The Vampire's Photograph

by Kevin Emerson

Book Overview

Oliver's life is no different from those of most middle school kids--except he sleeps in a coffin and drinks blood for breakfast Oliver Nocturne lives a pretty normal life--he deals with bullies, has... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0545058015
• ISBN13: 9780545058018
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

Awesome Vampire World

I'm reading the first installment of the Oliver Nocturne series for the second time. As a bookseller for a large independent bookstore, I had the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Oliver Nocturne several months before it was released. I was really impressed by the intricacy and depth of the story-world that Emerson creates. Basically, he creates his own vampire mythology that has all of the features that we love about vampires, but it also invents lots of cool aspects of vampire life like how they reproduce, the powers that they employ, and the way they organize their society, complete with their own culture. It is really awesome. On top of all of that, Emerson also creates a wonderful protagonist who is questioning his identity, and he knows that he is different, which is something that a lot of young readers can identify with. The emotional texture of the story will really engage readers. I'm totally in love with this first novel in the series, and I am about to read the second book in the series for the first time. I also had the pleasure of hosting a reading with Kevin Emerson at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, and he is a wonderful reader and storyteller. Go and hear him read if you have the opportunity.

Take a Picture

Oliver Nocturne is about thirteen in human years - but over sixty in vampire years! He's the youngest in his family, which consists of a businessman father, a sleek, sophisticated mother, and a trouble-making older brother. You see, vampires have been secretly co-existing with humans for years, living underground or in abandoned buildings, feeding on humans without hurting or killing them. The young vampires go to school at night when the human kids are asleep. One night, a young girl named Emalie sneaks into Oliver's house. She does this again and again, camera in hand, ready to capture the unknown. Oliver and Emalie become friends, but her cousin Dean is worried and wary of Oliver. Emalie tries to develop a photograph of her new pal, but he keeps coming out blurry. The more Oliver talks to Emalie and the more things he learns about humans, the more surprised he is - but nothing could prepare him for what he learns about himself and about his own origins. Is he really a full-blooded vampire? What role does he play in an ancient prophecy? With cliffhangers and continuing mysteries, this series is sure to hook young readers.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Oliver Nocturne is a normal 13-year-old vampire. At least that's what he always thought. THE VAMPIRE'S PHOTOGRAPH is the first book in the OLIVER NOCTURNE series. Early one evening, Oliver is awakened from his slumber. He hears a sound upstairs. Sneaking out of his coffin because his parents and brother are still asleep, he sneaks upstairs into the decrepit human house that sits above his vampire home. There he encounters a human girl around his age. She is snooping around the house and taking photographs. Oliver should turn her in, but he's too fascinated watching her activities. Using his powers to stay hidden, he makes a noise that startles the girl and she runs off. Oliver thinks nothing of it. At least not until a picture of his house turns up in the local school's newspaper. In the article, it states that the follow-up article will show a photograph of a real vampire. This, of course, gets to Oliver and he's torn as to what to do. Instead of telling the grown-ups, he finds out where she lives. As he sneaks into the house, she can sense his presence. At that point, a tentative friendship forms between Oliver and Emalie, as well as her cousin, Dean. It turns out that the photograph has a hidden blob in it, that Emalie can't get developed properly. Oliver is just as curious as the two humans, and they chance a venture into the vampire underworld to seek answers. As the story quickly unfolds, answers lead to more questions, and, ultimately, an innocent person gets killed. Oliver is stuck in the middle of everything, and is more confused about himself and what is happening around him. Mr. Emerson writes a novel perfect for younger readers with a fascination with vampires. Oliver is a curious boy that gets himself into some tight situations. The story flows quickly with typical teen angst and rebellion. The story leaves off with many unanswered questions. To find out how everything plays out, the reader will have to pick up the second book in the series, THE SUNLIGHT SLAYINGS. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Readable and engaging

Great book! I found it easy to empathize with the main characters. The story line was fun and imaginitive. It flowed well without being predictable. I enjoyed reading this book, and also think it would be a good choice for many kids in the intended target age group. Overall, a smooth and engaging read.

Highly Recommended

This is very well done. Mr. Emerson has a crisp, clean style of writing that is eminently readable, but he does not talk down to young readers. The character of Oliver is realized and believable as is the parallel world that Mr. Emerson has created. I look forward to reading the next one.