Vampiric Vacation

ONE

The day was decidedly sinister.

But not in a charming Sinister-Winterbottom way. If it was a Sinister-Winterbottom way, it might be a day that puttered around the yard building battle robots with built-in cookie ovens, like Mr. Sinister-Winterbottom.

Or it might be a day that painted wild murals of storm-tossed seas populated with tentacled friends while its cookies baked in the battle-robot oven, like Ms. Sinister-Winterbottom.

Or it might be a day with its nose against a phone screen while a frown creased its impressively expressive black eyebrows, like Wilhelmina Sinister-Winterbottom.

Or it might be a day that ran at full speed, the wind whipping its hair, grass lashing its bare shins, screaming joy and delight and something close to anger, like Theodora Sinister-Winterbottom.

Or it might be a day that gazed pensively out the car window at the blurring landscape, wondering what it was heading toward and what might possibly go wrong there because it couldn t imagine that everything would just be fun and pleasant and nothing would go wrong, like Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom.

Well . . . on second thought, this day was rather like Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom.

Heavy clouds pressed down on the atmosphere, looming closer than clouds ought to loom, as though they were worried about the day, too, and couldn t keep it to themselves. They scooted closer and closer to the earth, peering down at the massive aqua car drifting at alarming speed down a lonely road.

Pretty dark for noon, Alexander said, unable to swallow the tight lump of worry stuck in his throat. He loved storms--from his own house, curled up on the window seat, with a mug of hot cocoa and a good book, and his mother humming somewhere deep under the house while his father scrambled to get all the battle robots into the garage. But he didn t have his window seat, or hot cocoa, or a good book, or his

Kiersten White has never been a lifeguard, camp counselor, or spa masseuse, but she is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Wretched Waterpark, the first book in the Sinister Summer series, and Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales. She lives with her family near the beach and keeps all her secrets safely buried in her backyard, where they are guarded by a ferocious tortoise named Kimberly.

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Praise for Vampiric Vacation:

A JLG selection!

"Another eerie escapade in a delightfully quirky series."--Kirkus

Praise for the Sinister Summer series:

"Wickedly weird."--The New York Times

Like a big waterslide that you scream all the way down, only to laugh in relief and get right back on, this book is gothically hilarious and an absolute delight. If I have to die in a waterpark, I want to die in this one. --Holly Black, #1 NYT-bestselling author of The Folk of the Air series

"If you like stories about mostly perfectly nice children in imperfectly spooky situations, you ll adore Kiersten White s Wretched Waterpark! It's both give-you-the-chills-creepy and laugh-in-a-room-by-yourself-funny. Full of heart and bravery and the most wonderful weirdness."--Lora Senf, author of The Clackity

"A timeless and charming romp of mysterious gothic delight for fans of Neil Gaiman, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Hotel Transylvania. I want to live in this world!"--Delilah S. Dawson, NYT bestselling author of the Minecraft Mob Squad series and Mine

"Everything I want in a creepy middle grade book: wonderfully odd characters, mystery and humor, a murderous gothic waterpark. Dangerously delightful. --Jacqueline West, NYT-bestselling author of The Books of Elsewhere and Long Lost

"The creepy gothic setting, the relationships between the siblings, the cast of unusual characters, and the teasers that this episode is just one part of a much larger puzzle will keep readers hooked. Young goths will be all-in for the trippy mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews

"Readers who enjoy quirky mysteries will fall in love with the clever and relatable Sinister-Winterbottom twins, who will solve the mystery before their aunt shuffles them off to their next adventure."--Booklist