the fetching Lily, and is not as inclined as his cousin to stake her through the heart. It turns out that the Morois run an acting school called the Nosfer Academy of Talented Understudies and when Lily invites them to a school dance, it seems like the perfect chance to investigate. Unfortunately, Devin's younger sister, Abby, begins to display signs of being bitten. After the third bite, she will officially be a member of the undead. Filled with goofy high jinks and one-liners, this is a comical horror story with plenty of gore and violence thrown in for good measure. Tommy and Herb the warlock are used skillfully as comic relief, but note that Rosen does not shy away from some fairly graphic violence. VERDICT Hand to tweens who have moved on from "Goosebumps" and like their horror served with plenty of laughs. A solid purchase where horror series circulate well. Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI