Vlad the Impaler (a Wicked History): The Real Count Dracula

The real,deal! The story behind the legend,infamous or, not? Your,decision.

For a basic book about Vlad, it's alright. Unfortunately, there were many aspects of his life that aren't able to be summed up in such a short book. Granted, it's for middle school aged children, so it doesn't go into great detail. There was more to the man than just his cruelty. A good start for further research and reading about an interesting man and his times.

I am a huge fan of the Wicked History Series for my 6th grade students, but I found this particular title to be confusing and not terribly interesting. I would purchase the titles on Ivan the Terrible, Genghis Khan or Catherine the Great instead.

This is a must have for any fans of Vlad Tepes. It is a good detailed history of the Impaler and gives accounts of his life and his battle with the turks.

It gives you information about a part of history you never really learn about outside of mythical folklore.

We are supposed to start our school day with 20 minutes of silent reading, and this is not an easy sell for 8th graders. I bought a couple of these books and the students actually fight over who gets to read them! I read the book myself and was deeply interested in spite of myself. I was impressed by the thoughtful and multifaceted presentation of the subject matter.