| Moving, Household -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Fathers and daughters -- Juvenile fiction. |
| High schools -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Cheerleading -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Cliques (Sociology) -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Popularity -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Zombies -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Schools -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Schools -- Fiction. |
| Vermont -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Young adult fiction. |
| Fiction. |
Available:*
Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen/Young Adult | Fiction | Book | YA FIC JAMES | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong.
A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah's first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders--the most popular girls in school.
The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale.
But Hannah wants desperately to fit in--regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn't watch her back, she's going to be blonde and popular and dead--just like all the other zombies in this town. . . .
Author Notes
Brian James is the author of several notable books including Pure Sunshine and Dirty Liar . He lives in a small town in upstate New York that may or may not be overrun with zombies. He is currently researching the matter . . . very carefully.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-It's not easy moving every few months, but after six years, there are some constants upon which 15-year-old Hannah can rely. The small-town cops will always uncover her father's past, the creditors will find them eventually, and the popular girls are always easy to spot. She knows the type: blond, pretty, athletic-the cheerleaders. Maplecrest is no different. They sit at a central table in the lunchroom, so alike they resemble clones. There is something almost inhuman about them, but that doesn't mean Hannah is willing to believe her new lunch-table friend, Lukas, when he says they're zombies. Nor is she willing to pass up the chance to join the cheerleading squad when asked, even as classmates are disappearing and the number of empty houses in town increases. James has created a believable novel about starting over, making friends, bullying, and ostracism, while adding a dash of the supernatural. However, with every part of the book screaming that the cheerleaders are, in fact, zombies, Hannah's continued refusal to see the truth becomes unbelievable. One almost begins to hope that they aren't zombies, and that Lukas is just a crazy kid making Hannah's adjustment that much harder. Though not really suspenseful, readers will still give a rousing cheer to James's take on teenage issues.-Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Despite its surface resemblance to satires like Daniel Waters's recent Generation Dead (reviewed Apr. 21), James's (Pure Sunshine) zombie novel plays its horror theme for chills, not laughs. Over the past six years, Hannah has gotten used to abrupt moves with her single father, a former cop who now stays barely a step ahead of the debt collectors. But when the two take up residence in tiny Maplecrest, Vt., Hannah soon realizes something isn't right. A clan of too-perfect blonde cheerleaders runs the high school, where the football team is known as the Death Squad. An outcast warns Hannah of the cheerleaders' malevolence, and predicts, correctly, that they will court Hannah. Finding the promise of instant status too potent to resist forever, she eventually joins their team, only to learn the town's deadly secret. James does a wonderfully authentic job depicting the love-hate feelings Hannah has for her father, and Hannah's smart narrative voice largely compensates for the lack of action (the suspense doesn't kick in until the finale); the author is better at portraying the real-life aspects of high school and family dynamics than at sending shivers down the spine. Ages 12-up. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Hannah and her father move frequently to avoid creditors, so she is used to the assimilation problems that come with being the new kid. But the eerily deserted town of Maplecrest, Vermont, brings more trouble than she has ever found before. Most homes are up for sale, and people disappear without warning. Unpopular geek Lukas befriends Hannah and warns her that the town is infested with zombies. The cheerleaders are all strangely similar, thin blonds, and the football team is nicknamed the Death Squad. Sound like most high schools? Readers looking for a plot twist won't really find one. Half of the town really is comprised of zombies, and Hannah and Lukas find themselves in serious danger. James counters the suspense and unique lesson about the dangers of popularity with a camp sensibility. When Lukas tells Hannah to be serious, she says, You're the one using a stupid horror comic as our survival guide. Lukas' fascination with his horror comics is yet another appeal for teens, who will be sucked into this fun read.--Dobrez, Cindy Copyright 2008 Booklist