Not Your Ordinary Vampire: 10 Out-of-the-Ordinary Vampire Books for Teens

#1 Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Doug is not your typical sexy vampire; he's an overweight and unpopular 15-year-old forever stuck at this phase and getting his necessary blood from cows. This comical novel follows Doug as he learns how to be a vampire, avoid those who would do him harm and impress a girl at his school.

#2 Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

Vlad comes from a mixed marriage; his father was a vampire while his mother was a human. Vlad isn't yet sure what he is and so he suppresses his urge for blood in order to be normal. Meanwhile, he's enduring the typical eighth-grade problems, including bullies, girls and an unkind principal.

#3 Life Sucks by Jessica Abel and Gabriel Soria

Illustrated by Warren Pleece, this young adult graphic novel has been called a cross between Anne Rice and Kevin Smith's Clerks movie. It follows Dave, a beaten down vampire working at a 24-hour convenience store to make ends meet. Dave is enamored with Rosa, but she's being pursued by Wes, another vampire who's both a surfer and much more masculine than Dave.

#4 Night Road by A.M. Jenkins

What's uncommon about this teen vampire novel is that it may hold significant interest for boys, who generally eschew the vampire genre. The story focuses on Cole, a vampire trying to live amongst humans. He's asked by other vampires to take an inexperienced and volatile new vampire named Gordon out to show him the ropes. The novel is more about male bonding on a road trip than the typical romance found in other vampire stories.

#5 Romeo & Juliet & Vampires by William Shakespeare and Claudia Gabel

This novel takes Shakespeare's story into vampire territory. The stakes of the feud between the Capulets and Montagues is accentuated when Juliet's family is comprised of vampires and Romeo's family are vampire slayers. As in the original, the star-crossed lovers face an early demise, only things have a potentially happier outcome in a world with immortal vampires.

#6 Little Vampire Women by Louisa May Alcott and Lynn Messina

In this young adult novel, Alcott's original March family is recast as humanitarian vampires; they refuse to drink the blood of humans. The story is told with a faux seriousness that includes footnotes to explain relevant notes in vampire history. The end result is a silly but strongly crafted take on an American classic.

#7 Vampire High by Douglas Rees

Ninth-grader Cody Elliot flunks out of his New England public school in this comical teen novel; fortunately, or unfortunately, he's able to get into Vlad Dracul Magnet School. As it turns out, the state requires all schools to have a water polo team and, since vampires can't get wet, they need Cody and other humans for their team. Cody's humorous adventures mix typical high school exploits and wry commentaries on New England society.

#8 Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

This novel takes place in the unusual California town of Nightshade, where the latest fashion trend among girls is to look dead. Things take a turn, though, when one girl turns up dead and several cheerleaders start having seizures. Protagonist Daisy Giordano eventually discovers that a vampire is behind the mysterious events in this witty supernatural story.

#9 Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge

Jane Jones is a miserable vampire; her mom is overprotective, neither the cool vampires or humans accept her at school and, worst of all, she's blood intolerant. Things take a turn when romance blossoms with both a human boy and a fellow vampire.

#10 Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This isn't your typical girl meets vampire love story. Shortly before she turns 18, Jessica Packwood receives a visit from Lucius Vladescu, a Romanian vampire claiming she was betrothed to him at birth. To her horror, Jessica's adoptive parents tell her the story is true. Fantaskey writes with a wry awareness of vampire fiction's more ridiculous elements, giving Jessica opportunities to comment on the absurdities of the story.