Diary of a Middle School Zombie: No Zombie Left Behind

Zombie, Zack. Diary of a Middle School Zombie: No Zombie Left Behind. Book 1 of the Diary of a Middle School Zombie series. 2019. 215p. ISBN 9781949216035. Available at FIC ZOM on the library shelves.

Zombie doesn't remember his life before returning as a Zombie, but for the last four years he's lived in a camp for displaced zombies. When Kenya, his social worker, mentions that she is welcoming him to live with her family in HumanTown, Zombie is thrilled. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, plenty. First, Kenya might have overlooked telling her husband Kyle and daughter Cassie that Zombie was joining them. Then, she didn't have a bedroom ready for him. Then Zombie had to learn how to navigate proper human etiquette (showering, brushing teeth), while contending with a girl's sleepover and making friends with weird kid Franklin. Through it all, Zombie retains a gross sense of humor and keeps on documenting everything that happens to him in the diary Kenya gave him.

Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will appreciate Zombie's tale, told in a very similar fashion, if slightly grosser. The images help move the story forward, and combine with what appears to be hand-written text to create a fast-moving story.

Zom-B Goddess

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Goddess. 2016. 196p. ISBN 978-0-316-33845-5. Available at FIC SHA on the library shelves.

Back again in the clutches of Dr. Oystein and the Owl Man at the end of Zom-B Fugitive, B has been neutralized. The Owl Man controls her every move, while his evil dog lurks a few steps behind her. But now the time for inaction has passed. Dr. Oystein reveals his plan to rid the world of the human race, and the retrieval of both vials of Clements-13, designed to wipe out every human, and Schlesinger-10 designed to wipe out every zombie, means that the delicate balance between the evil genius clown Mr. Dowling and Dr. Oystein has been broken.

Now all that remains for Dr. Oystein is to confront his clown brother and release the virus to establish a zombie paradise for the zom-b babies. Only B can stop this, but getting away from under the control of Owl Man will only be the first challenge to Dr. Oystein’s designs.

The twelfth and last volume of the Zom-B series does not disappoint, with destruction and mayhem as well as a satisfactory, if bittersweet conclusion.  Fans of the series will enjoy the climactic ending. Ever the master of horrors, Shan leaves the door opened a crack for B’s possible return. Will she be back?

Dead-Tossed Waves

Ryan, Carrie. The Dead-Tossed Waves. 2010. 416p. ISBN 9780385736848. Available as FIC RYA on the library shelves.

In The Forest of hands and Teeth, Mary managed to escape the confines of her village and found both the ocean she had been craving her whole life and a living city. The Dead-Tossed Waves picks up two decades later.

Gabry has always known the safety of Vista, her hometown, protected by thick walls on three sides and the ocean on the last side. Living in the lighthouse with her mother Mary, Gabry has no interest in the world beyond the wall, and is the opposite of courageous. Her friends all dream of the Dark City, the capital of the Protectorate, and often leave the safety of town for the thrills of the amusement park a short distance beyond the wall.

Catcher, the boy she has always liked, entices her to come with them to the amusement park, and everything goes wrong. They are attacked by zombies, and several of the teens are killed. Catcher is injured, but manages to profess his love for her. The others are captured by the militia, but Gabry manages to escape back to Vista. Unfortunately, Catcher was not with the other teens. Now, he’s out there, alone and dying.

Gabry scales the wall again, but before she finds Catcher she encounters Elias, a broody fighter who’s out beyond the safety of the town, looking for someone. With Catcher dying, and Elias lurking, Gabry is unsure of what to do. When her mother hides back in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, Gabry must now decide between safety and a boring life away from Catcher and Elias, or the freedom and dangers that dwell in the Forest. Can Gabry escape her past and gain a new future?

Zom-B Fugitive

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Fugitive. Book 11 of the Zom-B series. 2015. 196p. ISBN 978-0-316-21409-4. Available at FIC SHA on the library shelves.

In Zom-B Bride, B learned the secret location of the Schlesinger-10 virus that could destroy humanity. Now, she must run away from Mr. Dowling as fast as she can. Still hurt from her battle with the evil clown, she makes her way through the tunnels under London. She retrieves the vial and heads back to County Hall and the Angels.

