Cruise of the Undead (Zombies in Paradise #1)

Cruise of the Undead (Zombies in Paradise #1)

Laura A. Hansen

CreateSpace, 2012

$9.99, Softcover

978-1478165934

Genre: Horror

Age: 12+

Description: Fifteen-year-old Charlie is mad that his parents have wasted a perfectly good Christmas break by forcing him and his little brother on a boring cruise with a bunch of old fogies. However, after a few days at sea the old people end up being a piece of cake compared to the dead people. After seeing Harry the ship magician bit by a rat he brought aboard in Mexico during his show and then later getting lost in the under berths of the huge ship and seeing Harry, who is supposed to have died from an infection, he believes Harry is a zombie. Unfortunately for him, no one believes him. The adults on board even have trouble believing after a gruesome attack at the Death by Chocolate Buffet convinces Charlie that the dead are walking the ship no matter how crazy it sounds. With the adults in denial, Charlie, his brother Jack, and their new friend Savannah must forge a zombie-fighting alliance and save the inhabitants of the cruise from becoming the next victims.

Opinion: I came across this novel when my boyfriend (also a YA librarian) handed it to me. It was donated to his library and is written by a local YA author. Since it is self-published and I can read faster than him, he asked me to read it and give him my opinion on whether or not to add it to the collection. First, it does read pretty quickly. I read it in two days. There is a negative stereotype among self-published books and since Hansen does have a Ph.D. I kind of was hoping for a little better writing than most. While her grammar is good (the only major things being some formatting errors—missing quote marks, un-indented paragraphs—the writing style is pretty simple and not complex. It kind of reminds me of a longer hi-low book for teens. The thing that bugged me grammatically was the use of underlining words instead of putting them in italics. The plot was fun and the characters were fun. The teens could never get away with doing what they did in the story because it just wasn’t realistic (essentially they all save about 1,200 of the 1,600 passengers and 16 of the 600 crew members from a zombie death). I would recommend putting it in the collection as the back cover copy will get teens to pick it up and read it (if they can get past the somewhat cheesy self-published cover art) and it is also a good title for reluctant readers or struggling readers and is a safer title to offer to young readers who are obsessed with zombies but their parents don’t want too much blood and gore. It was a fun read. I’m getting it for my library and, in fact, have invited the author to come to a mini writers conference that I am trying to set up for my teens with some YA authors for this upcoming summer. She is working on a sequel.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

Cat Winters

Amulet, 2013

$16.95, Hardcover

978-1419705304

Genre: Historical, Mystery, Paranormal

Age: 12+

Description: In 1918 and the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza and the government is busy shipping young men to the front lines of a brutal war. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black is living in an atmosphere of fear and confusion as she watches desperate mourners inspire the popularity of séances and the business of spirit photographers all for some hope of comfort. Mary Shelley, however, has never believed in ghosts. She is especially distrustful of her best friend Stephen’s older brother Julian who has taken over their father’s old photography studio and turned it into one of the most popular sprit photo businesses in San Diego. However, everything might be changing. Forced to flee her home in Oregon when her father, a man of German decent who talked back against the war, is arrested, she is sent to live with her widowed 26-year-old aunt in California. When she receives news that Stephen is dead, she doesn’t want to believe. However, when she starts seeing and communicating with his ghost she just might have to believe that Julian thinks she has a good connection with the “Other Side.” It is especially important for her since Stephen’s spirit seems troubled and his death seems to have maybe not occurred overseas. She has to face the facts that she may have mediumistic talents if it is the only way to put Stephen at peace.

