Rick Riordan Presents: Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting - by Roseanne A Brown (Paperback)

About the Book

After her home is attacked by shapeshifting vampires, twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng is sent to live with her aunt and cousin in Maryland, but the aspiring vampire hunter discovers that middle school is harder than it appears on television, especially when she has to avoid detention and turn her classmates into warriors before they become vampire food.

Book Synopsis

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Roseanne A. Brown's vampire slayer adventure influenced by 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, a Slayer, and knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana.

When an adze infiltrates her school, it's up to her to whip some of her classmates into fighting shape before they all become firefly food. And when she uncovers a secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her family, Serwa will have to decide which side of herself--normal girl or Slayer--is the right one.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING

NAMED A BEST OF THE YEAR BOOK by Publishers Weekly!

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION!

"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, New York Times #1 best-selling author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians 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 Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

"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

★"This textured, richly mythological story will keep the pages turning as readers are drawn into Serwa's world. A superb, action-packed series starter."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★"Via Serwa's savvy narration, Brown 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)

★"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."
--Booklist (starred review)

PRAISE FOR SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAYHEM

★ "This sequel to Brown's explosive Ghanaian contemporary fantasy brings all the action and heart of the first book and turns it up to an eleven."
--Booklist (starred review)

About the Author

Roseanne A. Brown (she/her) is an immigrant from Kumasi, Ghana. She is the author of two middle grade novels in the Serwa Boateng series. She has also published two young adult novels, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and A Psalm of Storms and Silence, as well as a Black Panther graphic novel, Shuri and T'Challa: Into the Hearthlands. Rosie currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Follow her on Twitter @rosiesrambles.