Companions of the Night

"Companions of the Night" is a novel by Vivian Vande Velde.

ummary

Kerry Nowicki only goes to the laundromat at 11:00 at night to retrieve her little brother's bear, because she can't stand to see Ian cry - not since their mom left. But when she gets there, she walks in on three men dragging in another younger man, Ethan, gagged, bound and bloodied and who they insist is a vampire.

Kerry helps Ethan escape, and once they finally do, Kerry realizes that he really is a vampire after all. When her family is kidnapped and another vampire is killed, she finds herself in his possession, helping him track down this new vampire hunter as the only way to find her family.

It is a story that measures the value of life, death, and, most importantly, about choices.

Major characters

*Kerry Nowicki. 16-year-old girl who is the "every man" character; but she has a great deal of inner strength that she isn't even aware of until she has to call upon it during this story.
*Ethan. The second main character; a Vampire. Possibly was originally from France, or a French background.
*Ian Nowicki. Kerry's little 4-year-old brother. It due to is his request for Kerry to retrieve his stuffed Koala bear, Footy, that this whole story starts.
*Stephen Nowicki. Kerry's and Ian's father. Now a single parent, raising the two of them. He and Ian have very small roles in the story in terms of presence, but they are of vital importance to Kerry.
*Professor Gilbert Marsala. The antagonist of the story; he is actually more evil than Ethan will ever be. As Ethan says, describing him as a Vampire Hunter, "he's so intent on getting at us, that he's a danger to humans, too...anybody who gets in his way."
*Regina. A Vampire friend of Ethan's. She eminates the classic, stereotypical, seductive vampire. She practically basks in her vampiric nature; a great contrast to Ethan.

Awards

Below are the awards "Companions of the Night" won.
*ABA's Pick of the Lists
*ALA Best Book for Young Adults
*ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
*Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
*Hungry Mind Review Book of Distinction
*Nevada Young Readers' Award [Nevada]
*New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
*TAYSHAS High School Reading List [Texas]