Adult Book Club Pick: Crushing It

Crushing It
by Lorelei Parker
Kensington Books
2020
336 pages
ISBN: 9781496725714

Available June 30, 2020

Gamer and coder, Sierra Reid is dying to represent her company at a gaming convention in Europe, but boss Reynold has the final say, and he is unsure Sierra has the gift of public speaking. In a presentation for him, Sierra is so nervous, her stomach rumbles loudly enough to be heard across the room. Mortified, Sierra turns to Aida, her best friend, coworker, and roommate for ideas.

Aida suggests they go to a local bar where they are hosting their first ever annual Chagrin Challenge night, a competition where anyone can bring their most embarrassing stories and diary entries and read them to the audience. Aida pushes Sierra to read a an embarrassing diary entry from college. She'll get practice speaking to an audience. Sierra goes along with the idea and nearly chickens out, but in the moment she stands before the room and reads an entry about a college crush named Tristan. The audience laughs at funny, heart on her sleeve college Sierra, and this Sierra feels pretty good about everything until the next person up is TRISTAN! Her Tristan. Sierra looks for an exit, but Tristan is flattered. The night couldn't go any better, and the top performers advance to the next round in a week. Sierra and Tristan both advance.

Sorting her feelings out for ex-crush Tristan, overcoming her anxiety and speaking in front of an audience, and discovering new (crush) feelings for someone Sierra never saw coming is enough for anyone  to handle. On top of that, she must convince her boss she knows more about Castle Crush (her game) than anyone else, and she does. But is knowing the game enough to conquer her fears and present it to a room of international gamers?

Recommended for romance fans and gamers and book clubs. A fun read with enough comic moments to entertain. Women in gaming need representation in print and movies, and Crushing It answers that need.

Picture Book Pick: Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas

Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas
by Aaron Blabey
Illustrations by the author
Scholastic Press
2018
ISBN: 9781338297133

From the author illustrator who charmed kids with Pig the Pug books, a new star is born!

Brian is a piranha with an unusual appetite for fruit. Other piranhas laugh at his odd diet and declare that piranhas don't eat fruit. He loves peas, silverbeets, bananas, but doesn't offer them any meat. They tell him they'd rather eat feet or bum!

Children will laugh out loud at clever illustrations and cute, quirky prose. Sure to be a childhood favorite read and will appeal to kids who love odd creatures and sea creatures. Brian is one cool piranha!

Highly, highly recommended for all early readers. Quite the fun read!

High School Pick: The Great American Whatever

The Great American Whatever
by Tim Federle
Simon & Schuster
2016
274 pages
ISBN: 9781481404099

Reviews:

"The Great American Whatever knocked me out. Tim Federle writes with a rare voice — original, authentic, engaging." (Rob Thomas, author of Rats Saw God and creator of Veronica Mars)

"A raw nerve of a book—so perfectly tender and funny and true. My heart now belongs to The Great American Whatever. Officially. Completely." (Becky Albertalli, author of Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda)

*"Federle’s first foray into YA is an accomplished effort, dramatic and distinguished by carefully developed, appealing characters... whimsical, wry, and unfailingly funny." (Booklist, starred review)

*"A Holden Caulfield for a new generation." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"The mix of vulnerability, effervescence, and quick wit in Quinn’s narration will instantly endear him to readers." (Publishers Weekly)

*“Even under the weight of grief, Quinn’s conversational and charming narrative voice effervesces, mixing humor and vulnerability in typical Federle style." (School Library Journal, starred review)

"Recommended for mature teens who want to be inspired." (VOYA)

"Federle’s YA debut takes its place in the lineage of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and John Green’s coming-of-age tales." (Horn Book Magazine)

*"What sets this fantastic novel apart is Quinn's brilliantly realized, often hilarious first-person voice, from laugh-out-loud asides to heart-wrenching admissions...Charming and imaginative." (Shelf Awareness, starred review)

“Federle has triumphed. He’s written a moving tale about grief that’s also laugh-out-loud funny.” (The New York Times Book Review)

 

My Review:

 

Laugh out loud, rolling on the floor funny, comic, hysterical, laughter ensues, if I had just drank chocolate milk I would probably shoot it out my nose, side-splitting, slap yo mama funny! Tim Federle is the real deal. He can write comedy if he ever needs a side job, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

The Great American Whatever is the perfect teen angst book of 2016 and Quinn the perfect "every" boy. When Quinn's beloved older sister dies in a horrific (is there any other kind?) car accident, Quinn takes grief and self blame to a whole new level. He stays in his room, not moving, not eating, not bathing, not reading or watching television, not doing anything. For months. His mother tries to rouse him, but with her own failure as both a mother and wife, she is wallowing in self pity herself. The world as they both know it has changed in an instant. Lucky for Quinn, he has a great friend who won't take no for an answer. Geoff literally drags Quinn out the door and to a party.

