Peter and the Vampires is volume one of Darren Pillsbury‘s Peter and the Monsters series. This volume contains the stories Peter and the Dead Men, Peter and the Vampires, Peter and the Changeling, and Peter and the Swamp Monster, the first four of twenty-six tales thus far. (And it’s currently free on Amazon!)

While written for middle schoolers, these stories are every bit as satisfying for an adult. They tell the story of Peter Normal, whose mother loses her job, forcing Peter, his mom, and his sister to move in with his mysterious, crotchety grandfather on the outskirts of a small town.

There, Peter is confronted with an endless catalog of monstrous creatures—despite his grandfather’s demands to stay out of trouble. With the help of his sidekick Dill (or sometimes despite him), Peter manages to survive each new danger and piece together the fate from which his grandfather hopes to shield him.

With this setting chapter, you will be able to adventure in Peter’s world, thwarting the plots of the same sorts of monsters he faces.