Angela Sommer-Bodenburg is the author of a number of fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 books for children. Her most famous contribution to the field of children's

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 is "The Little Vampire" series which has sold over 10 million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. Sommer-Bodenburg states that her "vampire is not a bloodthirsty monster, however, but an affectionate little vampire with fears and foibles who will perhaps help free children of their own fears." The novel, written in 1979, spawned a series of books, and the plot has been adapted to theatre, radio, cinema, and television. The film version of The Little Vampire

The Little Vampire

The film version of the story was released in 2000 and stars Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter, and Alice Krige.-Plot:Tony Thompson is an only child whose family has moved to Scotland from California. In the new country, he has no friends, and he is picked on and beaten up by bullies...

 was directed by Ulrich Edel, and released in 2000.

Angela Sommer-Bodenburg studied education, philosophy, and sociology at the University of Hamburg

University of Hamburg

The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...

. She was assistant master at intermediate and secondary school in Hamburg, Germany from 1972 to 1984 and wrote the first chapter of "The Little Vampire" as an experiment to get to see what types of literature could hold the interest of her students. In 1984, she retired from teaching and dedicated herself to painting and writing. She has written more than forty books both for children and adults, from poetry to novels. She calls the success of the "Little Vampire" series a "mixed blessing" to her career as an author stating on her website: "I was pigeon-holed as the author of children's books and, within this pigeon-hole, I was further classified as the author of vampire books."

She moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California

Rancho Santa Fe, California

Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...

 in the 1992 after visiting the production company, Propaganda Films, in Hollywood that wished to make the film version of The Little Vampire. In 2004, she moved to Silver City, New Mexico

Silver City, New Mexico

Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant County. The city is the home of Western New Mexico University.-History:...

.

Little Vampire series

The first five books, when released in the United States, all excluded the word "Little" from the title. The first book was also released as My Friend the Vampire. Only volumes 1-5 were released in the United States. All other English translations were released in the United Kingdom.

Andersen Press

• The Little Vampire, vol. #1
• The Little Vampire Moves In, vol. #2
• The Little Vampire Takes a Trip, vol. #3
• The Little Vampire On the Farm, vol. #4
• The Little Vampire In Love, vol. #5

Simon & Schuster Young Books

• The Little Vampire In Danger, vol. #6
• The Little Vampire In the Vale Of Doom, vol. #7
• The Little Vampire In Despair, vol. #8
• The Little Vampire and the Mystery Patient, vol. #9
• The Little Vampire In the Lion's Denv, vol. #10
• The Little Vampire Learns To Be Brave, vol. #11
• The Little Vampire Gets a Surprise, vol. #12
• The Little Vampire and the Wicked Plot, vol. #13
• The Little Vampire and the School Trip, vol. #14
• The Little Vampire and the Christmas Surprise, vol. #15

Untranslated to English

These have yet to be released with an English translation.

• The Little Vampire and the Dance Hour, vol #17
• The Little Vampire Has a Birthday, vol #18
• The Little Vampire and the Night of the Shivers, vol. #19
• The Little Vampire and the Last Conversion, vol #20

Others

• But Still, I Love Her Just The Same:Poems (Poetry)
• If You Want To Scare Yourself (Short stories)
• Coco's Birthday Surprise (children's book)

German

• Der kleine Vampir, 1979
• Sarah bei den Wölfen, Gedichte, 1979
• Der kleine Vampir zieht um, 1980
• Das Biest, das im Regen kam, 1981
• Ich lieb dich trotzdem immer, Gedichte, 1982
• Der kleine Vampir verreist, 1982
• Der kleine Vampir auf dem Bauernhof, 1983
• Wenn du dich gruseln willst, 1984
• Der kleine Vampir und die große Liebe, 1985
• Der kleine Vampir in Gefahr, 1985
• Der kleine Vampir im Jammertal, 1986
• Coco geht zum Geburtstag, 1986
• Die Moorgeister, 1986
• Möwen und Wölfe, Gedichte, 1987
• Freu dich nicht zu früh, ich verlaß dich nie!, Gedichte, 1987
• Der kleine Vampir liest vor, 1988
• Die Unterirdischen, 1988
• Julia bei den Lebenslichtern, 1989
• Florians gesammelte Gruselgeschichten, 1990
• Gerneklein, 1990
• Mein allerliebster Teddybär, Gedichte, 1991
• Schokolowski - Der Geburtstags-Trüffelhund, 1991
• Schokolowski – Lustig ist das Hundeleben, 1992
• Schokolowski – Vorsicht, Hundefänger, 1992
• Schokolowski – König Leckermaul, 1992
• Schokolowski – Hilfe, ein Baby!, 1993
• Wenn die Füchse Kaffee kochen, 1993
• Benjamin Biber, 1994
• Von jenseits der großen Waldes, 1994
• Hanna, Gottes kleinster Engel, 1995
• Das Haar der Berenice, 1998
• Der kleine Vampir und die Tanzstunde, 2001
• Der kleine Vampir hat Geburtstag, 2001
• Kasimir von Käsebleich kommt in die Schule, 2003
• Kasimir von Käsebleich und der Ranzenmann, 2003
• Jeremy Golden und der Meister der Schatten, 2005
• Der kleine Vampir und die Gruselnacht,2006
• Der kleine Vampir und die letzte Verwandlung ,2007

External links