 

Quinn meets a cute boy and is excited when the boy gives him a note with his phone number on it. Too bad Quinn can't find his cell phone. He has not seen it in months. Since that terrible night when he got his last text from his sister, right before she died. The book is full of grief, but Federle makes grief hysterically funny.

 

Quinn goes on a date with cute boy Amir and gets drunk. The next day, Quinn says, "This is the kind of hangover people write horror movies about, movies that are never funded because they're too graphic....a hangover feels like...a sledgehammer eloped with a swing set and they honeymooned in your head."   

 

Once he is able to tell his story out loud to Amir, Quinn is able to forgive himself and move on. He will always feel a void where his sister/film maker/director used to be, but when he discovers that his dream was not her dream, it is an a-ha moment.  Quinn sees life through the script of a movie. It has been his dream to write and produce films and he now has the chance to go to film school. Another quirk that sets Quinn apart is his love of movies--all types of movies from old black and white, to spaghetti westerns, to horror. He gives teen readers ideas on what movies to be sure and see. Hopefully they will take notice.

 

If Hollywood can get the right writers (Tim Federle, maybe?) The Great American Whatever would be a fantastic teen movie or even a comic sit-com.

 

Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up. Mature situations, profanity.

 

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

I Nearly MIssed This One! YA Pick: Trouble Is a Friend of Mine

Trouble Is a Friend of Mine
by Stephanie Tromly
Kathy Dawson Books
2015
334 pages
ISBN: 9780525428404

Watch a teen review

Praise

Praise for Trouble Is a Friend of Mine:
“In what reads like a combination of Veronica Mars and The Breakfast Club, debut author Tromly creates a screwball mystery with powerful crossover appeal.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This is one of those rare books that promises something unique and actually delivers beyond expectation. At least one copy belongs in every young adult collection—maybe even two or three. Once the word gets out, this book will fly off the shelves.”—VOYA, starred review

“Fast-talking, suit-wearing Digby is an exasperating teenage Sherlock—sharply observant, impatient with social niceties, and unafraid of authority figures….Fans of Veronica Mars and Elementary will find much to like here…Zoe’s sarcastic first-person narration is fresh and funny…an offbeat and entertaining caper.”—Kirkus

“With snappy prose and wry humor alongside the gritty crime, this nod to noir moves as fast as Digby talks… An engrossing and satisfying read…[that] encourages readers to dig between the lines and see truths that even Zoe and Digby, in all their sardonic observations, can’t quite spell out.”—BCCB, starred review

“A fast-paced story….Readers will find a sharply drawn character in the irrepressible Zoe, who’s as dubious about Digby’s methods as she is curious about whether or not she can live up to his daredevilry.”—SLJ

“With acerbic banter and a healthy dose of high-school high jinks, screenwriter Tromly weaves together traditional elements of teen stories to create a Breakfast Club for a new century.”—Booklist

My Review:


Trouble Is a Friend of Mine was marketed as a cross between Veronica Mars, Sherlock and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," so I was intrigued right away and had high hopes for a great read. I wasn't disappointed and readers won't be either!


Philip Digby is that weirdly cool nerdy kid who everyone knows but isn't exactly close friends with probably because they couldn't keep up with his intellect. They admire his aplomb, his ability to finesse a situation, his benign smile, his ability to tell tall tales and get away with them, and his audacity to fight authority and win before authority  even knows they were in a fight.Whip smart, ever so random in his observances and utterances, Sherlock Holmes smart, utterly devilish,  charming, and dazzling in his brilliance, Digby befriends Zoe. Actually befriends is not the right word. He wiles his way into her life and Zoe, a little bored and a lot friendless, is confused as to why she's suddenly Digby's sidekick and a willing if confused  Dr. Watson to his witty and biting Sherlock Holmes. A cute football playing jock named Henry joins the two and soon the  trio are searching for a missing girl.  Eight years  earlier, Digby's younger sister vanished, and he's hoping if he finds what happened in the recent disappearance, he can find his sister.


