THE VAMPIRE IN LOVE

Once again, young Tony has to hop to stay in the good graces of his vampire friends while keeping his parents blissfully ignorant of their true nature. Rudolph is mooning over coquettish Olga Pigsbubble, just flown in from Transylvania to stay with feared Aunt Dorothy, ``her only—er—living relative''; meanwhile, Anna's new full- size fangs have grown, as has her crush on Tony. He, in turn, evidently having hung around with the undead entirely too long, begins to find her attractive despite her unsavory odor and habits. Thanks to a tart tongue and quick thinking, Tony manages to fend off his parents, survive his closest call yet (a bloody nose in the company of vampires is nothing to, so to speak, sneeze at) and console Rudolph when Olga flies off in a huff. The series (My Friend, the Vampire, 1984, etc.) may be contrived and formulaic, but this features some undeniably funny scenes and a shrewd, plucky main character. (Fiction. 10-13)