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Kirsty McKay
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Undead Paperback – July 30, 2013

by Kirsty McKay (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 140 ratings
Now in paperback! When the rest of the class goes all brain-dead on new girl Bobby, it's a school-trip splatter-fest and completely not cool!

On the way home from the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. And to stress a bit, too. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

Combining the chill of THE SHINING, the thrill ride of SPEED, the humor of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and the angst of THE BREAKFAST CLUB, Kirsty McKay's UNDEAD is a bloody mad mash-up, a school-trip splatter-fest, a funny, gory, frighteningly good debut!
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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 12
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
  6. Publisher
    Chicken House
  7. Publication date
    July 30, 2013
  8. ISBN-10
    0545381894
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0545381895
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for UNDEAD

"Fast, furious, freaky, funny, and seriously sick." -- CHARLIE HIGSON, author of the ENEMY series

"A hilarious and lively mix of cunning, bravery, and tomfoolery...Bobby's narration is spiked with wit and perceptive snarkiness...First-rate fun." -- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"McKay plays her tale for maximum snark...humor and action keep the pages turning...Blood spurts; entrails drag; body parts shed; hearts (living ones) throb -- it's all good, gory fun." -- KIRKUS

"The typical school-centered zombie story is given a fabulous reboot in McKay's debut novel...The perfect balance of humor and horror...will have readers alternately biting their nails and snorting with laughter...A fun, pulse-pounding addition to the zombie genre." -- VOYA

"Fun to devour." -- BOOKLIST

"Loved the black humor. Think SHAUN OF THE DEAD in the Scottish wilderness." -- THE BOOKSELLER UK

About the Author

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.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicken House
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0545381894
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0545381895
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.6 ounces
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 12
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 140 ratings

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Kirsty McKay

Kirsty McKay

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
140 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging, with one describing it as "freaking AMAZING from BEGINING TO END." Moreover, they appreciate the character development, with one noting how the author makes the kids heroes. Additionally, customers enjoy the suspenseful plot, with one describing it as an "intense zombie thriller." Customers also appreciate the humor, with one highlighting the appropriate amount of undead dark humor.

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6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one customer describing it as amazing from beginning to end.

"...While I loved Bobby for her wit, snark and general awesome... I loved Alice's princess-y bi-polar! "..." Read more

"...prefect, the plot is exciting and the characters very realistic and like-able (well most of them)...." Read more

"...but the book itself was really good. Good creativity I will read the second book" Read more

"Dark, undead, fun to read..." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers love the characters in the book, with one customer noting how the author makes them easy to connect with, while another appreciates how the kids are portrayed as heroes.

"...actual plot wasn't something I NORMALLY get into, but the pure EPICNESS of the characters, the way they interacted and the dialog were enough to..." Read more

"I loved the fact that the author allowed the kids to be hero's...." Read more

"...I found the characters easy to connect with you can't help cheering them on as they fight the zombies...." Read more

"...Thus, in short, fast pace, good characters, and funny. 4 stars out of 5 because I did not know it would be a part two." Read more

5 customers mention "Suspense level"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the suspense level of the book, with one describing it as a fast-paced action thriller.

"...Undead is a fast paced action thrill that keeps you sucked into the story to the end only to tease you for the next one...." Read more

"Loved the story. Can't wait for the sequel! I I wish I could write wonderful books like you...." Read more

"...It's a quirky and fun zombie story with the appropriate amount of undead dark humor" Read more

"...There is a fast plot that starts near the end of chapter one. At that point the fun, begins...." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one review noting it's wrapped in witty sarcastic charm, while another appreciates the appropriate amount of undead dark humor.

"Bobby is a super, epic chick of AWESOME... Wrapped in witty sarcastic charm and coated with attitude. I loved her! Can you tell?..." Read more

"...It's a quirky and fun zombie story with the appropriate amount of undead dark humor" Read more

"...At that point the fun, begins. This book is funny, but not LOL funny but has one line zingers, as I like to call them, that would make you smile..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • The Bookish Brunette
    5.0 out of 5 stars Teen Zombie AWESOME!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Bobby is a super, epic chick of AWESOME... Wrapped in witty sarcastic charm and coated with attitude. I loved her! Can you tell? Is it obvious?

    Having recently moved BACK to the UK after spending the last six years in the US, Bobby is feeling very angsty and irritated!

