The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever

December 15, 2015
Teen filmmakers try to make the titular cinematic masterpiece. Justin and his pals Bobby and Gabe have been making movies for a while now, but none has gained much traction. Their films have been poorly received on YouTube, and few of their fellow students show much interest in their moviemaking exploits. After their vampire movie falls apart, the trio resolves to go big or go home, and going big means making the greatest zombie movie ever. With a $5,000 loan from Justin's grandmother and the most popular girl in school as its star, Justin's film is off to a good start. But it doesn't take long for Murphy's law to take effect--in increasingly silly and exasperating fashion. Strand's penchant for tongue-in-cheek humor and witty repartee is on full display here. Justin, Bobby, and Gabe have numerous exchanges that will have readers chuckling, snickering, and laughing out loud. Unfortunately these laughs don't cover up the structural issues at hand. A few avenues turn into dead ends, making the thrust of the novel a bit muddled. Is this a story about the complications that come with following dreams? Is it a story about three friends growing older and apart with age? The novel doesn't seem to know, and while that doesn't ruin the fun, it does hold it back from true greatness. With ethnicity a nonissue, characters are white by default. A funny and spirited romp. (Fiction. 12-16)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Fans of comical books rejoice as Strand has hit the zombie trend on its head with this one. Justin just wants to make a perfect movie-no big deal, right? However, he is 15 years old, he has to shoot the film in one month, and his grandmother is funding his project. And his crush is the leading actress on the project. What ensues are laugh-out-loud moments of friends overcoming obstacles, and readers will be wondering if Justin will ever finish that film. From the warning at the beginning of the book through the double epilogue, Strand walks the line of balancing the right amount of humor without it overtaking the entire book. Fans of his previous work will not be disappointed by this title. Aspiring filmmakers, zombie movie fans, and reluctant readers should be entertained by this title. VERDICT A worthy addition to any library's collection.-Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2016
Grades 6-9 Three teenaged filmmakers find the road to fame and fortune thoroughly unpaved in this epic tale of ambition and mischance. With three YouTube shorts beneath his belt, director Justin feels ready to make a film that doesn't suck. It's going to have an actual scriptnot to mention a budget! He only has a month to shoot, which is difficult with both a part-time job and final exams to deal with, but those are just the initial challenges; he must collar a loan from his shark-like grandma, entice a wayward cast with glittering promises and false pretenses, and enlist help from several feckless friends. Though Strand piles on complications, ranging from no-show zombie extras to a catastrophic fire and broken bones, in the end a film is madeone which leads, in a particularly circuitous way, to a career breakthrough. Readers will come away not only with stomachs aching from laughter but with the stars in their own eyes a little brighter for following Justin's rocky progress.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)