Opinion: I was super, super, super excited to receive a copy of this book to review from Amulet. This is a big book (nearly 400 pages) and because of its historical nature the beginning might go a bit slow for some readers—slow but not necessarily boring. I think this book might be a bit cursed. Teens will pick it up because the cover is spooky but I feel the cover description really doesn’t do it justice. There is so much more to the story than just the spirit photography craze during World War I. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that Mary Shelley, depressed at the thought of Stephen being dead and her father going to jail for at least 20 years, tries to kill herself—and succeeds. However, she ends up having a near death experience and astral projects outside of her body. She is urged to return and according to her aunt she just isn’t the same anymore. She appears to be magnetized (as her uncle’s old compass follows her around whenever she’s in the room) and her aunt feels an odd sense of peace when she touches Mary Shelley. It appears that her encounter with lightening has made her more attended to the spirit world and actually helps Stephen contact her. There are some awesome genuinely creepy scenes and the ending is shocking as we discover just what happened to Stephen. I love the cover as (asides from the schools not being Boy Scout boots the girl pictured is Mary Shelley in one of Julian’s spirit photos he took of her) and the book also incorporates many other haunting archival early-20^th century photographs to add a sense of spookiness to the world. I highly recommend this book though you may have to hand sell it since the cover description totally doesn’t do it justice!

Here's what one of my teens had to say:

Sarah, 15, says, “It is 1918 and the world is facing World War I and the Spanish influenza, which is spreading throughout the U.S. Mary Shelley Black has always been fascinated with science. When her friend Stephen dies and his brother photographs Stephen’s spirit she doesn’t want to believe it. However, she soon begins having what appear to be real, genuine mediumistic encounters in which Stephen clearly isn’t happy and appears to have not died in battle. Mary sets out to try and find out what really killed him so Stephen can be at peace. I love the cover. It is almost the exact picture that Stephen’s brother takes of Mary in the book and uses, against her knowledge, as an advertisement for his spirit photography. (The only different is she has “Boy Scout boots” in the book and appears in the cover image to be wearing more girlie shoes.) I felt that it really reflected the historical aspect of the book and the spookiness. My favorite parts were when Mary died for a second time (I can’t believe Mary dies twice in the book! That’s crazy!) and when she found out how Stephen actually died. I like how she saw how he died when she sat on his bed—it was like she was transported there and was an eyewitness to the crime. I like that Mary was also a girl into science in a time period when all girls were supposed to do was get married. She was a feisty heroine.”

Note: A big thanks to my contact at Amulet, Laura Mihalick, for sending me an ARC to review!

“Who Could That Be at This Hour?” (All the Wrong Questions #1)

“Who Could That Be at This Hour?” (All the Wrong Questions #1)

Lemony Snicket

Little Brown for Young Readers, 2012

$15.99, Hardcover

978-0316123082

Genre: Humor, Mystery

Age: 8+

Description: Lemony Snicket wasn’t always the mysterious recorder of the Baudelaire orphans misfortunes. In fact, at one point he was just a 13-year-old boy who was beginning his connections with the mysterious V.F.D. organization. In “Who Could That Be at This Hour?”, Snicket chronicles how he came to be with the V.F.D. Readers are introduced to the young Snicket as he escapes his parents (or are they his parents?) in a tea room to meet the woman with whom he’ll apprentice, a Ms. S. Theodora Markson (what does the S stand for?). They make their way to a seaside town called Stain'd-by-the-Sea, which is now devoid of the ink for which it was famous and has pretty much been deserted by its residents. Their job there is to solve the theft of a mysterious statue of the Bombinating Beast—a statue that supposedly is junk by its supposedly rightful owner but everyone seems to want it.

Opinion: This new series by Snicket is technically a prequel of sorts to A Series of Unfortunate Events. It tells of Snicket, a 13-year-old, and how he come to be with the V.F.D. There are cute blue-toned illustrations throughout the book and it features the same humor that Snicket fans have come to expect and love. The only downside I see is that the final Series book was published in 2006. Are the original readers and fans of ASOUE even going to care about a prequel written six years later? Most of those fans are probably older teens now and don’t even remember. It seems more likely to appeal to someone like me who was already in my late teens when I was reading the series so I remember it more and am excited to see a continuation in any form. I fear that the audience for the new series might no longer exist because they have grown up and that the books (there are four planned) will need to be able to stand on their own as a totally independent story to gain new fans. Also, in order to catch the clues that refer back to ASOUE (references to V.F.D., an appearance by a younger Hector—the man who was obsessed with flying apparatuses, etc.) one either has to be a die-hard fan or have just recently read the original series (once again because of the six-year gap between the series). Living up to its name, this series opener leaves readers will a lot of questions and also the question of “What exactly is the plot of this book?” because the main mystery seems to be Snicket becoming an apprentice to Markson who happens to be ranked the worst member of the V.F.D. as they hunt for the missing Bombinating Beast statue. It will be interesting to see where is goes.

