Undead

 Title:     Undead                                  
  Author:  Kirsty McKay      
  Publisher: Scholastic                          
  ISBN:  9780545381888

Evaluation:

Bobby can think of a million different places she would rather be than on a school trip with her classmates in the Scottish wilderness. A transplant from the USA, Bobby tries to remind her snobby peers that she was actually born in Britain, but she is still an unwelcome outcast.   The snow is piling up, and instead of going to the diner to eat with the rest of the group, Bobby stays on the bus with Smitty, the class rebel.  While trying to balance being bored and indifferent to the bad boy come ons of Smitty, the bus is hit from behind. The driver leaves to find out the problem, and Bobby and Smitty are left to wonder what is happening.  Their questions are answered when queen bee mean girl Alice stumbles onto the bus in tears.  Everyone inside the diner is dead, including their teacher Mr. Tyler.  Worse yet, Mr. Tyler has returned from the dead and tried to grab Alice.  When a quick survey of the snowy parking lot reveals more blood and bodies, the teens know for sure they have a lot more to worry about than who is included socially and who isn’t.  Forming an unlikely team, Bobby, Smitty, Alice and Pete, another social outcast, battle the undead in a fight for their lives.  Their flight from the horde leads them to a seemingly deserted castle on the Scottish highlands and the teens finally feel safe.  However, the castle holds the key to the zombie outbreak, and Bobby finds herself in the middle of the cause and the cure.  The book’s abrupt ending screams for a sequel, and readers will want to know what happens to the team of teens in this humorous, gory and suspenseful zombie book with a twist.  Characters are the stars of this book, with fully developed personalities that are realistic and empathetic.  Protagonist Bobby has enough backstory to allow readers to invest in her and her relationships with her fellow zombie fighters.  The plot of the book is fast-paced and dotted with snarky humor and a good dose of bloody gore.  Zombie lovers will love Undead.  It is recommended for readers in grades 9-12
  Reviewer:Emily Rozmus                                  

School/Public Library:Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools