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mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
Welp, this just sucked. *sighs*I have been looking forward to this book ever since I participated in the Nerdblast for it, then I had to order it, and it was finally out. Sadly, the zombie stuff is pretty decent in the first part, but after that it moves to the back (way in the back even), and instead of little bits, like in the beginning, all the stuff is about boohoo we are ruining Earth, and you should feel ashamed and the bees, THHEEEEEBEEEEESSS. Oh, and more pushing and shoving stuff into your mouth ad nauseam. Nature and environment are important topics, but does it need to be told in this way, pushing it way over the limits? No. I came here for a book about a zombie, a boy who lived (well, "lived") after an accident. I wanted to see him go to school, I wanted to see him figure out what happened, to see him get a happy ending. To have people accept him. But the poor fellow was pushed out by all the environment stuff. Sorry kid. Oh well, guess I will send this one to a friend soon who wants to try it out. :P
izumisano's review against another edition
3.0
In the distant future, the climate is a mess, technology is intrusive, and middle school is the same. Over the summer, Adrian gets into a bike accident that somehow leaves him undead. Much to the amazement of all scientific professionals, everyone decides it's best if Adrian tries to get on with his life or afterlife that is. Middle school has never been easy, but now Adrian has to balance being a zombie on top of it. Outside of dealing with the local bully, Adrian and his new friends get pulled into a deeper plot as powerful people will stop at nothing to get their hands on the secret to eternal life.
That ending was... unexpected. This is definitely going to be a series. I can see it being where Adrian has to countlessly out do the Borks or some other entity desiring eternal life, while he and his friends solve some worldly matter. Through most of the book, it seemed like normal middle school drama. The bully, the love interest, family drama, the works. I thought it was going to be a funny spin on middle school and accepting yourself, even if you are a reanimated, decaying corpse. All of a sudden, Preller introduces the Bork brothers who want to experiment on Adrian. It makes sense, since Adrian is the only one of his kind, but it starts a new plot that doesn't have time to be fleshed out, let alone resolved in this novel. It'll be interesting to see where this story goes.
That ending was... unexpected. This is definitely going to be a series. I can see it being where Adrian has to countlessly out do the Borks or some other entity desiring eternal life, while he and his friends solve some worldly matter. Through most of the book, it seemed like normal middle school drama. The bully, the love interest, family drama, the works. I thought it was going to be a funny spin on middle school and accepting yourself, even if you are a reanimated, decaying corpse. All of a sudden, Preller introduces the Bork brothers who want to experiment on Adrian. It makes sense, since Adrian is the only one of his kind, but it starts a new plot that doesn't have time to be fleshed out, let alone resolved in this novel. It'll be interesting to see where this story goes.
swim559's review
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amdame1's review against another edition
2.0
Adrian (last name Lazarus - wonder what that's referring to...) was not wearing a bike helmet (duh!), and died when he got into a bad accident. Somehow he came back to life, but he is now afflicted with terribly dry skin, loss of appetite, and is constantly harassed by clouds of flies. Things are different, but it's not just because he is undead. Globally things are falling apart as well - bees are dying, forest fires are raging. Then he discovers that he is being spied upon by a droid. He and two friends are determined to figure out what is going on.
A serviceable mystery/adventure with some humor thrown in for good measure. This is very different that Preller's previous works about bullying and is suited for a younger audience.
A serviceable mystery/adventure with some humor thrown in for good measure. This is very different that Preller's previous works about bullying and is suited for a younger audience.
samuraijenn's review
2.0
It's more like Better Off Unread. Seriously, it started off fine, but it got so preachy that it just wasn't fun. I'm all for teaching kids to save the planet, but they don't need to be hit over the head with it.
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