A DELICIOUS ZOMBIE TREAT

Reginald is not your average zombie. The rest of his fellow fiends only have one thing on their minds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: brainsssss! But Reginald would much rather feed on sweet and sticky peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and he's convinced that if his zombie cohorts just gave them a try they'd never hunger for brains ever again. But how can Reginald persuade the entire population of Quirkville's undead that they can leave the living alone since a good PB&J is all they really need? 

Peanut Butter & Brains by Joe McGee and illustrated by Charles Santoso is a delightfully creepy but not-too-scary picture book that preschoolers through second graders will enthusiastically devour.  

ZOMBIES REVISTED

Do you fear the "walking dead"? Maybe they're a little too creepy for you, but in James Ponti's second zombie-related book, DEAD CITY: BLUE MOON, Molly Bigelow is back to defeat the worst of them. But with less disgusting stuff and more action and adventure, with a little mystery thrown in. Molly and her zombie fighting Omega Team are tracking down the original 13 zombies all over New York, and along the way Molly comes across some information about her mother that has her wondering - is her mother still alive? 

A lively story for any zombie fan. For 5th - 8th grades.

OCT 2015

WHAT IF YOU SUDDENLY HAD THE POWER TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE?

From Theresa, Children’s Librarian / Central Library

Right from the start you need to know that this is a very unusual tale. It has all the elements of a family story, two kids living with their father on a farm in Montana. There is a missing mom who has moved to New York to pursue her career as a writer but that is not what even comes close to making this a very odd book. What happened that very stormy day in Fiona and Fenton’s yard was, as they say, “a big game changer.” When that bolt of lightning hit the maple tree in the front yard and left behind what looked like a ball of lightning everything changed.  The twins managed to capture it and accidentally discovered that it was capable of bringing dead things back to life. 

Starting small they experimented with dead bugs, small rodents, a favorite dog and ultimately their grandfather who had been killed in a car accident. While the ball brought the dead back to life, no one was quite the same. The maple tree suddenly started bearing apples and the dog was not so friendly. Though to be honest does anyone really want to be friendly with a skeleton dog? Even their grandpa Wade was a different man, much nicer than the cranky guy they remembered. But as we find out in Evan Kuhlman’s book, Great Ball of Light, bringing the dead back can get complicated particularly when they stick around. Not always a dark tale of death and zombies, this one has some very funny and warm moments. 

For grades 4-7.

IS THIS OUR WORLD’S FUTURE?

The year is not certain but the story is set in the future where the world has become a very different one than ours. It is hot, very hot and has been that way as long as Devin can remember. He is one of the lucky ones as he and his grandfather live on a farm in a hidden idyllic oasis. While they had to work hard to keep up with the chores, life was good for them. When the grandfather suddenly dies, Devin must leave the safety of the hidden valley to find help to keep the farm going. What he finds instead is a nightmare of a society where children are left to their own devices and everyone has to lie, steal and cheat to survive. After a chance encounter with an older boy named Kit, the opportunity to escape the dark reality of the city to what sounds like paradise is offer him and he readily accepts. 

Devin soon finds out that Paradise is not all that it was promised to be in Tania Unsworth’s, The One Safe Place a thrilling adventure story for readers in grades 5-8.

ZOMBIE JAMBOREE

A review from Mr. B.  of the Grandview Branch: 

Yes, ParaNorman was a movie first, and a DVD well worth checking out from the library. Kimmel has taken Chris Butler’s witty script and turned it into a free-standing, enjoyable comic-adventure horror novel. Seventh grader Norman Babcock (whose favorite movie is Dawn of the Dead) has the ability to communicate with dead souls, animal and human. This amazing talent makes him a prime object of Middle School bad jokes, pranks, and bullying.  But, it comes in handy as the 300^th anniversary of the local Witch Trial approaches, and the spirit of their local condemned witch (an innocent 10 year old girl) returns seeking vengeance. 

Adult fans of horror and comedy-horror (think Scooby Doo) will recognize the traditional elements: ghosts and Zombies both silly and terrifying; a ghostly visit to the trial 300 years ago; the slapstick between Norman and the ghosts; Norman’s classroom bully Alvin; Norman’s glued-to-her-cell phone older sister; Norman’s insistent, persistent, insult resistant over-weight friend Neil; Neil’s “Perfection-in-a-Towel“ older brother; and a host of adults who just don’t understand. Also present are the not very subtle but very well played themes of trust, friendship, tolerance, and acceptance, all in an easy to read, funny, riveting, and sometimes moving adventure package. Read the book; see the movie; share the fun.   ParaNorman by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.   

Reading Level 4th-8th.

ZOMBIES ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WE THOUGHT

There's actually three levels of zombies, at least according to DEAD CITY  by James Ponti. You won't necessarily be able to tell if a zombie is a Level 1 because they look and act exactly like living humans, just with a lot more make up.  Level 2s try to be like Level 1s, but they have no soul and can't tell right from wrong.  Level 3s are pretty much like the zombies you're already familiar with - mindless, brain-eating blobs.  Of course, there's a team of kids out to save the city from the zombies.  They're called the Omegas, and are a highly secret organization, and it turns out that Molly, the newest member, is the greatest Omega since...well, since the death of someone very important to Molly. 

For grades 5 and up.

MARCH 2013

ZOMBIES FOR HALLOWEEN!

If you're feeling the need for some fresh zombie reads this Halloween season but don't want to be scared out of your mind, try a few of these titles:
  
Enter the Zombie is new in the Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series where Nathan's secret status as a zombie is in danger.  

In Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things Dinkin is afraid of everything but ghosts and zombies.  

In the latest title in the Pals in Peril series, Zombie Mommy, Lilly's mom is possessed by a zombie that wants to take over the world.  


Remember, don't read at night and keep the lights on while you sleep otherwise creepy things might visit you this Hallow's Eve. 

For readers in 4th and up.

MOM IS A ZOMBIE… NOW WHAT?

From Jennifer at the Montrose Branch Library:

Zombie Mommy (Pals in Peril Tale) by M.T. Anderson 

Now that Lily is showing up in books (as a character), her mom is worried. Why do all the moms get killed? Is her own life in danger? After reading an about the “Undead Capitol of the U.S.,” Lily’s mom decides she’d be safer there. At least for a few days. What she doesn’t realize is that the “capitol,” Todburg, is actually home to vampires, zombies, and ghosts. Lily is relieved when her mom returns home. But her mom is acting strange, no— possessed. 

Lily and her friends go to Todburg to find out where Lily’s “real mom” is. Things don’t go according to plan. In a comedic turn of events, however, an Adirondack tarantula becomes the story’s heroine. The fifth book in Anderson’s “Pals in Peril Tale” series, this book delivers. While the writing isn’t perfect, there’s enough humor and adventure to keep kids eagerly turning pages.

A funny, fast-paced adventure. For grades 4-6.