Vampire Diaries: Awakening (Book 1)

Author: L.J. Smith
Publishing Info: Published by Harper
Suggested Reading Level: grades 9-12

Synopsis:
Elena is a teenage girl who is beginning her senior year of high school. Until this year, she has been the undisputed queen of the school, but over the summer, her parents were killed in a car crash and she and her toddler-age sister are learning to live with this huge change, which includes living with their eccentric aunt. One of her childhood friends, Caroline, decides to take this time to try to climb the social ladder and overtake Elena as queen of the school. On the first day of school, everyone, including Elena is taken by a handsome, brooding new student. This new student, Stefan, ignores Elena and she takes it as a personal challenge to make him like her.

We as readers already know that Stefan is a vampire, but no one in the story knows this until nearly the end of the book. Because Stefan is ashamed of what he is, he only feeds on animal blood, so he is not a vicious killer as vampires are supposed to be. His shame has caused him to hide out in the dark places of Europe until now, but he has decided to come to (Elena's home town,) Falls Church, to see if he can live in the human world and find some happiness.

Stefan ignores Elena because she is the spitting image of the woman he loved named Katherine, who turned him into a vampire and then died. Stefan's brother, Damon, also loved Katherine and blames Stefan for Katherine's death, even though it was not his fault. Damon comes to Falls Church to see if he can win Elena over and ruin Stefan's life in the process.

Damon, however, did not take the same course as his brother, and glories in feeding on humans because it makes him stronger than a vampire feeding only on animal blood (because of the strong life essence it carries). It also allows him to develop the "Dark Powers" that strong vampires can master (including things like mind control and shape shifting).