Zombies Don't Cry

March 15, 2011
Madison Emily Swift is a typical high-school junior until a late-night lightning strike turns her into a zombie. Her self-absorbed best friend Hazel and the new boy at school suddenly aren't the only things Maddie has on her mind. She quickly learns that she not only has to eat brains (of course), but she also has to abide by the laws of The Guide to the Proper Care and Feeding of Zombies, 24th Edition, including passing as a Normal (living human), dating only zombies and killing Zerkers (bad zombies). When two of her classmates turn out to be Zerkers intent on making her their next victim, Maddie and her new zombie pals brace for a Fall Formal that Barracuda Bay High will never forget. Fischer provides readers with some laugh-out-loud moments and an interesting twist on zombie mythology. The author cleverly debunks the typical zombie brain-lust mania, offering thinking, feeling zombies intent on saving humanity from zombies gone bad. While some of the secondary characters lack depth and readers may want the unlikable Hazel to die a horrible death, Maddie's authentically teenlike first-person narration reveals a spirited heroine dealing with the gantlet that is high-school life and adapting to life as a fledgling zombie. Dedicated zombie fans will want to read this book and may clamor for a sequel. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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