SUCKS TO BE ME by Kimberly Pauley

Being a high school student is stressful all by itself. Crushes, friendships, homework, the list goes on and on, but for Mina Hamilton life just got a little more complicated. You see, Mina’s parents are vampires. Her dad was accidently turned by her Uncle Mortie and since her mother was pregnant with her at the time, she waited to become a vampire until after Mina was born. The problem?? Mina’s parents never told The Council about having a baby and humans are NEVER supposed to find out about vampires and since Mina is human, she isn’t supposed to know. Once The Council finds out, Mina is told she must make the biggest decision of her life. To become a vampire or not.

Pros
She’d be able to continue seeing her mom and dad.

Cons
She’d lose her best friend Serena
She wouldn’t sleep anymore (and she LOVES a good nap)
She’d never be able to have children
She’d always look sixteen
She’d have to move around every 10 years or so

Mina is forced to take vampire classes for a month prior to making her decision. There she meets other kids her age contemplating the same decision and some information about vampires she never learned from her parents. In the beginning, she doesn’t see much good to becoming a vampire.

Follow Mina’s thought process through her witty narrative and frequent lists she includes in the story. Lists like, “Why It Sucks To Be Me,” and “Why It Really Sucks To Be Me.”

Mina is a strong female character that you can’t help but like. She stands up to the resident “mean girl” at school, she is nice to most everyone, and she is struggling in the romance department like most teenage girls. What more could you ask for in a young adult book?

The author, Kimberly Pauley, is the creator of YA Books Central.