Read a few “books with bite” during Teen Read Week (October 12-18, 2008). These vampires will keep you turning the pages.

Blending science with humor and horror in Peeps, author Scott Westerfeld creates a unique world where a parasite causes vampirism. College freshman Cal becomes infected with the parasite, but is “partly immune.” So, he joins an underground organization that fights the “peeps” (vampires) and discovers a dark conspiracy. If you enjoy this ALA Young Adult Top Ten Selection, check out the sequel: The Last Days.

Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine, starts off the Morganville Vampires series by introducing Claire, a college freshman in Morganville, TX. Claire escapes dorm life for off-campus living – only to discover a town full of the living dead. Other books in the series: The Dead Girls Dance, Midnight Alley, and Feast of Fools.

Several teens at a prestigious school in New York City begin to experience strange symptoms and discover they are vampires in Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. Many of the city’s elite are “blue bloods,” or vampires, but another group has begun to stalk and kill some of them. Next up in the series: Masquerade: A Blue Bloods Novel.

In Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, Lissa, a mortal vampire princess, and Rose, her half-human/half-vampire best friend, have been dragged back to St. Vladimirs Academy, a boarding school for vampires. Together, the teenage girls face danger, peer pressure, gossip, and the undead. Next in the series: Frostbite.

Pete Hautman’s novel Sweetblood has a different perspective on vampirism. Teenage Lucy is diabetic and believes diabetics were the original “vampires” before insulin was discovered. She gets involved in the goth subculture and meets someone who claims to be a real vampire in an Internet chat room. Her grades plummet, her diabetes worsens, and everything in her life starts to fall apart.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber follows Raven, a 16-year old goth outcast obsessed with vampires. A mysterious family (of vampires?) moves in to her small town and Raven falls for their son. Other books in the series: Kissing Coffins, Vampireville, Dance with a Vampire, and The Coffin Club.

In the New York Times bestseller, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, teenage Bella moves from Phoenix to Forks, a boring small town in Washington. Everything changes when she meets and falls in love with Edward, a vampire. Finish the series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

After flunking out of his previous school, 15-year old Cody transfers to Vlad Dracul Magnet School in the satirical novel Vampire High by Douglas Rees. Cody quickly learns that almost all of the gifted students are vampires and he’s only been accepted to play on the state-mandated water polo team since vampires will die if they get wet.

In the Forests of the Night was published when the author, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, was only fourteen years old. The book depicts the vampire Risika with flashbacks to her mortal life as Rachel over 300 years ago. Risika battles Aubrey, another vampire, when Aubrey threatens the one thing she cares about. More vampire novels by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes: Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator.