Zombiekins [Hardcover]

Kevin Bolger (Author), Aaron Blecha (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: June 24, 2010 | Age Range: 9 - 11 years | Lexile Measure: 880L (What's this?)

The little town of Dementedyville is as boring as they come--but a mysterious stuffed animal is about to liven things up . . .

Stanley Nudelman buys Zombiekins at the yard sale of his neighbor, the Widow Imavitch. It looks cuddly and creepy-cute--but expose the TEDDY OF TERROR to moonlight, and strange things happen. . . .

When Zombiekins gets loose at his school, Stanley finds himself in GRAVE danger. Because if his teacher Mr. Baldengrumpy discovers he turned the whole school into zombies, Stanley will be in detention till he's, like, 80!

Can Stanley and his best friend Miranda save their schoolmates from eternal zombiefication? If not, will Mr. Baldengrumpy even notice?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

All is well in Dementedyville, U.S.A. That angry mob wielding pitchforks and torches? Why, they're just going over to the yard sale at the spooky house owned by Widow Imavitch! That's just where fourth-grader Stanley is headed, too, and he leaves with Zombiekins—a Frankensteinian stuffed animal that is part bear, part bunny, part lizard . . . and ALL EVIL! At school the next day, Zombiekins' bite turns the class tattletale into an undead monster. (“In some ways it's an improvement,” admits Stanley.) When the plush terror escapes, no realm is safe—not music class, the playground, or the teachers' lounge. Even the little kids have been transformed into “kinderzombies.” Humorous zombie books for middle-grade readers are piling up faster than severed limbs these days, and though Bolger's entry doesn't add much that's new to the canon, it's a fast and funny read helped along by Blecha's art, which provides some G-rated goo and gore. This will have readers shouting such zombie catchphrases as hrnrgrghnrr and yaarghhh. Well, maybe not, but they'll have fun anyway. Grades 4-6. --Daniel Kraus

About the Author

Kevin Bolger teaches reading and writing to children from grades 2 to 6 in Ottawa, Canada. He spends every workday reading great kids books with actual kids, which naturally made him want to make one of his own. Books, that is.

As a writer, he has published short humor pieces with McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and several Canadian dailies, and book reviews with the Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail.

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 - 11 years
  
• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (June 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595141774
• ISBN-13: 978-1595141774
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As an elementary teacher specializing in English Language Arts, I got to spend every workday for ten years reading great kids books with actual kids, which naturally made me want to make one of my own. Books, that is.

"Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger" was my first book. The authors who gave me the most inspiration while writing were James Thurber ("The White Deer"), Stephen Leacock ("Nonsense Novels") and Donald Barthelme ("The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine, Or the Hithering, Thithering Djinn"). Unfortunately they are all dead now through no fault of mine.

My next book, "Zombiekins," is a zombie spoof set in an elementary school where all the kids get turned into zombies. Sweet revenge!

I have also published short humor pieces and reviews with "McSweeney's Internet Tendency" and various newspapers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You know a zombie book for kids is good when.... June 28, 2010

By Melaina Lara VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

You know a zombie book for kids is good when your four year old asks for "just one more chapter" instead of taking the option of watching a cartoon.
The illustrations in this slightly freaky, very adorable, little gem of a book are engaging, (and easy to understand), and are plentiful without being over done on each page.
The puns are witty, the word play is clever. It's 'simple' enough to read aloud to my 4 and 6 year old, but 'grown up' enough that the little nuances crack me up.
I can see an independent reader with a thing for things ghoulish happily 'tearing' through this book!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Just the right amount of scare factor August 1, 2010

By kat

Format:Hardcover

Do you know how hard it is to get the average 9 year old to read? Well, this book finally did it! The book has been interesting and fun, with just a tinge of scare factor that keeps a young boy wanting more. We're all enjoying it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked this as much as my sons did! January 1, 2011

By Bookmark

Format:Hardcover

I had a lot of fun reading this book. You should see all the "ha ha" notes I wrote in the margins. It is the story of a boy named Stanley who "was not the kind of boy who liked to take chances." He's more of an under-the-radar kind of guy until he makes the mistake of bringing a zombie doll home from a yard sale.