    "When we moved to the US six years ago, they thought I sounded as British as the Queen. Now that I'm back in the motherland again, I'm like some weird hybrid, a freako chimera with an ever-changing accent."

    It's not helping that she's on the "School Trip from Hell". Which in all reality is a ski trip with all her new classmates before the new school year starts! Yep... That pretty much sounds like the definition of hell to me. But refuge is in sight, as they are FINALLY on their way home!

    When the bus stops for lunch at the Cheery Chomper (hehe), Bobby stays on board, unwilling to endure another lunch of solitude and having food tossed at her. Mr. Taylor stays because he's got the flu and Smitty... Because Smitty is trouble. Trouble swathed in leather and complete with a fake ID.

    "an ink-haired indie kid in a leather jacket. Rob Smitty: rebel without a pause, freak show, and drop out in the making. But the best snowboarder, definitely. When I first clapped eyes on him, I was convinced he'd be the head of the underage drinking club - and he is - but dude knows how to throw himself down a mountain too. [...] Respect due, in spite of the try-hard guyliner and bad attitude."

    See? How freaking E-P-I-C is she? I know right? I LOVED her inner dialog! Smitty gets Mr. Taylor to go get him a sandwich, by cleverly threatening student cruelty and starvation or something... As soon as he's gone Smitty is trying to convince the driver to let them off the bus for some mischief or another when something slaps the windshield... then it comes AGAIN... only this time they see it's unmistakabley a hand- so the bus driver gets out to deal with the teen miscreants messing with his bus!

    Then something slams into the back of the bus, dazed and confused- Smitty gets out to see what's going on... What he finds is a puddle of blood and a shrieking figure in a blue coat running toward them!!!!

    Alice Hicks BARELY gets on the bus before Smitty locks her out (I'd have locked her out... Not even because she was a hateful witch- but because hands are smacking the windows, bloody streaks marring the snow... Then some crazy, screaming person comes running at me? No thank you. Just sayin.)

    "Dead!" she screams. "Everybody's dead!"

    HOLY.... OHMYGOD right?!?!

    Now, I know I went into a lot of detail there... But I COULDN'T HELP IT! And honestly... I didn't give that much away, according to my kindle- I was only 4% in by this point!

    We end up with the new kid, a badboy, a nerd, a pretty princess and a gas station attendant. Quite a band of misfits to survive the apocalypse... But these characters were fantastically portrayed!

    While I loved Bobby for her wit, snark and general awesome... I loved Alice's princess-y bi-polar!

    "Shanika's [her BFF] got my CoutureCandy bag, the bitch! Drive!" she says to the driver. "Run them over!"

    And Pete, the nerd extrordinaire, is convinced they're all being watched and everything that is happening is some elaborate scheme by the government or new world order. Whoever is behind it all has cutoff every means of escape and made it impossible to communicate with the outside world.

    Nobody beleives him. They think he's finally cracked.

    "This is crazy!" [...] "Of course there are cameras; they're everywhere these days! But it doesn't mean that they've all been planted to spy on us in the even of a zombie apocalypse!"

    Undead by Kirsty McKay was freaking AMAZING from BEGINING TO END! The actual plot wasn't something I NORMALLY get into, but the pure EPICNESS of the characters, the way they interacted and the dialog were enough to keep me reading well into the night and scrambling to grab Undead the next morning! Seriously, I'd read this book again today- just because!

    With that, I leave you with more quotes...

    "If I die right here, right now, I will be ashamed. What a fail. Struck down and eaten by a bus driver, for crap's sake, in Scotland, on a school trip."

    "Just because we can't see jack doesn't mean that Undead Jack and Jillaren't lurking in there with all their friends, ready to Cheerily Chomp on us."

    "for one horribly, desperately embarrassing moment we fly into eachother's arms like Shaggy and Scooby Don't."

    "Manic with a side of Musical Theater." ← and this has become my new tagline... for my LIFE. Just sayin!!!!
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  • Alesia Cheshire
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not just another zombie book.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I loved the fact that the author allowed the kids to be hero's. At first, I thought it was going to be an average zombie book, but soon I realized as the plot thickened that it wasn't just another zombie book. I read a lot of young adult/teen books because I work in the Media Center at our local High School. I like to be able to discuss books with the students and get them interested and hooked on reading. This book was a fun and easy read that I did enjoy. There were a few fingernail biting moments which made it all the better.
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  • Mandy
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Bobby has recently returned to the UK after spending several years living in the US. Her mother signs her up for a ski trip before school starts hoping she will be able to make friends. Unfortunately for her making friends isn't really working so when the bus stops at a café for food she has no desire to get off the bus. Bobby is stuck on the bus with Smitty the troublemaker and the bus driver when things go south quickly. While the bus driver steps off to see what hit the bus Alice returns being chased by their teacher screaming about everyone being dead. They also add the pasty nerdy kid to the group after checking out the gas station.

