Hotel Transylvania - Summer Vacation

Hotel Transylvania 3 Movie Novelization Chapter One
In 1897

The Transylvania Express barreled down the train tracks at top speed. Passengers dressed up for the journey. Riding a fine train like this one was a privilege. It was a beautiful day for travel.

The conductor walked down the aisle calling out the next stop. "Budapest . . . Budapest . . . Ze next stop, Budapest." He stopped as he approached five very strange-looking old ladies. They were all dressed in oversized overcoats and had their heads covered . . . so that the only skin that showed was their hands.

The train conductor was used to odd-looking passengers. "Tickets, ladies?" he asked casually.

The women all handed over their tickets to get punched by the conductor.

"Here you go!" a high-pitched voice said. It was coming from a giant woman whose hand was blue and covered with stitches.

"Here's mine," said the next woman, whose hand was pale and had long nails.

". . . and mine!" said another, whose hand was covered in fur.

"Mine too," said the next, whose hand was stubby and covered in bandages.

"Here you go," said the last one, whose ticket came from a gloved hand . . . but the wrist was invisible. The conductor either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Eh . . . thank you, young . . . man!" said the woman with the pale skin and long nails.

The conductor didn't realize these weren't women at all. In fact, they weren't human. This was a group of Transylvania's finest monsters, known far and wide as the Drac Pack: Dracula plus his friends Frank, Griffin, Murray, and Wayne. They were all disguised as Eastern European old ladies.

The conductor went back to punching tickets, and the monsters felt they could relax a little.

"Man, I hate wearing disguises. These heels are killing me," Murray said. His feet were crammed into tiny shoes.

"I love it! I never get to dress up," Griffin exclaimed. Since Griffin was invisible, he usually just wore glasses so his

Stacia Deutsch is the author of more than fifty children's books, including the eight-book, award-winning chapter book series Blast to the Past. She has also written the tween novel Mean Ghouls as well as books for the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew and The Boxcar Children series. Stacia has been on the New York Times bestseller list for the novelizations of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Smurfs movies. For new releases and school visit information, visit StaciaDeutsch.com.