Title Sucks to Be Me: the All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire- Maybe
Author Kimberly Pauley
ISBN 0786952563
Publication Information Mirrorstone
Plot Summary Mina Hamilton is the daughter of two vampires. As a junior in high school, the vampire hierarchy discovers her and demands that she decides whether she wants to become a vampire or remain human. To help her with her decision, she is forced to attend a "vampire school" to review all the rules and regulations in the vampire world. If she refuses, she will be separated from her family forever. If she does not, well, she gives up her life, will be forced to move and has to leave behind her friends. If it isn't hard enough to make that decision, she also finds herself attracted to three different boys- one that she's had a crush on for years that all of the sudden notices her, and two from her new class. She also has to go on "field trips" with her crazy Uncle Mort, who is the vampire that turned her parents just after her birth. And to add a final twist of irony, she is forced to study Dracula in her English class this term and confront her namesake in literature just as she is learning the real stories of the vampire world.
Critical Evaluation This story is a charming and hilarious variation on the typical vampire story that permeates young adult literature today. The protagonist, Mina, has all the realistic issues of the typical teenage girl: difficult parents who cannot relate to their daughter, bizarre extended family whose sole purpose in life seems to be to embarrass her, the best girl-friend, the mean girl crowd who are only interested in embarrassing her in front of the guys she likes, and, of course, the guy, or in this case, three guys. The plot complications of seemingly normal parents who are vampires make this story fun. They are painfully NORMAL. They don't wander around charming people with their eyes or glittering in the sunlight. They love their daughter and have sacrificed their lives to keep her safe. Now she must make this difficult choice on her own without being able to talk to her usual support structure. Each chapter begins with a "myth" and the reality, which are usually somehow connected to the content of the chapter. She also maintains a list of things that "suck" (pun intended, I am sure) about her life. The protagonist is fun, kind, and charming with a little sarcasm to round her out. This is a great read for students who are tired of the Meyers phenomenon.
Reader's Annotation Mina Hamilton is being pulled between her parents and her friends. Of course, it's harder to deal with when your parents are vampires and your friends are not.
Author Information- Pauley is also an expert in young adult literature. She is the founder of YA Books Central, an online site that reviews young adult literature. She also does school presentations on a variety of subjects- what it is like to be a writer, interactive writing workshop, and helping reluctant readers.
Curricular Ties None
Genre Vampire
Book talking ideas Is Mina a realistic character? How does the mythology of this book compare to other vampire stories you've read?
Challenge issues
Vampires, Supernatural.
- Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
- Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
- Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
- Review approaches from ALA
Interest Age 14-18
Why I selected this piece- Even though I read and loved the Twilight series, I'm just about done with Meyers mania in a way I was never done with other series like Harry Potter. This piece jumped out at me as a fun read after being tired of all the vampire romance novels floating around. I found it after NPR did a story on the social criticism of the vampire mythology after the reporter read 75 different novels- this being one of them. She highly recommended it, and frankly, I liked the title.
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