Hey, “lost ones”! How nice to meet you again. Recently, I had the pleasure of revisiting the famous Vaga-lume series, an old collection of Brazilian books that marked many people’s childhoods.

In fact, I read a book from this series when I was a teenager called “The Case of the Atyrian Butterfly”. I remember being fascinated by the narrative. And now, when I picked up “Na mira do vampiro” by author Lopes dos Santos from the literary refrigerator in the municipal park near my house, that fascination came back.

The image of Kriegel, a character from the book.

“Na Mira do Vampiro”: An Engaging Plot

“Na mira do vampiro” is a fiction book that is a very pleasant read. The story revolves around two boys, Duda and Toninho, both very mischievous. The plot begins with them getting up to mischief and picking fruit from other people’s houses, which brought back memories of when I used to go to the countryside of Minas Gerais and eat fruit straight from the tree. I confess that, as an “old man”, the book gave me some “nostalgic triggers”.

Duda is more of a “homebody” (he likes to stay home watching TV), while Toninho is more of a “street person” (he rarely goes out at home). Their mothers work together, so they spend a lot of time together.

At one point in the beginning of the story, Duda, watching the news, hears about a vampire on the loose in the city. The news reported the death of a woman, found drained of blood and with two holes in her neck. Shortly after, the boys see a funeral car in a house near where they are playing (which appears to be the funeral home’s office). Duda convinces Toninho to investigate, and the adventure begins. In a moment of danger, they manage to hide inside one of the funeral home’s coffins.

The situation becomes complicated, and the two end up getting separated. One of them hides behind the car, while the other remains in the coffin. The boy who is on the street sees the car stop at a building and the funeral home employees take the coffin with his friend inside. The boy who was trapped in the coffin manages to escape and comes across a beautiful dead girl and a man dressed as a vampire. The man is distracted, and the boy who was outside manages to talk to the doorman, who gives him some important information. And so the plot unfolds.

The Investigation and the Atmosphere of Mystery

From this point on, the two manage to get along well. Duda, who lives near a police station, asks for help from some police officers who are his friends, and they decide to investigate the building. During this investigation, they find some strange things, such as furniture being dragged (with grooves in the floor). The police tell the boys to leave, but the next day, they decide to investigate the house that seemed to be the funeral home’s workshop. Duda ends up going alone and gets trapped there.

While investigating, he hears footsteps. It was Toninho, who had decided to join his friend. But the two end up getting trapped there and, moments later, find a kind of small, silver chest. After managing to get out of the house, they decide to investigate the funeral home.

Up until this point, the author hasn’t given us any more details about the dead women – not about the one the boys found, nor about the old woman mentioned by the doorman, nor about the one in the newspaper. I was already starting to think that the “vampire” wasn’t a real vampire and that the author had forgotten the details about the women.

Surprises and Emotion at the End

But the funeral home is the setting for the final part of the book, and I won’t give any more spoilers. I might as well, right? After all, I don’t think almost anyone reads this book anymore. But I’ll just say that the ending is totally unexpected, and yes, a crime did happen. The story even ends with a shootout! (That’s the most I’ll reveal, I promise.)

Anyway, I thought the book was really cool. It forces you to try to connect the dots, and the lack of some information keeps you hooked and makes you want to keep reading.

I really enjoyed the experience and have already started reading another book. I’ve been surprised to find myself enjoying children’s books again. The next book I’m reading, and I’m almost halfway through, is called “Too Many Clones”. Stay tuned because I’ll write about it soon (maybe a summary like this one).

That’s it, guys! Have you read any of the books in the Vaga-lume series? Share your experiences in the comments!