A collection of stories about young monsters and vampires

Question

There are a couple of books I have been trying to find for years. I found and read them in my school library when I was in either intermediate or middle school; somewhere around the late 1980's. I'm pretty sure the titles were "Little Monsters" and "Little Vampires". They were both put out by the same publishing house (similar covers). I'm pretty sure the dust covers were black with just the title on them. They are collections of stories about young monsters and vampires, and the situations they get into growing up; probably different authors for the stories. I do not know when they were published.

Every time I do a web search, I come up with pages of the movies with the same titles, even when I put in book into the search. It has become very frustrating. Please help me. I do remember I enjoyed them very much. There may have been other books along the same vein.

I just remembered a part of one of the stories: an adolecent vampire was having trouble with the whole blood drinking thing; it would literally make her sick. She was considered an embarrasment to her family, and was usually sent to her room when company came by. I'm pretty sure it was a her.

Answer 1

I have a book called Young Monsters, a collection of short stories edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H Greenberg and Charles G Waugh, published 1985. It is part of a series, the other books are Young Mutants and Young Extraterrestrials. There are also three books listed as upcoming - Young Robots and Androids, Young Ghosts and Young Star Travellers.

The story is called "Homecoming", and has a male child vampire having trouble fitting in with the rest of his family as they throw a party for All Hallow's Eve, as he doesn't have fangs or wings, and can't drink blood.

He lifted his face and looked into the mirror. His was the only mirror allowed in the house. It was his mother's concession to his illness. Oh, if only he were not so afflicted! He opened his mouth, surveyed the poor, inadequate teeth nature had given him. No more than so many corn kernels - round, soft and pale in his jaws. (p.8)

You may have remembered the character as a girl because he tries to fit in at one point by having his sister Cecy inhabit his body, which lets him drink blood and feel as if he can fly. She leaves him as he jumps from the top of the stairs, and he falls (his uncle catches him), then vomits up the blood he drank.

The story is part of a loose collection of stories about The Elliott Family, almost all various sorts of monsters, collected in From the Dust Returned.