Unfortunately the mutants are hunting her through the tunnels, and when she is confronted by two of them B knows the game is up. But suddenly the baby she helped a while back is there to fight on her behalf, and soon both mutants are dead. Holy Moly tracked B down, but not to turn her in to the clown.

When she arrives at County Hall the whole building is under assault by Mr. Dowling and the mutants. Many Angels are slaughtered. Not know what to do, B heads back out towards her old flat where she plans on ending her days. On her way there she encounters the twins, who reveal that Dr. Oystein had foreseen this assault and had moved the Angels away from County Hall. Leaving her in a brewery they get help.

Dr. Oystein is pleased that B survived her ordeal. But B comes across information that makes her rethink her entire zombie existence. Suddenly, B has nowhere to turn, and nothing is safe. Scariest of all, B is the only one who can save the human race!

This series conclude in Zom-B Goddess.

Forest of Hands and Teeth

Ryan, Carrie. The Forest of Hands and Teeth. 2009. 310p. ISBN 9780385736817. Available as FIC RYA on the library shelves.

Mary has always lived in the shadow of death. Her entire village is surrounded by the forest, where the unconsecrated live. Always hungry, always moaning, they push against the thin fence that protects the very last bastion of humanity against its doom. The village is protected by the Guardians, who enforce the rules and maintain the fence, and it is governed by the Sisterhood, the healers and the spiritual leaders of what’s left of mankind. The village is all there is, the only reality.

But Mary has always wanted more. Her mother told her tales of the ocean, water as far as the eye could see, a place of peace and solitude away from the hungry moans of the dead. With the accidental death of her husband, Mary’s mother turns herself over to the unconsecrated so she can be with him. Mary becomes alone in the world, and even her brother will not vouch for her.

Forced to live with the Sisterhood, Mary is there when Gabry, a strange girl wearing a red vest, is captured and held in secret. Now the certitudes that Mary thought she knew are replaced with doubt. Obviously, others still dwell beyond the fence. Could there be other villages or cities out there? Does the ocean actually exist?

Knowing that Gabry pose a danger to their worldview and isolation, the Sisterhood drop her off in the midst of the unconsecrated. In death, however, Gabry become even more dangerous, a new species of unconsecrated, one that moves quickly and is both stronger and more violent. Suddenly, the fences are breached, and Mary must escape with a few of her friends. But will she finally find the peace she seeks, or are there more dangers ahead in the Forest of Hands and Teeth?

This book is a great horror tale that will create shivers up the reader’s spine. Lovers of zombies will appreciate this different take on a post-apocalypse undead world. The story of the Forest of Hands and Teeth continues in the Dead-Tossed Waves.

Zom-B Bride

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Bride. 2015. 175p. ISBN 978-0-316-21422-3. Available at FIC SHA on the library shelves.

Having been captured in Zom-B Family by the evil and mad clown Mr. Dowling, B is carried back in the arms of the mutant babies (first encountered in Zom-B Baby) back to Mr. Downing’s underground lair. From the horrors of blood and excrements smeared on the walls in grotesque pictures to body parts randomly nailed and to defiled bodies, some still alive, hung by chains from the ceiling, B can only try to ignore the mutants and their antics.

Immersed in a restorative literal blood bath, B is the confronted by Mr. Dowling himself and his right hand mutant, Kinslow. Mr. Dowling reveals that he wants B to be his bride, since she is the genetic mother of the babies, who share a strange bond with her. The clown then endeavors to woo B until she relents and agrees to join him in unholy matrimony.

As a peace offering, the clown shares his most private thoughts with B through a painful process of electrocution, but it is during one of these seances that Mr. Dowling accidentally reveals the location of the zombie virus. With this virus destroyed or in possession of the Angels, nothing would stop Dr. Oystein to unleash his human virus on the zombie population and kill them all.

Deep in the clown’s lair, can B manage to survive long enough to share this information with the Angels? The story continues in Zom-B Fugitive.

Zom-B Family

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Family. 2014. 174p. ISBN 978-0-316-21434-6. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

At the end of Zom-B Clans, B was captured by the Klan due to Rage’s treachery, but was saved from certain death at Dan-Dan’s hands when B’s father removed his hood and revealed himself. B’s mother is also present at the facility, but has been turned into a mindless zombie.

