Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Grahame-Smith, S. (2010). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN: 0446563080

Plot Summary

  This is another horror mash up and surprises readers with a whole new outlook on the 16th president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln learns from his father at the age of 11 that, not only are vampires real, but that his grandfather was killed by one. He is later shocked to find out that his mother also had the the "milk sickness". Lincoln vows to kill as many vampires as he can. 

Critical Evaluation

  What a great book! I love biographies, and horror, and this was a great union! I loved Grahame- Smith's previous mash ups and I was not disappointed. There are so many great historical facts, and it actually fits when vampires are added. The best was when the Civil War was started by Southern vampires in order to enslave and feed on the North, and that John Wilkes Boothe was a vampire. Hilarious, graphic, gruesome, and entertaining to the very end. 

Readers Annotation

  Everything you know about American History is wrong. 

Information about the Author

    Seth Grahame-Smith was born January 4, 1976 in Bethel, Connecticut. He received his degree from Emerson College and began writing at an early age. He then moved to Los Angeles where he wrote and produced several TV shows. 

  His first published book was about erotic art and was published in 2005, and he continued writing superhero and satirical books. The idea for this book came from his editor at Quirk Books, Jason Rekulak. The goal was to create the first literary mash ups. He has compared adding the zombie parts to microsurgery. He followed this book with, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Both books are being adopted for film. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. 

Genre

  Horror

Curriculum Ties

  In History classes, students can rewrite history. 

Booktalking Ideas

  - Can you think of another vampires can be explained in history?

  - What is 2010's obsession with creatures?

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Gore, vampires
   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  I bought this book for my father and it is a great crossover from teens to adults, and vice versa.