Nick, Carter, and Angelo are three boys who bonded over their mutual love of monsters. Every year since they've been friends, they also dress up and go trick or treating together. This year, however, Nick's aunt died and he'll have to miss trick or treat. (End of chapter 1.)I can see boys of almost any age gobbling this book up. The writing is simple and energetic, and filled with the kinds of things adolescent boys obsess over. I would recommend this is anyone loves a silly, but occasionally scary, monster book. Nick’s great-aunt has an ill-timed heart attack that forces him to accompany his parents to her funeral in New Orleans rather than trick-or-treat with his friends in the amazing zombie costumes he’d planned. He and his friends, Carter and Angelo, are monster enthusiasts, and Halloween is their favorite holiday, so Nick is beyond disappointed. This disappointment is assuaged when he discovers some mysterious bottles and books in his aunt’s house, and a forbidden trip outside leads him to a family crypt. You can probably guess from the title that Nick turns into a zombie. At first, it’s great. He and his friends find some creative uses for his newfound abilities, but eventually Nick realizes that he doesn’t like the idea of being a zombie forever, and he must figure out how he can return to human Nick—if that’s even possible.Nick and his friends are hilarious. They react to Nick’s transformation with aloofness, and don’t take the situation very seriously, but that all added up to an overall lightheartedness to what could be a pretty dark middle-grade novel. It was their humor and silly ideas that kept things from getting too dark, and they’re the highlight of the novel.The story brings in some interesting voodoo details, which might encourage a reader to do some further research. I like that the story is rooted in a real mythology for this reason. Kids who are interested in zombies might not know their role in various mythologies, and it could encourage some independent research into nonfiction texts.Savage has a firm grip on his audience, and he is brilliant at middle-grade writing. While I’m sure he takes his writing very seriously, he creates a story that doesn’t take itself so seriously, and it’s pure entertainment. One thing that impressed me was the presence of strong, intact families. No one has dead parents, drug-addict parents, imprisoned parents, kidnapped parents, etc. The typical middle-grade novel disposes of the parents in some way to make room for the tween hero to move freely. In this book, and the whole series to date (3 books), the parents are present—cooking dinner, setting curfews, the works. The boys, however, conceal their activities from their parents, which tends to add to the conflict. How do they get to a midnight ritual if they have to be home by dark?This book is a must-read for a middle-grade horror fan. Teens and adults who enjoy silliness, humor, and a little gross-out will appreciate it, too.Audiobook Review: Andy Paris does an admirable job narrating this. His pace is as little slow for my personal preference, but likely a perfect pace for a younger listener. I wish he'd have differentiated the boys' voices more, but overall, it was a good listen.• No language, sexual issues, or drug/alcohol use• Violence is mild, including a faked death• Some gross imagery, tempered with humor (like Nick losing a finger in the mashed potatoes)
Do You like book Case File 13: Zombie Kid (2012)?
A sure fire hit for Zombie fans, with enough horror and humor to keep them glued to the pages.
—Pamela
Great fun. Will make a great Christmas gift for my friend's son (who's a university student)!
—Steve
What a fun, clever middle grade horror book! I can't wait to share it with my grandsons.
—sabouas
Cute and creepy! My son really liked it. Can't wait for the next one!
—ash
![Far World- [1] (2008) by J. Scott Savage](/i/cover.jpg)