I can't say enough about Digby;  he is an enchanting fellow. He is masterful at controlling the situation and keeping things on a strictly need to know basis. He has a plan to bust a drug ring and find out where the missing girl or girls are. Digby is he master of the understatement and a genius at linguistics. He takes jibs at Zoe, aka Princeton, teasing her for her clothing choices, her lack of friends, her boring life, and her wanting to attend an expensive private school. Readers later learn that Digby's home life is...well...strange!

As Zoe crushes on cute Henry, who has a mean girl cheerleader girlfriend, she realizes her feelings for Digby are more than friendship. Zoe has her share of funny lines. When she sees Henry's toned stomach, she says, "Who knew a sixteen-year-old boy who wasn't a werewolf fighting sparkly vampires could have a six-pack of abs?"

Trouble Is a Friend of Mine has a great trio of characters and lead "actors"  Digby and Zoe are sheer comic gold. After finding the bad guys, not alerting the cops, getting taken hostage, being thrown into a cellar, being held at gunpoint, finding tons of explosives and Zoe coming face to face with her biggest fear: her mother's new sleepover boyfriend, Zoe and Digby make a plan to free themselves from a car trunk. When bad guy Ezekiel opens the trunk, Zoe will stab him with an epi-pen and Digby will take the gun. While that plan sounds like it will work, what really happens is: the trunk opens, Zoe stabs the bad guy, the bad guy screams, Zoe screams, Digby screams and the trunk is slammed shut again. Zoe tells Digby that he was supposed to get the gun, but Digby says that Zoe grossed him out and he froze. Zoe hit Ezekiel directly in the eyeball with the epi-pen. Laugh out loud funny!

More surprises at the end will leave readers speechless but wanting more of Digby and Zoe.  It's great news that this book is only book one of a trilogy. Readers will have to wait until November for book 2, Trouble Makes a Comeback. What are you waiting for? Grab a copy of Trouble Is a Friend of Mine.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. Some adult situations: Zoe's dad cheated on her mother and leaves her for a much younger woman, no profanity, no sex, a "hint" of romance.

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

Young Reader Pick: Naked!

Naked!
by Michael Ian Black
Illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2014
40 pages
ISBN: 9781442467392

Adorable zaniness and wicked cool comedy literally jump off the pages of Michael Ian Black's new children's book Naked!


Any parent can tell you that every child goes through that stage where clothes are a real hassle and buzz kill--it's much more fun to be Naked! The super nova boy who displays unflagging energy and heart goes about his day Naked! He shouts, "Look at me everybody! I'm naked! Whoooooo! Naked, naked, naked!"

Any child (and any adult who loves humor) can tell you the word "Naked!" is in itself, a funny word. Nude...not so funny. Bare....boring. Unclothed....uptight and uber proper. But Naked! deserves to be capitalized and always said and written with an exclamation point! It's freeing somehow! Look at me using the exclamation point! Whoooooooo!

The boy runs around his house, eating  cookies and imagines going to school and playing on the playground all the while Naked! Life is great until....he imagines how much better it could be with a cape. Oh, yes. A cape. It makes all things better. Including Naked!

The boy discovers Naked! really works for him until he gets too cold. Clothes do have a use he has to concede.

Illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi capture the energy and captivating spirit of the young boy. Readers can feel his energy and fun as he runs around his house. The boy's mother appears throughout the book trying to get him clothed as he outruns and outmaneuvers her, and it makes the story even more humorous and loveable.

Kids are sure to giggle and adults will love this captivating book. Kids always scream and laugh out loud when the boy in David Shannon's No David! is Naked! Imagine reading Naked! to a group of kindergartners. Funny, right? And great fun.

Picture books just don't get any better than Naked! It is sure to tickle your funny bone and leave a smile on your face and warm fuzzys in your heart.