Because he is male, Stanley throws away the directions for the doll without ever reading them. This, in turn, soon leads to the zombification of almost the entire school. Stanley and his good friend Miranda are left to deal with the consequences. In doing so, Stanley finds courage he never knew he had.

Though simple to read, the text is filled with puns, word play, and tongue-in-cheek humor. There's even the occasional exciting vocabulary word (i.e. revivified) thrown in to please the English teacher in me. The illustrations sometimes contradict the text in amusing ways. For instance, the opening of chapter four says Stanley is doing his homework, and we see him in the middle of his bedroom floor exerting himself at a videogame while his cobweb-covered schoolbooks sit unopened.

This is a book that your boys will love. It is quick to read, clever, and very silly. I find it far more entertaining than the popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Coffeechug Book Review - www.coffeeforthebrain.blogspot.com January 19, 2011

By A. Maurer

Format:Hardcover

I really liked this book. I think there is enough here in this book to really grab the interest of readers, especially ones who may have a hard time finding something to read. The age group is 4-6. I typically do not like books for this level because there is just not enough grit to grab me, but this is one that did grab me, bite me, and turn me into a zombie fan. I have been working hard to find books that appeal to the sixth grade level as not every student in sixth grade is ready for the heavy topics of the YA genre. The author has done a nice job with his writing. I was impressed in his style of writing where the wordplay caused me to smile or laugh. There was enough stuff between the words to really get me thinking while not sending this book to a higher grade level. The whole time I was reading this I could not help but think about back when I was a kid and then infamous Gremlins movies. Please check out this book about an possessed bunny/teddy bear stuffed animal that goes crazy with moonlight. It will be a pleasure for you to read.

With that being said, I cannot wait to begin to share these stories with my kids when they are older and able to read more than their names. Additionally, there looks like an excellent website is in the making which I will have bookmarked on my computer as soon as I get it back up and running. Here is a link

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pre-teen Loved it July 21, 2010

By ems

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

10 year old reluctant reader son loved it! Can not wait for next installment. So hurry up and publish!!!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Written by a student in Mr.O's class March 1, 2011

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

Dear amazon,I really like this book called zombiekins.This book has a lot of excitment which i really like. Also the big nate are also cool too. I really like books like zombiekins and big nate. My favorite part about zombiekins is when everyone in school turned into zombies. My least favorite parrt was when Stanley got bullied by knuckles. This book is mostly about a boy named Stanley who buys a doll at someones house. He doesn't know that the doll is haunted until he sees his doll walking around school. Then everyone at his school turned into zombies. He must save the school from zombiekins. I would reccomend this book this book to you guys because zombiekins is awesome. sincerly Mohammed.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Undead in the Head book review January 2, 2011

By Lyle L. Perez

Format:Hardcover

My daughter was the one who found this book. We were at the bookstore and while she was running around in the kids section, she sees Zombiekins in a corner. The book cover looks like a teddy bear, once she had it in her hands she wouldn't let it go. I had a hard time ripping it from her hands to read it.

Stanley lives in a small town called Dementedville. In this small town there is a scary old widow named, Imavitch. This scary lady has a yard sale and all the towns people go to find good deals. Stanley goes to the yard sale and finds a teddy that is half bear, half bunny, half lizard and half dead! After Stanley takes it home, the doll comes to life. He decides to take it to school to show his friends. The doll comes to life again and bites one of Stanley's classmates. She becomes ill and then turns into a zombie! The plague spreads and soon enough the entire school are zombies. Stanley must figure out a way how to turn everyone back before it's too late.

This was a very fun read. The character names were funny and spot on like, Imavitch, for the scary widow. The book was filled with names that would make any kid giggle. The plot of the story was also a lot of fun, an undead teddy bear that comes to life to play a sinister game.

I will one day read this story to my daughter. Right now I don't think she will understand some of the words in the book. It is a middle grade book so that mean it's target reader is 9-12 graders. There are a few illustrations in the book that added a good touch of humor to the story. I laughed at a few.

I really did enjoy Zombiekins. It's the kind of story that I had fun reading once, but I'm not sure I'd want to read it again.... I mean, I will read it to my daughter, but it won't have the same effect as it did when I read it the first time. I will have to give Zombiekins, 4 Undead Heads out of 5. Read more ›