Alice in Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland by Nickolas Cook and Lewis Carroll
published by Sourcebooks, 2011
256 pages
approximate age range: 12+

You know this story, of course: once upon a time Alice was dreadfully bored and so followed a talking black rat down an empty grave and ended up in a horrific world where almost everyone was dead, or undead, or on their way to being one or the other. Wait, that doesn't sound quite right, does it? In this tongue in cheek parody of the well-known classic, Nickolas Cook lets his dark imagination run wild while sticking to most of the events of the original, but with a few twists of course -- Lewis Carroll probably never imagined his sweet heroine as a zombie herself with a strong craving for the flesh of Wonderland's inhabitants.

"'... How are you getting on now, my dear?' it continued, turning to Alice as it spoke.

'Hungry -- I mean as wet as ever,' said Alice in a melancholy tone: 'it doesn't seem to dry me at all.'
The Dodo looked her over humorlessly, his little eyes staring at her wilting hair and pale skin.
Alice's brow furrowed in aggravation and she was about to say something, but as she opened her mouth to speak, one of her teeth tumbled from her mouth, and she was so disturbed to see it fall to the ground, she kept her mouth close-lipped from that moment on. Her hair was falling out, and now her teeth, too? Alice felt a chill wash over her that could not be blamed solely on being soaking wet."

Despite having been written over 150 years ago, Alice in Wonderland is still a popular work today, having spawned movies, miniseries, comics, and various re-workings, such as Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars series. Teens will enjoy seeing a story they've grown up with mutated into a gross-out zombie parody that still maintains the basic structure of Carroll's tale. The original illustrations by John Tenniel are also slightly, but skillfully, redone, now containing extra gore, insanity, and un-death, making them quite amusing for readers with strong stomachs. While not startling unique, Alice in Zombieland is a fun romp and a quick read that will swing delighted readers from amusement to horror to disgust and back again.

Read-alike suggestions:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith

Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S. G. Browne

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Rot and Ruin

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
published by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, 2010
464 pages
approximate age level: 12+

15 year old Benny Imura really, really needs a job. But he doesn't just want some extra pocket change, he wants to have enough food to eat. In Benny's world, zombies have taken over and his entire universe is one small town surrounded by tall fences that keep the undead at bay. Since there isn't a lot of anything, Benny's got to do something if he wants to keep his rations coming. After failing at a string of jobs like locksmith, fence tester, carpet coat salesman, and erosion artist, to name a few, Benny is forced to take the one job he swore to himself he'd never take -- apprentice to his older half-brother, and town hero, Tom, who kills zombies out in the wild and dangerous lands beyond the gates, called the Rot and Ruin. True, being a zombie bounty hunter, or, as Tom refers to himself -- a closer specialist -- sounds cool, but Benny can't stomach following in Tom's footsteps after what he did years ago -- abandoning Benny's mother to die by zombie attack while he fled like a coward. Yet, out in the wilderness with Tom, Benny discovers things that change what he was sure he knew -- about his town, about the zombies, and even about who the real enemies are. For Benny, in the untamed and unpoliced Rot and Ruin, zombies aren't even the most dangerous threat.

Though the first few pages of Rot and Ruin are similar to a few other YA zombie novels, Maberry doesn't fall into a stereotypical rut and soon takes things for a turn few readers will expect. While there is plenty of action and lots of zombies lurching about, Rot and Ruin's central focus is on relationships and society, particularly how people behave in a world where normal society has completely broken down and there are no longer any rules. Maberry's characters develop naturally throughout the novel, and even secondary characters are well-formed enough to draw and maintain reader interest. Moreover, a running discussion of how zombies are perceived by the living -- not just as mindless killers, but as the remains of loved ones -- is an important addition lacking in most other zombie books. The questions this story raises for readers would make it a good choice for a book discussion, especially a Guys Read program. It’s also nice to see a non-white protagonist in a popular YA novel (Benny is half Japanese). The ending wraps things up nicely, but leaves room for a hinted-at sequel.

There's no book trailer, but here is an interesting video of author Jonathan Maberry talking about Rot and Ruin:

Read-alike suggestions:

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

World War Z by Max Brooks

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

The Zombie Chasers

The Zombie Chasers by John Kloepfer, illustrated by Steve Wolfhard
published by HarperCollins, 2010
224 pages
approximate age level: 9-12

On the way home one Friday Zack Clarke is a bit puzzled that his neighborhood seems dead quiet, but he has more important things to worry about – like his older sister Zoe and her awful friend Madison forcing him into a “makeover” and plastering his lipsticked shame all over the internet. Then Madison eats the last slice of his super delicious birthday cake that he had been craving all day and Zack thinks his day can't possibly get any worse. But it does -- Zack soon finds out that everyone in his neighborhood has become a brain-eating zombie when they descend upon his house and turn his sister into the walking dead. Now, on the run for his life with snotty Madison and his dorky friend Rice, Zack must evade the zombies, make it to a safe zone, and possibly un-zombify Zoe, preferably before his parents find out.

The Zombie Chasers is a silly romp with slap stick action, snappy dialogue, and cartoon illustrations of scenes from the story cropping up every couple of pages. Boys will love all the zombie vs. kids confrontations, especially the multiple gross-out scenes, and the illustrations will appeal to reluctant readers. It's not going to win any awards for exemplary literature, but The Zombie Chasers is a lot of fun and a quick and easy read that kids will find appealing enough to pick up – and finish. Try to stay alive for the sequel Undead Ahead coming out March 29, 2011.

The Zombie Chasers also has a nifty official website with games and a zombie survival guide.

Read-alike suggestions:

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series by Dav Pilkey

My Weird School Daze series by Dan Gutman

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney

The Enemy

The Enemy by Charlie Higson
published by Hyperion Book, 2010
448 pages
approximate age level: 14+

In a dystopian world where everyone over sixteen has contracted a disease that has turned them into mindless zombie-like creatures, a group of surviving kids and teens try to traverse the dangerous streets of London to get from the grocery store in which they have been living to a promised refuge in Buckingham Palace.

The Enemy is a fast-paced horror/thriller packed with action from page one. Yet, though the story is plot driven, a handful of characters are well-rounded and surprisingly relatable despite their circumstances. Told from constantly shifting viewpoints, we follow the events from the eyes of both boy and girl narrators, making the story appealing to readers of both genders. The action between teens and zombies does get pretty gory and violent and teens are killed - and eaten - so this book isn't for everyone, but it is an engaging, quick read and would be a great choice to booktalk to reluctant readers, especially boys. With the recent resurgence of zombie popularity seen in the success of shows like The Walking Dead, and the cinematic way The Enemy is told, I doubt it'll be hard to get an audience of teens interested. Though ending with a satisfying conclusion, not all loose threads are tied up as this title is also the first in a series. I'm anxious to see where Higson takes the story in his sequel, The Dead, which is set to be released in June, 2011.

The official website for the book offers a creepy book trailer, excerpts, author information, and even a zombie gallery.



Read-alike suggestions:

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Walking Dead comics by Robert Kirkman

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey