Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Roseanne A. Brown's middle grade debut about a pre-teen vampire slayer with a strong helping of Ghanaian folklore.

For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it's a matter of life and death.

That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing public from their threats.

Serwa is the best adze slayer her age, and she knew how to use a crossbow before she could even ride a bike. But when an obayifo (witch) destroys her childhood home while searching for a drum, do Serwa's parents take her with them on their quest to defeat her? No. Instead, they dump Serwa with her hippie aunt and cryptic-obsessed cousin in the middle of Nowheresville, Maryland "for her own safety." Now, instead of crossbows and battle armor, she's dealing with mean girls and algebra, and for the first time in her life she doesn't have to carry a staff everywhere she goes, which is . . . kind of nice, actually.

Just as Serwa starts to get the hang of this whole normal girl who doesn't punch vampires every daything, an adze infiltrates her school. It's up to her to whip some of her classmates into monster-fighting shape before all of them become firefly food. And when she uncovers a secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her family's role in the slayer vs. adze war, Serwa will have to decide which side of herself—normal girl or slayer—is the right one.

After all, seventh grade is hard enough without adding vampires to the mix.

Don’t miss the second book in this explosive saga, Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem!

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“Rosie writes her characters with such lyrical power, wit, and empathy that you can’t help falling in love with Serwa Boateng, her family, and her friends.”
— Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Percy Jackson series
 

Praise for Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting

“This textured, richly mythological story will keep the pages turning as readers are drawn into Serwa’s world.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Brown’s middle-grade debut is an action-packed, Ghanaian-influenced contemporary fantasy that explores the bonds of family, friendship, and what happens when you don’t know (or are kept from) your own history.” - ALA Booklist (starred review)

“Brown (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin) melds Ghanian folklore, smart action, thoughtful commentary about liminal spaces, and a healthy dose of tween hijinks, making for an exhilarating introduction to Serwa Boateng’s magic-filled world.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rosie writes her characters with such lyrical power, wit, and empathy that you can’t help falling in love with Serwa Boateng, her family, and her friends.” —Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Percy Jackson series

“Move over, Buffy! Slide aside, Van Helsing! There’s a new slayer in town. Sharp wit and sharp swords will have readers rooting for Serwa!” —Kwame Mbalia, New York Times best-selling author of the Tristan Strong trilogy

“Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting is a thrilling middle grade adventure with a fresh take on vampires and characters that you will not only root for but love with all your heart. This novel had a hold on me from page one. Roseanne really knocked it out of the park!” — Claribel A. Ortega, New York Times best-selling author of Witchlings

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