Undead

October 22, 2012
An unlikely group of English teenagers work together to survive a zombie outbreak during a school ski trip to Scotland. With most of their class turned into flesh-eating monsters, Roberta, Alice, Smitty, and Pete find temporary refuge on their bus. Low on gas, surrounded by enemies, and unable to contact the outside world, they band together, taking shelter in a nearby castle. As can often be the case in zombie stories, humans threaten to become the real villains: the other inhabitants of the castle have their own malevolent agenda and may know more about the zombie outbreak than they let on. Blending comedy and violence, debut author McKay relies a bit too heavily on coincidence and convenient plot twists (out of all the castles in Scotland, the group walks into the one tied to the zombie outbreak). The charactersâwhose personalities are developed as they bludgeon their way through the novelâare the real draw in a story that otherwise covers well-shambled ground, entertaining but blending in with its gory bedfellows. Ages 14âup. Agent: Veronique Baxter, David Higham Associates.

March 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-In this engaging, fast-paced, story, a school ski trip goes horribly wrong when several of the students end up trapped on the bus and attacked by zombies who were their classmates and teachers before they had stepped off the bus moments earlier. Bobbie and her few surviving classmates fight off the zombies and drive the bus away, arriving at a seemingly uninhabited castle. They break in and think they will be safe there until they can get help. But the occupants return, and it turns out they are connected to the zombie epidemic. Bobbie and friends figure out what caused people to turn, learn there may be an antidote, find it in a lab in the castle, and escape with it-but not before having to fight off more zombies, outwit the lab workers, and deal with a dreadful revelation involving Bobbie's family. Narrated by Amy Schindler, who brings the characters to life, the dialogue, sarcasm, snarkiness, and humor are spot-on for teens. Some Briticisms may give listeners pause, but they are easily understood in context. There is some mild but situationally appropriate language. The ending leaves things wide open for a sequel.-Cynthia Ortiz, Hackensack High School, NJ

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