Zombie Pick: Undead

Undead
by Kirsty McKay
Chicken House (Scholastic)
2012
272 pages

Freakishly fun, bizarrely brazen, and monstrously macabre, Undead is a real zombie laugh riot! Don’t start this book unless you plan to stay up all night finishing it! Undead is the most fun I’ve had since last year’s funny zombie novel Bad Taste in Boys.

A bus full of kids returning from a ski trip stops for lunch along the road. Bobby hates the weather, hates her school mates, hates the trip and, moreover, hates changing schools and countries yet again. Her mother’s job has brought them to Scotland, where the weather sucks. She’s just over it. No one can blame her when she stays behind on the bus skipping lunch.

The chaperone tells Smitty to stay on the bus, too. One minute their classmates are kids…the next minute, they’re changed…and dead….or undead. Pretty and popular Alice runs to the bus. She saw her friends change but she ran. Now it’s the kids against the zombie apocalypse.

The snow storm makes it impossible to drive but the kids have to figure out an escape. They meet up with Pete, a classmate who fled the scene and hid out in a gas station. When the zombie horde advances, Smitty uses a lit cigarette to ignite the fuel pumps and credits the movie "Diehard" for the idea--you gotta hand it to Bruce Willis--he knows how to blow stuff up. The teens' next step is to find shelter and a phone. No one can get a cell signal and landlines aren’t working.

Just when they are about to give up, they see a castle…yes, a real castle. Where better to fight off an attack of slow moving undead?

What is changing normal people into zombies? Who is behind it and why? Why isn’t someone looking for them? Where are the authorities?

Laugh out loud teen antics and name calling will have readers in stitches.


The two boys, Pete and Smitty, are opposites and constantly at war.
When they see a sign for a castle, Pete says, “It’s a castle!”
“So?” says Smitty.
“Fortification.” Pete’s eyes gleam.
Smitty frowns at him. “Thanks, but you’re not my type.’”

Protagonist Bobby is hilarious and feisty! I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side if I had to fight off zombies. Spot on dialog, snarky teen humor, hilarious zombie attacks, zombie fighting gone silly, and a great tale will have hordes of fans reading and loving this new ya novel. This is a “don’t miss” title for all zombie fans!

Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up.

One of the boys moons the group, no language, some zombie violence, Diehard explosions, and a super-sweet kiss.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)