Not Dead Just Yet

Published:  September 1st, 2012

Undead (Undead # 1)

By: Kirsty McKay

The Chicken House

ISBN-13:  9780545381888

Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.

The day of 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. Start to stress. 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.

Review

     Bobby is the new girl again after moving back to the U.K., having lived in the U.S. since she was little and her Mom's job first took them from the U.K. to America.  Now she is on a ski trip to Scotland with her new classmates, dealing with their harassment because she doesn't sound British enough or like an American either.  So when they get to the diner, Bobby stays on the bus with budding juvenile delinquent Smitty.  But when everyone else comes toward the bus, they've changed for the worse.  Now all their classmates (except stuck-up Alice and nerdy Pete) are coming after them, hungry for their flesh.  Trying to make an escape, they find shelter at a nearby manor that seems deserted.  But who has created these zombies and why?  And what will they do when they realize that there are survivors?  Can Bobby, Smitty and Alice make it back into the real world or will they be silenced once and for all?  This was a funny book.  It had a great sense of humor, which is definitely a plus when it comes to zombies.  I especially loved the snark and prissiness that Alice brought to the group.  Other than Bobby (whose Mother's involvement was kind of iffy in believability), Alice and Smitty, most of the other characters were fairly forgettable.  Because mostly, it was those three characters that the focus was on.  When someone else came into it, they were normally temporary to the plot.  Other than the humor, the plot was a little bit circumspect.  I never quite believed that the corporation would conduct such an unsupervised experiment and not try to contain it more.  Plus, the reasons were never explained much.  My favorite quote in the book was from Alice:

“It’s such a nightmare!” Alice cries. “They want to kill us!” Her eyes narrow. “And Shanika’s got my CoutureCandy bag, the bitch!” she says to the driver. “Run them over!”

Like I said though, Alice's personality was a high point.  The struggles to actually escape the zombies, with the bad weather, messed up bus, lack of gasoline and the hurt driver were very realistic though and I commend that.  Overall, if you like your zombies with some laughs this is the book for you.  But nothing will ever top My Life As a White Trash Zombie by: Diana Rowland.  That was my high point in zombie fiction.

VERDICT:  3.7/5  Stars

***No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**