After reading two books about kids with cancer and another one about a teenage soldier in Iraq (none of which helped my cold-plugged nose), I needed something a little lighter to read.  David Lubar delivered just that with Attack of the Vampire Weenies (A Tom Doherty Associates Book 2011).  his is his fifth collection of short stories, so I have some catching up to do with the previous four.

Even the creepy stories made me laugh as bratty kids got what was coming to them.  The kid who stole a ticket to a theme park got more than he bargained for on the roller coaster ride of a lifetime.  The pesky little brother who wanted to show up his older sister learned too late that he was indeed right about vampires.  (They’re not sparkly at all.)  Sometimes curious kids learned more than they wanted about waiting road crews or peeling stickers.  Not all the stories had tragic endings.  My favorite was the story where a princess made a deal with a dragon.

Just as fascinating as the stories were the author’s notes in the back.  Lubar explains where he found the inspiration for each story.  Many of them came from his “What if…” file.  Lubar begins each writing day by writing a “what if” question.  Now that’s a habit I could get into!  What could you imagine with your own what ifs?

• What if time could run backwards?
• What if no one watched the Super Bowl?