So highly recommended that I'm shouting it from the rooftops: Go out and experience Naked! ( I just love writing and saying that).

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)

Fantasy Pick: What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World

What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World
by Henry Clark
Illustrations by Jeremy Holms
Little, Brown and Company
2013
355 pages
ISBN: 9780316206662

Clever, quirky, and classic, What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World is a gem of a book!This is wild and wacky adventure at its finest. From a talking domino to a nutty neighbor and a sofa from outer space, Henry Clark's madcap novel will captivate and entertain readers.

When friends Fiona, Freak and River find a rare zucchini colored crayon in an abandoned sofa by their school  bus stop, their adventure begins. Fiona does some research and finds out the rare crayon was manufactured in 1944 and is worth thousands to the right bidder. She puts the crayon in an online auction, and the bidding gets to $7000.00 right away. The kids can't believe their good luck, but then they realize that the sofa may belong to the old guy who lives in the Underhill place. They decide to tell the rightful owner about the crayon.

They discover from a voice at the gate that Old Man Underhill has died and that the new neighbor's name is Alf and he's interested in that crayon and in meeting them. He tells the kids an outlandish tale of a billionaire inventor who has destroyed  the middle of their town turning it into  a cesspool of smoky ashes. Now Edward Disin is after their crayon. He has a strange disorder that makes it impossible for him to have an incomplete collection of anything. Compulsive Completist Disorder, or CCD, is the inability to tolerate incomplete collections. Disin cannot do anything until he gets the one crayon he is missing from his 1944 Victory Garden crayon box--the zucchini colored crayon.

Alf plans to invite collectors to an auction at the Underhill house and capture the elusive billionaire, turning him over to the authorities, and he wants the kids to help. The kids get themselves into a number of sticky situations and somehow find their way out of them with spunk and wry wit.

Laugh out loud comedic dialog jumps off the pages! This is comedy done just right. Think Lemony Snicket with high comedy and clever charm.

Highly, highly recommended grades 5-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I purchased this book for the library. 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)

Wimpy Kid Pick: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (book 8)
by Jeff Kinney
Amulet
2013
217 pages

Official Wimpy Kid page

Endearing, innovative and downright laugh out loud funny, the latest book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a riot! Jeff Kinney keeps getting it right, and Greg Heffley is entertaining and unflappable as the ultimate Wimpy Kid.

Greg is going through a rough time. Best friend Rowley has a new girlfriend and has changed completely. He no longer sits at the "boys' table" but with girlfriend Abigail. Greg feels at loose ends and can't decide what group to join. He realizes he's grasping at straws when he even considers weird kid Fregley as his new BFF. Greg is down on his luck but willing to try anything.

When he finds an old Magic 8 ball under his brother's bed, Greg begins to depend on the 8 ball to make decisions for him. He decides the 8 ball is really good at decision making and even tries to use it to finish his math homework. That's when Greg realizes the 8 ball is limited on giving answers to all questions.

There's so much to love about this book! There's family drama when the extended family comes for a visit for Easter. Greg's mom's cousin Gerald creeps Greg out when he declares, "I used to change your diapers." The ick factor alone would creep out any kid. More family drama is centered around Meemaw's missing wedding ring. Everyone is looking for the missing ring, and soon accusations fly.

One laugh out loud moment comes when Greg refuses to taste  his mother's potato salad. He won't try it because she makes it in the bowl she gives to  them when they have the flu. His mother tells them, "If you have to throw up, do it in here." No potato salad, thanks anyway!

Greg will go to any lengths to pass his classes so he doesn't have to attend summer school. The way he hears it, they turn off the air conditioning in the summer and they don't even use real teachers. Last summer, Greg heard that the janitor was a teacher.

This little gem of a book is sure to appeal to any reluctant reader and to readers of all ages. I found it charming. Readers will laugh out loud at Greg's antics and woes. Thank goodness for Jeff Kinney who speaks to  the wimpy kid in all of us.

Highly, highly recommended for all ages!

