Teen Book Club - October - ZOM-B

Heya YAs.

Last night the Teen Book Club met to discuss Zom-B by Darren Shan.

When the news starts reporting a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's father thinks it's a hoax-but even if it isn't, the two of them joke, it's only the Irish, right? That is, until zombies actually attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers. But when they come face-to-face with the ravenous, oozing corpses, all bets are off. There are no friends. No allies. Just whatever it takes to survive.

Here are our discussion questions:(trying not to give away any spoilers for those who have not read yet, so some sentences may read a little weird!)

1.  What did you think of the book?  General impressions?

2. Did you know before the end of the book whether B was a boy or a girl?  What clues did you read?  Were there any false clues, that made you think the opposite?

3. What did you think of B as a character?  How is B shaped by B's father's beliefs?

4. What was the first sign of zombies for B?

5. What did you think of B's friends?

6. Do you think the illustrations added to the story?  Did you enjoy them?

7. Do you think B deserved what happened?

8. Did you have a favorite scene or character in the book?

9. What do you think will happen in the 2nd book?

10. Ratings and final thoughts!

Melanie gave it a 6/10 and said "It would be a good read for kids who want to start improving their reading."

MissG gave it a 6.5/10 and said "Quick action read that would be very appealing to boys ages 10-14, lots of questions unaswered, drawing you to the next book!"

If you liked Zom-B you may like…

The rest of the series

1. Zom-B

2.  Zom-B: Underground

3. Zom-B: City

4. Zom-B: Angels

5. Zom-B: Baby

6. Zom-B: Gladiator

Other zombie books:

Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey: In 1867 Texas, Jett, a girl passing as a boy while seeking her long-lost twin brother, joins forces with Honoraria Gibbons, an inventor, and White Fox, a young Army scout, to investigate a zombie army that is terrorizing the West. YA PAR LAC

The Enemy by Charles Higson: After a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers leave their shelter and set out of a harrowing journey across London to the safe haven of Buckingham Palace. YA PAR HIG

Generation Dead by Dan Waters: When dead teenagers who have come back to life start showing up at her high school, Phoebe, a goth girl, becomes interested in the phenomenon, and when she starts dating a "living impaired" boy, they encounter prejudice, fear, and hatred. YA PAR WAT

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon:   Streetwise, tough, and savvy, Nick and his quick sarcasm are the stuff of legend... until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity. With his fellow students turning into flesh-eating zombies, how can he stop them... without getting grounded by his mom? YA PAR KEN

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry: In a post-apocalyptic world where fences and border patrols guard the few people left from the zombies that have overtaken civilization, fifteen-year-old Benny Imura is finally convinced that he must follow in his older brother's footsteps and become a bounty hunter. YA SFF MAB

Unforsaken by Sophie Littfield: Having learned that she has powers both to heal people and to create zombies, sixteen-year-old Hailey is trying to lead a fairly normal life with her brother and aunt in Milwaukee, but when she attempts to contact her boyfriend, she brings dangerous villains--both alive and undead--to her doorstep. YA PAR LIT

Zombies vs. Unicorns by various: Twelve short stories by a variety of authors seek to answer the question of whether zombies are better than unicorns. YA SFF ZOM

for November...

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years. But now Joseph Bruchac brings their stories to life for young adults through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring. This deeply affecting novel honors all of those young men, like Ned, who dared to serve, and it honors the culture and language of the Navajo Indians.

April's new books are all vampire romances! (Part 1)

April Fools :)

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

As magic fades from the world, Jennifer Strange is having trouble keeping her magician employment agency business afloat, until she begins having visions that foretell the death of the last dragon and the coming of Big Magic.

Zom-B: Underground by Darren Shan

Waking up in a military complex, months after zombies attacked school, B has no memory of the last few months. Life in the UK has turned tough since the outbreak, and B is woven into life- and battle- in the new military regime quickly. But as B learns more about the zombies held in the complex and the scientists keeping them captive, unease settles in. Why exactly was B saved? And is there anyone left in the world to trust?

