Brewer, Heather 1973-

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Brewer, Heather 1973-

Personal

Born 1973; married; children: one daughter.

Addresses

Office—9648 Olive Blvd., No. 362, St. Louis, MO 63132. Agent—Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, 1 Union Sq. W., Ste. 904, New York, NY 10003.

Career

Author of young-adult literature.

Awards, Honors

Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers selection, American Library Association, 2008, for Eighth Grade Bites.

Writings

"CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD" SERIES

Eighth Grade Bites, Dutton (New York, NY), 2007.

Ninth Grade Slays, Dutton (New York, NY), 2008.

Tenth Grade Bleeds, Dutton (New York, NY), 2009.

Sidelights

In 2007, Heather Brewer entered the young-adult literature scene with Eighth Grade Bites, the first installment in her "Chronicles of Vladimir Tod" series. Finishing his last year of middle school, Vladimir Tod finds adjusting to his teen years difficult. In addition to normal concerns about finding a girlfriend and avoiding school bullies, Vladimir faces the additional challenge of being the offspring of a human mother and a vampire father. Both parents died years earlier in a mysterious fire, and now the teen struggles with his hybrid existence, relying on a close friend, Henry, and a maternal relative, Aunt Nelly, for support. After several of his school teachers suddenly disappear, Tod begins to question the

motives of their replacements, wondering if they are looking for him. Writing in Kliatt, reviewer Debra Mitts-Smith thought Brewer "constructs a plausible world," providing "just enough lore, tension, and gore to provide a good introduction to the genre." Other critics varied in their prediction of the book's appeal to fans of vampire stories. Some readers "will find the way that Brewer plays fast and loose with the standard vampire lore hard to swallow," suggested School Library Journal contributor Walter Minkel. However, a Publishers Weekly critic claimed that the "uninitiated will appreciate the ample stock of vampire lore, while the more knowledgeable will sink their teeth into the puns."

Brewer continues the "Chronicles of Vladimir Tod" series with Ninth Grade Slays. In this novel, Vladimir begins his freshmen year at Bathory High School, tormented not only by bullies but also over his unrequited love for Meredith. Those concerns become minor, however, after he takes a trip to Siberia with his Uncle Otis. There Vladimir meets Vikas, an older vampire who helps Vladimir hone the skills of the undead and recognize the signs of a vampire hunter. However, a new fear lurks in the back of Vladimir's mind. Could he actually be the legendary Pravus, an evil, half-breed creature who looks to rule over both humans and vampires? Calling Brewer's prose in Ninth Grade Slays "original, witty, and on target," School Library Journal critic Donna Rosenblum commended the author's "intense plot full of many twists and turns," believing readers would look forward to future books about Vladimir.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2007, review of Eighth Grade Bites.

Kliatt, July, 2007, Debra Mitts-Smith, review of Eighth Grade Bites, p. 8.

Publishers Weekly, August 20, 2007, review of Eighth Grade Bites, p. 69.

School Library Journal, September, 2007, Walter Minkel, review of Eighth Grade Bites, p. 190; November, 2008, Donna Rosenblum, review of Ninth Grade Slays, p. 116.