Unfed (Undead #2)

Unfed (Undead #2)

Kirsty McKay

Chicken House UK, 2012

£6.99, Softcover

978-1908435323

Genre: Horror

Age: 13+

Description: Unfed continues right after the end of Undead as Bobby and her friends are picked up by another school bus full of students returning from another field trip and they think they've managed to leave the zombies far behind them. When the bus crashes, they quickly find themselves back in danger. With Smitty missing it is up to Bobby, Alice and Pete, along with newcomer Russ, to find him using the clues that Bobby's mom has left for them to find Smitty and retrieve the deadly Osiris drug from the Xanthro Corporation. However, even if they manage to get the group back together will they be able to find a way to get out of Scotland now that the country has been overrun by zombies and is officially quarantined from the rest of the world?

Opinion: Looking forward to Undead I happened across the sequel on Amazon UK when I was pre-ordering the seventh Skulduggery Pleasant book and decided to snatch this one up at the same time. So when Undead was released in the U.S. I also received the sequel from England! I don’t know if McKay will write a third book (the second has a satisfying conclusion but could continue) but if she does no one can complain of the second book having the “second book lull” that some trilogies suffer from. This book is non-stop action from page one to the ending. The moment that Bobby and Alice awake in the “military” hospital (haha—it’s really a fortified Xanthro location) to find that the whole of Scotland has been quarantined since the infection experiment has gotten out of control to the zombie chaos the teens face as they are forced to travel through Edinburgh to reach Bobby’s mother, readers will be on the edge of their seats. This sequel is not available in the U.S. yet. I do hope there is a third book.

Undead (Undead #1)

Undead (Undead #1)

Kirsty McKay

Chicken House, 2012

$17.99, Hardcover

978-0545381888

Genre: Horror

Age: 13+

Description: Bobby doesn’t really know where she belongs. Born in England, she moved to the U.S. when she was nine for her mother’s job. Sadly, her father passed away from cancer and now her mother has moved them back to the UK. She’s a bit of an outsider at school and is bored on her class’s field trip to remote areas of Scotland for a skiing vacation. On their bus ride back home, Bobby refuses to go inside the little roadside café. She stays in the bus with Smitty, the school “rebel” and tries to while away the time. When the bus gets bumped by a car and the bus driver goes out to investigate and doesn’t come back they begin to worry. When Alice, the most stuck up girl in class, comes running aboard the bus demanding they baracade themselves in Bobby and Smitty think she’s lost it. She claims that their teacher tried to attack her and everyone else in the café has turned into zombies. Suddenly, they notice the eerie quiet of the area and see blood in the snow. They rescue their bus driver and he starts to get them away from the café when their teacher barrels out and tries to attack the bus. Stuck at a gas station up the road, they get some more help from Pete the albino nerd in their class who ran the minute he saw something weird was going on. Soon they put two and two together—the weird dude seeing “Carrot Man Veggie Juice” must have had something to do with it. As they start taking out zombies and making their way back to the café they begin to uncover clues that makes Pete’s paranoia that “the man” is behind the infection look not so crazy after all.

Opinion: Originally a British book by McKay who now lives in Boston, Undead is a unique entry in the zombie world of YA fiction. A lot of the first book actually takes place with the teens stuck in the school bus and having to fortify a harder than usual means of safety which also happens to be a possible means of escape too. The other scenes include the gas station, the café, and a castle they eventually take refuge in. Bobby is a resourceful girl, Smitty the “bad” boy who isn’t really all that bad (and has a wicked scene of humor), Alice is the stuck up girl that wouldn’t have given any of them the time of day, and Pete the poor nerd. It’s cute that the twist to the story that makes it different from other zombie novels is that no one wants to believe Pete’s conspiracy theory but as they begin to uncover clues (everyone who drank the Carrot Juice turned, there was a huge tree blocking their only exit out of town, and the hi-tech video surveillance in the office of the café suggests someone wanted to watch what went down, all culminate with the discovery that Bobby’s mom might be working for an evil corporation and Bobby and her friends might be the only ones to save the whole of Scotland from being infected. The pace of the book for the most part is a bit slow but that doesn’t mean it is boring. The ending has the classic Nightmare on Elm Street (“we’re all safe now . . . “) feel to it but is successful instead of being campy leaving room for readers to be blissfully ignorant of a horrible future for the teens or leaving readers hoping for more.

