Undead Ahead

August 1, 2011

Gr 5-7-In this continuing saga of six middle school kids versus the living dead, the action starts right where The Zombie Chasers (HarperCollins, 2010) left off. It's been only a day since virus-tainted fast food transformed the major portion of the U.S. population into flesh-eating monsters. Zack; his geeky best buddy, Rice; and their crew are on the run. The guys have discovered a possible antidote to the zombie virus-junior high "Queen Bee" Madison, whose vegan penchant for ginkgo biloba health drinks makes her immune to the burger-based plague. She has already succeeded in dezombifying Zack's sister and her pet puppy, but the epidemic is spreading fast. A desperate government figures that Madison may be the country's last hope and hauls her off to a Washington, DC, research lab. Meanwhile, Zack and the others escape in a stolen tank and head for home, hoping to find their parents alive and unzombied. Unfortunately, they discover their whole school infested with vicious undead teachers, coaches, and even lunch ladies-all slavering for fresh brains. The episodic plot is secondary to the often-grisly humor, and adults with nervous stomachs may cringe at the high gross-out quotient, especially in the graphic descriptions of the zombie hordes. Amusing but rather macabre black-and-white cartoon illustrations, heavy on drooping eyeballs and dripping slime, add to the atmosphere. The cliff-hanger conclusion augurs further adventures to come. Written with tongue firmly in cheek-and other body parts all over the landscape-this book will appeal to reluctant readers, particularly middle school boys.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.