    Soon Zombies are intent on get them forcing the group to go extreme by blowing up the gas station killing all their fellow classmates. The group heads for the café in the morning hoping to find wifi that will allow them to get help. When they are overrun by more zombies they run back to the bus attempting to escape but they run across a tree blocking the road. They start thinking that maybe this whole zombie outbreak was planned because of the camera and road blocked. They set off down the road with two new members hoping to find a place to stay safe and get help. When they find a castle they learn the truth of the outbreak but will the make it out to tell about it?

    Bobby is the new girl at school without any friends she sets off on a ski trip that will change her life. She's smart, stubborn and knows how to kick ass when she needs to. She's paired with a bad boy who wears leather and who can really wield a dwarf ax. I had my moments where I wanted to strangle Malice I mean Alice she frustrated me but adds to the story. Pete was a fun nerdy character who I rooted for even if he wasn't kicking butt like Smitty.

    I've had this one on my shelf forever and when I saw it on amazon I had to pick up a copy. I'm a zombie addict I can't seem to get enough of them. I love the idea for the zombie outbreak it's one of those concepts I could totally see happening in the future. Undead is a fast paced action thrill that keeps you sucked into the story to the end only to tease you for the next one. Even though it's an intense zombie thriller the author has thrown in a little humor to keep it light. I found the characters easy to connect with you can't help cheering them on as they fight the zombies. I found the authors writing style enjoyable she created a brilliant story that I found captivating. This was one of those books I had a hard time putting down I read it in one afternoon. I can't wait to start on the next one thanks to the ending of this one. If you love zombies Undead is a must read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dark_Daemon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Zombified
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Loved the story. Can't wait for the sequel! I I wish I could write wonderful books like you. I'm working on a book called Lycan Ridge, it's about a girl who turns into a werewolf on her 13th birthday because of an ancient curse, and if she doesn't get to the Rock of Ages, then she'll be stuck as an actual wolf cub forever, and her crush doesn't like that idea.
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  • James C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, undead, fun to read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This book was recommended to me by my closest friend, and I'm glad I read it. It's a quirky and fun zombie story with the appropriate amount of undead dark humor
    One person found this helpful
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  • Phony Money
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Breakfast Club vs Zombies...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I love the characters and I love the suspense. It is like the Breakfast club vs. Zombies;you have the beauty popular, the loner, the cool guy and the wierdo. There is a fast plot that starts near the end of chapter one. At that point the fun, begins. This book is funny, but not LOL funny but has one line zingers, as I like to call them, that would make you smile or GOL (Giggle out loud). Thus, in short, fast pace, good characters, and funny. 4 stars out of 5 because I did not know it would be a part two.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Alt_kt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Epically underrated! Everyone should read this book!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I've had this on my to-read list for years but finally purchased it for my flight to L.A. I am so glad i did!!! This book is epically underrated! It wasn't the glorified thriller/ survival story that most apocalypse stories follow. It was honest and thrilling and kept me at the edge of my seat for the 2 days it took me to read it! I loved the four main characters so much. They were definitely an odd grouping; Alice (the queen Bee), Pete (the weird nerdy kid), Bobby (the loner girl) and Smitty (the token nutcase). Despite their difference of personality they all worked so well as a group and their characters brought something amazing to the story.
    Now. The ending. At first i wasn't sure i liked the ending but i have now decided that i love it! It wasn't at all what i was expecting and it took a really original turn. It's slightly sending me mental but isn't that what a book is for; to keep you thinking way after the last line?
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  • Amazonaddict
    5.0 out of 5 stars great book
    Reviewed in India on July 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    the story of the book is just great I love it. Kristy Mckay is indeed the queen of teen horror. A must read for horror fiction lovers
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  • Ms. J. Clarke
    4.0 out of 5 stars We need to get off this bus - NOW!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    As part of my current obsession with any book Zmobie related it was obviously only a matter of time before Amazon recommended Undead to me - I liked the cover, it looked interesting, and what the heck there are flesh eating zombies in it so here goes nothing.

    Firstly, this is definitely young adult - sometimes YA fiction can seem like its actually more adult in content, this book was not so much like that. The gore was toned down compared to what you usually get in a zombie book, it was there and some of it was a wee bit gross, but it wasn't anything as bad as some of the things I've read from Rhiannon Frater, or Madeleine Roux. This is not a bad thing unless all you want out of a zombie book is to be grossed out. McKay really focusses on the characters who, all being teenagers, it was really interesting to see how they coped with the situation, without any adult help.

    I really like Bobby and Smitty, the two main characters - Bobby has recently moved back to England from the States and Bobby is the class clown / possible future young offender. Their class is on a school skiing trip in Scotland when they stop at a roadside cafe for food, but considering herself an outsider, Bobby decides to stay on the bus, along with Smitty. Once the school popular girl / anorexic / biatch comes running back to the bus with stories of very "Hungry" teachers, Bobby and Smitty soon realize they are in the midst of a zombie apocalypse ...... and there's no one there to help them.

    This author included many twists and turns and I felt she understood her characters - None of them made any decisions that I thought a teenager would have been unlikely to make, everything they did fit with what teenagers would probably do, how they would react. They were all very believable and even the not so pleasant ones were likeable in their own way. It was interesting to see how much they changed in what was a very short space of time having been faced with something as awful and their zombie classmates and the towns people!

    Also, this story goes in the direction of dealing with how the outbreak started, and the conspiracy and evil people involved. I won't elaborate any further - I wasn't expecting it to go in this direction but it was a pleasant surprise and done very well by the author. The story leaves us on one hell of a cliff hanger leaving me to wait the next few months for the next installment "Unfed" ..........

    Overall, not the best Zombie book I have ever read but not far off - I enjoyed seeing the reaction to the apocalypse by a different group of people - teenagers. And its the first one of these books I have read that was set in the UK, which was nice. Zombie fans should definitely check this out and if you want to try out the Zombie genre but are worried about the gory stuff, this is a good book to start off with.
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  • Jack Croxall Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb YA horror
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    They're not exactly the friendliest of creatures; fiercely aggressive, rancid in appearance and always paired with an insatiable hunger for `Braaains ...' but zombies have somehow found themselves at the height of popularity these days. So, when a novel comes along featuring the shambling, reanimated corpses the world is so used to watching/reading about/ blowing up in video-games, it really does need to be something rather special to raise more than just the most dedicated zom-buster's eyebrow.

    A YA novel at heart, Undead begins in a suitably teenage fashion as heroine Bobby, the new girl with the foreign accent, tries to deflect the unruly attentions of her rowdy schoolmates. No easy task as the book starts on a crowded bus pulling into a rest stop in deepest darkest Scotland. Even more tricky when, after Bobby elects to stay behind whilst everyone else ventures outside for a refresher, her schoolmates return to the bus as groaning, walking corpses intent on tearing her limb from limb.

    It's perhaps lucky then that Bobby is not alone on the bus; rebellious class clown Smitty has been ordered to stay behind with her although, right from the start, it's clear he's more intent on throwing out one-liners rather than taking the situation (or anything else for that matter) particularly seriously. And this is Undead's greatest strength: the slick dialogue, as well as Bobby's internal thoughts, are both wonderfully sassy and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, despite the relative horror of the situation. Things soon become even more spirited, too, as popular girl Alice (quickly nicknamed Malice) joins the pair, shortly followed by class know-it-all, Pete.

    With the gang set firmly in place the zingers continue to fly but that's not to say that Undead is all fun and giggles. The zombie threat is not watered down at all and the descriptions of the ferocious living corpses are graphic, grizzly and often very, very bloody - this is no story for the faint-hearted and, as one might expect in any such plot, people (minors included) frequently meet horrible ends.

    Whilst the book's main story centres on survival (the gang have several colourful discussions concerning what they should do and where they should go) the final act, a superb series of set pieces taking place in a moody Scottish castle, introduces the protagonists to the sinister plot behind the outbreak. Add to the mix a torrent of cliff-hangers, a host of excellent supporting characters (special mention to the divine yet devious Grace) and this really is a novel that anyone, undead or not, would no doubt be delighted to sink their teeth into.
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  • Catherine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I first read this book after a friend recommended it to me, and I was not disappointed! From start to end it had me laughing and wanting more, the characters were great and the storyline superb! The second book in the series (Unfed) was just as high quality, and I can't wait for any more stories in this series!
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