Undead - Kristy McKay

When their ski-coach pulls up at a cafe, and everyone else gets off, newbie Bobby and rebel Smitty stay behind.

They hardly know each other but that changes when through the falling snow, the see the others coming back. 

Something has happened to them. Something bad. Soon only a pair of double-doors stands between those on the bus and the Undead outside.

The time has come to get a life..

*~*~*

Bobby is stuck on a school trip and would prefer to die, rather than "face them all again"...and by "them" Bobby means her classmates...but that is until people begin to change and act weird. Suddenly Bobby and 3 other classmates are on the run from the Undead following them...

First of all I have to say I have to say I never believed this sort of book would exist...and I was so excited to hear about it! All I had to hear was Zombie Young Adults and I was ready to beg to borrow it from someone!

The novel spent no time explaining anything you did not need or care to know about, it took me 6 pages to realise the main character was female! I really liked that, I don’t enjoy books that decide to spend 10 sentences describing every inch of how the character looks and how they will act through the book, I like to be surprised and have twists within the story...keeps it interesting!

The book was written so well that part the time it felt like I was reading an adult horror story and then suddenly there would be a comical moment or reference and I would suddenly remember that it is not supposed to be all serious! Looking back on it I feel like it should distract from the story but it didn’t at all. I remember thinking how odd it was about a chapter later that it hadn’t phased me and how it just flowed so well.

The characters were introduced in about 3 sentences each within the first 20 pages, and there was very little back story which kept the action still going without getting dragged into character story. You didn’t learn much about the characters, but then on reflection there is no time to learn about their families/past/pets/childhood dreams as they are busy running from Zombies!

I read this book in about 4 hours! It was just so easy to read and with me having a big geeky thing for Zombies kept me very excited and I read it in one sitting. Even with the topic it was a very funny and quite light. I want to say a good Summer read, but then I feel like I’m throwing it in a random pile of books and cornering it! I think the humour and tone in it is very good!

I just hope I can find more Zombie books young adult novels, if anyone knows of any please let me know!!

Undead will be published by Chicken House books in September 2011. Thank you to Raimy at Readaraptor for sending me her proof copy. She has also reviewed the book here.