Fairy Tail vol 1 by Hiro Mashima

Cute girl wizard Lucy wants to join the Fairy Tail, a club for the most powerful wizards.  But instead, her ambitions land her in the clutches of a gang of unsavory pirates led by a devious magician.  Her only hope is Natsu, a strange boy she happens to meet on her travels.  Natsu's not your typical hero- he get motion sickness, eats like a pig, and his best friend is a talking cat.  With friends like this, is Lucy better off with her enemies?

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

While trying to save her brother from the witch three years ago, Greta was thrown into the fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon. To survive, 17-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape. But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil being knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the boys she finds stranded in the woods will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back . . .

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits--smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Halloween books - Zombies!

For you zombie lovers out there, here's what we got for zombie books~

After a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers leave their shelter and set out of a harrowing journey across London to the safe haven of Buckingham Palace.

Each time fifteen-year-old Hannah and her out-of-work father move she has some fears about making friends, but a classmate warns her that in Maplecrest, Vermont, the cheerleaders really are monsters.

Streetwise, tough, and savvy, Nick and his quick sarcasm are the stuff of legend... until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity. With his fellow students turning into flesh-eating zombies, how can he stop them... without getting grounded by his mom?

Having learned that she has powers both to heal people and to create zombies, sixteen-year-old Hailey is trying to lead a fairly normal life with her brother and aunt in Milwaukee, but when she attempts to contact her boyfriend, she brings dangerous villains--both alive and undead--to her doorstep.

Through twists and turns of fate, orphaned Mary seeks knowledge of life, love, and especially what lies beyond her walled village and the surrounding forest, where dwell the Unconsecrated, aggressive flesh-eating people who were once dead.

When dead teenagers who have come back to life start showing up at her high school, Phoebe, a goth girl, becomes interested in the phenomenon, and when she starts dating a "living impaired" boy, they encounter prejudice, fear, and hatred.

Alex, a resourceful seventeen-year-old running from her incurable brain tumor, Tom, who has left the war in Afghanistan, and Ellie, an angry eight-year-old, join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky and kills most of the world's population, turning some of those who remain into zombies and giving the others superhuman senses.

In a post-apocalyptic world where fences and border patrols guard the few people left from the zombies that have overtaken civilization, fifteen-year-old Benny Imura is finally convinced that he must follow in his older brother's footsteps and become a bounty hunter.

ZOMBIES VS UNICORNS - Twelve short stories by a variety of authors seek to answer the question of whether zombies are better than unicorns.

Graphic novels~

A mysterious illness is spreading rapidly through the halls of Fujimi High School. In a matter of hours, the campus is transformed from a place of learning into a hive of nightmares, as the infected students collapse and are reborn as flesh-hungry zombies! Only a handful of students escape the initial outbreak - among them Takashi Komuro and his childhood friend, Rei. He manages to protect Rei from the initial onslaught, but how long can Takashi and the other students hope to survive when the whole school - maybe the whole town - is out for their blood?!

St. Petersburg High school juniors Dicey Bell, a baseball star, and Jack Chen, who loves science and role-playing games, discover a mutual attraction when paired for a project, but on their first date, a zombie-producing fungus sends them on the run.

Nonfiction~

The Zombie Handbook' explains how to identify a zombie, survive an attack, and ultimately, defeat the undead hordes. Packed with sound, practical advice, true-life encounters, and a world history of these drooling brain munchers, this little book is a must for everyone who wants to know the truth about the undead!

So you're a zombie. What now? Slow down -- and flesh out the life of the mindless with this essential guide for the newly undead. The vacant stare, the shambling gait, the sense that you're falling apart -- adjusting to "life" as a zombie takes a little getting used to. And what's with the sudden obsession with brains? Time to get your outstretched hands on this comprehensive handbook spelling out all things z-o-m-b-i-e.