Unfed - Softcover

KIRSTY McKAY, born in the UK, now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has written and acted in several children's plays for regional theater. UNFED is the sequel to her debut novel, UNDEAD. Visit her website at www.kirstymckay.com and follow her on Twitter @kirkybean.

Gr 6 Up-This book picks up six weeks after the final events of Undead (Scholastic, 2012). Roberta, the 15-year-old reluctant but capable heroine, wakes up in a military hospital in Edinburgh, her head shaved and criss-crossed with scars. The hospital is teeming with zombies. In minutes, she is reunited with two of her classmates from the first novel: mean-girl Alice and geeky Pete. Together, they want to rescue their missing pal, Smitty. Told from Bobby's point of view, the story taps into the teen mind-set with acuity. In between fighting matches with hoards of the undead, she and her crew worry about crushes, personal appearances, and relationships. For instance, can Bobby trust the clues left by her mother, who may or may not be dead, and who may or may not be in cahoots with the pharmaceutical company that leaked the zombie virus? Grisly fight scenes, narrow escapes, and encrypted messages play off one another at a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it pace. In addition to fighting the zombies, the teens stay one step ahead of the government agents who are trying to capture Bobby so they can study her virus-resistant DNA. The intensely gory interactions between the kids and the zombies (including undead cows and one undead goat) are foiled by Bobby's touching and funny soliloquies. This book has it all-action, adventure, suspense, engaging characters, and a smidgen of romance. One whizbang of a read.-Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NCα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.