Ten

Ten

Gretchen McNeil

Balzer + Bray, 2012

$17.99, Hardcover

978-0062118783

Genre: Mystery, Horror

Age: 13+

Description: High schooler Meg has always been the outcast. She feels especially bad for her best friend Minnie who, before Meg moved to town, was part of Jessica’s popular crowd and, for some reason when Jessica forced Minnie to choose between the popular girls or loser Meg, Minnie picked Meg. So when they receive a secret Facebook invitation to go spend the three-day weekend at Jessica’s vacation house on Henry Island Minnie begs Meg to go. Despite the fact that they don’t even talk to Jessica, Meg reluctantly agrees to go and wishes she hadn’t the moment she steps off the ferry and sees one of the guests invited is T.J., a popular jock who asked Meg to the school dance and Meg, despite being in love with him, turned him down because Minnie (who happens to be a bit emotionally unstable) is also in love with him. Unfortunately, the ten teens gathered at the house discover that Jessica has been delayed because of cheerleading and won’t be able to make it until Saturday. However, once night comes everyone doubts if she will make it at all since a major storm hits the island and the electricity goes out. Trying to entertain themselves, they can only find one DVD which holds a weird collaged message of revenge and later that night one girl, Lori, is found hanging from the garret rafters, dead of an apparent suicide. However, as hope of escaping the island seems smaller and smaller and more of the ten teens end up dying in apparent accidents, Meg needs to get everyone to work together to figure out what they might have in common that is causing someone to want to murder them all.

Opinion: This was a decent murder mystery. Sadly, the reason why I purchased it was mainly because of numerous references before publication to being a modernization of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and I am a huge Christie fan. However, I saw no nod to the original given in any type of acknowledgment and, quite frankly, the most important aspect of Christie’s book was the use of the poem that mimics the way the victims die. The closest thing we get here is a revenge plot that kills the victims off in ways that relates to the injustice the murders felt they were dealt (for example a partnership in a physics class experiment on light lead to one girl blaming the failure on the murder and getting a chance to redo the experiment while the murdered got a F so when the girl got her comeuppance she was electrocuted). While nothing like the original, I did enjoy the connection that was created because you were able to piece together what each person did to the murderer and how they could possibly wind up dead themselves. However, the delivery of the cryptic warning via a convenient DVD (the only one in the house) was a little too reminiscent of The Ring. There were some nice scenes of gore and violence to give it the horror background and not just be a murder mystery. However, for most of the book it felt like I was reading a 1980s Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine horror book. It was full of clichés and the end had the whole “look a twist you didn’t see coming but totally did because it’s horror cliché” when the murderer was revealed. Other clichés that abound where the characters themselves—you had the popular girl, the nerd, the jock, the token best friend, the black guy, the slut, the prude, and so on. It was so clichéd that one character looked at T.J. and told him something along the lines of “Dude, you’ll be the first one dead because you’re the black guy and the black guy always dies first in the horror movies!” Meg’s “complicated” relationship with Minnie was frustrating. Just because she felt responsible for Minnie turning her back on the popular girls to be friends with her doesn’t give Minnie the right to demand that Meg doesn’t have feelings for T.J. (who made it clear on numerous occasions he wasn’t interested in Minnie) or for Minnie to treat Meg like crap. McNeil tried to create sympathy for Minnie by saying she was on medications and so she was moody and depressed all the time but most of the time she really was an evil bitch who, medication or not, treated her best friend horribly. For most of the book, I wanted Minnie to get it. Overall, I was disappointed with the comparison to Christie but it was a fast-paced read and I would recommend it to mystery fans for a quick read. They can have fun trying to figure out who the real killer is since you know going into it that red herrings abound!