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)

Hilarious Pick: Gorgeous

Gorgeous
by Paul Rudnick
Scholastic Press
2013
320 pages


Scathingly satirical, causticly comic, wickedly witty, in-your-face pun-y, and filled with more laughs per second than any comedy show, Gorgeous slapped me in the face and made me laugh until I cried. From the very first irreverent paragraph,  I was hooked and better yet, pleasantly shocked! Rudnick has that rare, ethereal gift of winsome wit that many fiction writers would kill for. David Sedaris (the funniest writer I've ever read) says, "Paul Rudnick is a champion of truth and love and great wicked humor, whom we ignore at our peril."

Becky Randle grew up in a trailer in East Trawley, Missouri, the daughter of a morbidly obese mother who dreams of Hollywood, glamour, movies and the good life. Just before her mother dies, she makes Becky promise that if something magical shows up, Becky should play along. She swears there will be magic and that Becky should use it. When getting some of her mother's old clothes ready for charity, Becky happens upon a phone number with an area code in New York. Becky calls the number and a woman sends her a plane ticket and some cash to come to New York. Becky is confused; why would someone, a complete stranger, send her money and a ticket to New York?  She enlists the help of best friend Rocher--whose mother named her after the box of fancy chocolates, famous for their gold wrappers. Rocher convinces Becky to take the ticket already  and get on that plane. If this isn't magic, what is?

Becky is whisked away by chauffeur to meet mysterious Tom Kelly, a designer so revered that he has become a recluse even from the world of high fashion. He tells Becky he will make her three dresses: one red, one black and one white. The dresses will magically make her the World's Most Beautiful Woman. The magic only lasts one year. Within that year, Becky must meet and marry Mr. Right or the magic wears off.

Wearing Tom's couture designs, Becky is immediately transformed to Rebecca Randle.  Her legs morph into supermodel legs, her skin becomes flawless, she is drop dead gorgeous.The kind of gorgeous that is simply other-worldly.  Everyone clamors to meet the new "It" girl. Soon, she's on the cover of Vogue and tapped to film a movie with hot Hollywood teen hunk Jate Mallow. The press is soon calling them Jatecca and papparazzi snap their every move.

Rebecca revels in the attention but finds it a bit vapid...that is, until she meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne. Suddenly, Becky knows what she must do. She must marry the prince and use her beauty and his power to help change the world!

What happens when a normal girl from nowhere rubs elbows with the A-list and British royalty? A hilarious romp that will have readers laughing out loud and quite possibly rolling around on the floor, gasping for breathe.

Libba Bray, no slouch to fierce and sardonic wit herself, wrote," Rudnick's considerable talents as a satirist as he uproariously eviscerates our celebrity-mad, class-concious, appearance-obsessed, reality-TV-vapid culture with puckish delight." (New York Times Book Review).

Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up. Profanity runs amok but it's so funny!

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC 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)

Hilarious Romp: Ditched: A Love Story

Ditched: A Love Story
by Robin Mellom
Hyperion
2012
288 pages

Hysterically funny and chortling great fun, this lively prom night romp delivers a great story, a plunky, snarky heroine, twisted teen antics, a band of dog nappers, a car crash, a couple of love triangles, a tattoo of Tinker Bell, a dog bite, and two gossipy world-wise women who help Justina sort it all out.

Justina knew it would be a GREAT night--she has a beautiful dress and she's going to prom with her best friend Ian. Tonight is
THE night--she will kiss Ian and take their friendship to the next level. The universe is just not in her favor, however, and events take a horrible turn.

Justina wakes up the next morning in a ditch by the road, and she vaguely remembers a car's lights disappearing down the road. What happened between Ian picking her up and waking up? It's up to Justina and the ladies to sort out.

First, that tattoo. Justina says, "Wait, I have a tattoo? Who let me get a tattoo? It's a Tinker Bell. Which could be cute if it weren't for the fact that she's a punk Tinker Bell. She's wearing combat boots, her wings are ripped, and her eyes are bloodshot. Great...Tinker Bell on a meth binge."

Then there's the time Justina gives the two Mikes and their dates a ride to get a burger. Mike and Mike are throwbacks to Bill and Ted (remember, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?) Mike and Mike have a long conversation,

" 'Dude, It's In-N-Out..'

'Bro'

'Dude.'

Mike sighed, "Fine."

It was amazing what those two could quickly resolve with their bro/dude conversations. How much time this world wastes with excessive syllables."

Somehow, Justina gets ditched at the prom before THE KISS. Ditched! By her best friend! On the night of her life! She spends the rest of the night trying to find out what happened and why Ian ditched her.

She ends up trying to correct the ring of dog nappings. When she drives Brian and Boner back to the scenes of the crimes, laughter ensues.

After the boys drop the correct dogs off at the correct yards, they slam a beer. Justina explains, "Apparently, this was the other part of the tradition--slamming beers after each swap. They clearly needed a hobby. And some maturity. And a designated driver."

Ditched: A Love Story will have teens rolling in aisles with laughter. This would make a great teen movie!

I say it's one of the funniest books of this year! Excellent teen dialog, this debut novel knocks it out of the park! I'm a Robin Mellom fan!

Highly. highly recommended grades 9-up. Typical teen partying, teen drinking, no language, some talk of sex but no graphic details. PG movie type dialog. Mature readers grade 7 and up will have no trouble reading this one, but the teen partying makes it more suitable for high school.

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

Hilarious Romp: A Bad Day for Voodoo

A Bad Day for Voodoo
By Jeff Strand
Sourcebooks Fire (Sourcebooks)
2012
251 pages

Darkly entertaining, ghastly yet inspiring, hysterically macabre, this is one ya novel I will never forget. I don’t believe I’ve ever laughed so hard while trying to read at the same time. Tears were soon streaming down my face as I attempted to focus on the hilarious, raucous, and wickedly entertaining A Bad Day For Voodoo. Jeff Strand is funnier than any prime-time sit-com ever recorded. His dialog is dead on and full of teen snark and venom.

Best friends Tyler and Adam hate their history teacher Mr. Click. Tyler is mad because he studied for a test he aced, yet Mr. Click gives him a zero and accuses him of cheating. Tyler didn’t copy any answers; another student copied off him. Best friend Adam figures they can get even and his answer to a mean history teacher is to visit a voodoo store in a seedy part of town and purchase a voodoo doll of Mr. Click. He presents the weird doll to Tyler, who is astonished and at a loss of words. I mean, who does that? Who buys a voodoo doll?

Adam encourages Tyler to just give it a try. Maybe the voodoo won’t work at all. Then there’s no harm done. Tyler puts a pin in the doll’s knee the next day in class and Mr. Click’s leg shoots off, bleeding and all. The class is terrified. The police and an ambulance are called. The boys are freaked out and Tyler hides the doll. Everything would have been just fine (well, not for Mr. Click) if Adam had left it at that. He’s afraid that Tyler will rat him out to the police, so he buys a voodoo doll of Tyler as insurance. The kids are joined by Tyler’s girlfriend Kelley as they try to race against the clock to get back to the voodoo shop and try to turn the curse around.

The rest of the novel involves a car jacking, a band of not-so-bright car thieves, four murders, one death, a careening car chase, a crazy taxi driver hyped up on Red Bull, a strange family with even stranger beliefs, one zombie fight, a gunshot wound, a pizza cutter wound, a car crash, one case of grand theft auto, a bleeding ear and two missing toes…oh, and about a zillion laughs! Who knew violence and mayhem could be so much fun?

When the boys are fighting off Zombie Mr. Click (he has escaped the morgue—oh, did I mention he died?-- and now he is a zombie with his leg attached, well, sort of, attached), Zombie Click is trying to fight Adam… Tyler tells the story, ”He (Click) pounced on top of him…so I grabbed the back of Mr. Click’s gown and tried to pull him away. The gown tore. This was officially the worst day ever.”

What’s worse than a zombie eating your friend’s face? Worse than a crazed zombie attack? Seeing your teacher as a naked zombie, of course!

If you mixed equal parts of Joan Rivers’ spot on one-liners, the comedic brilliance of Larry the Cable Guy, and the comic insight of Will Rogers, you might come close to Jeff Strand’s writing. A Bad Day For Voodoo reminded me of the movie “Adventures in Babysitting.” The kids have to travel around in dangerous parts of town where they meet more than their fair share of urban problems.


Highly, highly recommended grades 7-up. This is a no-brainer: Don’t miss this book! You’ll be sorry you did. No language, in fact, when Tyler cusses he does so by saying: s-word, f-word, etc. No sex. Zombie violence. Hilarious gun-fight between the ring of car thieves.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I purchased this book for my library. 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)