TRW: Bram Stoker’s Dracula vs YA Vampires

First published in 1897, Dracula by Bram Stoker is the godfather of everything vampire in today’s culture.  As history tells it, Stoker was a business manager for the Lyceum Theater in London during a time when Sherlock Holmes, The Time Machine, and The Jungle Book were all the rage.  Stoker’s Dracula would not gain cult and then critical acclaim until well into the 20th century, when his novel made it’s way onto the silver screen.

There was the 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, which is what a lot of people think when they think of Count Dracula.  In 1992, Gary Oldman took on the titular role.  1987’s The Lost Boys starring Jason Patric and Corey Haim.  This year we saw Johnny Depp reclaim Barnabas Collins and Dark Shadows, while in the past few years, Dracula has been fuzzy-wuzzied for the youth set:  Draculara of Monster High is the daughter of Dracula, while the recently released Hotel Transylvania has Dracula running a hotel for the paranormal, while trying to get his daughter to not date the human who has blundered into their mist.

As well as movies and television, we’ve been hit with wonderful and infamous reincarnations of the vampire legend.  Bunnicula,  by James Howe, is a vampire rabbit that drains the juices from vegetables on the farm, and loved by juvenile readers since 1979.  R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike have numerous stories featuring vampires among their horror stories that, while not quite reaching critical acclaim, are devoured by readers all over.  Then Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire series and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.  And Stephanie Meyer revived the vampire series for teen books with her Twilight series.  What are your favorite vampire books for teens?  Share in the comments!

Filed under: Teen Read Week, Top 10s, Vampires