Brought in the fortified power plant, B discovers that the Board, along with Owl Man, have taken refuge here and are working closely with the military to establish a new world order in which they will reign.

B becomes Dan-Dan’s tortured plaything. Surrounded by terrified children, Dan-Dan takes his time torturing B, inflicting a lot of pain and suffering. B is then made to fight in a cage to save Vinyl’s life, the whole reason B had come here in the first place.

When it becomes clear that B will not be able to rescue Vinyl, he implores that B kills him off now instead of becoming a zombie. Moving quickly, B kills Vinyl, but then the gladiator match is interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Dowling’s army of zombies and mutants. Unfurling banners showing B’s face, they give the humans an ultimatum. Turn B over to them, or they will destroy the power plant. In their hubris, the Board refuses, and the zombies quickly overturn the fortress’ defenses.

B escapes the cage, and while B’s father begins saving humans, B chases after Dan-Dan. After a confrontation, B slaughters Dan-Dan, putting an end to that child killer’s life. Exhausted and tired, B meets Mr. Dowling in the corridor, and encounters the Babies again, who pick B up and begin to head home...

Zom-B Clans

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Clans. 2014. 168p. Book 8 of the Zom-B series. ISBN 978-0-316-21429-2. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

In Zom-B Mission, B and the Angels were sent to New Kirkham to escort a group of humans out of London to this compound’s relative safety. Unfortunately, upon their arrival the compound was attacked by the Ku Klux Klan.

Being a bully and a racist when alive, B is not about to let others bully because of race. The Angels come to the protection of the population, and B comes face to face with Owl Man and his dog. Owl man exerts some form of mind control on B, and manages to escape with a convoy of prisoners, including Vinyl, one of B’s best human friends.

Desperate, B chases the convoy down and manages, with Rage’s help, to capture Dan Dan, whom the Angels will exchange for Vinyl and the other humans taken prisoners at New Kirkham.

Back in London, Dr. Oystein informs the Angels of the deadly virus and counter virus agents developed by himself and Owl Man years ago that are now in each other’s possession. Simply put, Mr. Dowling possesses a virus that can eliminate all humans, while Dr. Oystein possesses a virus that can eliminate all zombies. The unleashing of one would immediately result in the unleashing of the other. Thus, at the moment, the Angels and Mr. Dowling and his mutants are at a standstill.

B accompanies the party assigned to Dr. Oystein to trade Dan Dan, but gets captured in the exchange when Rage goes rogue and takes Dan Dan on his offer of riches. B is about to be shot when someone intervenes. Taking off his white hood, B’s father pleads to save B from death...

This story continues in Zom-B Family.

Zom-B: Mission

Shan, Darren. Zom-B: Mission. 2014. 175p. ISBN 978-0-316-21428-5. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

Having survived imprisonment and gladiator games at the hands of the Board in Zom-B: Gladiator, B committed to the Angels and returned to Country Hall less conflicted than she has felt for months.

Now the opportunity for an actual mission presents itself when the Angels are assigned a transport mission. They are to protect a group of humans making their way out of London towards the fortified settlement of New Kirkham two days away from the city.

Tragedy strikes even before they leave, however, as B is forced to attack Mr. Burke, her science teacher and one of the few humans who remains with the Angels, after he fired a gun at Dr. Oystein. She accidentally scraped him, and now he has turned into a zombie. B’s only hope is that Burke was vaccinated, and may come back as a revived.

On the way to New Kirkham the Angels and their humans are attacked several times, but they reach the village unharmed. On their way back to London, B gets suspicious as she notices the same dog has been following them, and she tracks it to a large vehicle convoy of KKK members, led by Owl man. This convoy is headed to New Kirkham, where they will attack the settlement. B convinces the other Angels that they must protect the settlement at all costs. Will the Angels follow her in battle?

Zom-B Gladiator

Shan, Darren. Zom-B: Gladiator. 2014. 162p. ISBN 978-0-316-21407-0. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

Following B’s disturbing meeting with the Zom-B baby, she decided at the end of Zom-B: Baby to return to the Angels at Country Hall, and join Dr. Oystein in his fight against the evil Mr. Downing. B settles into the routine of inspecting buildings around the hall, and every time they discover humans they bring them back to the Hall so they can be safely removed from the city.

On one such encounter, B meets a mother and her young child. After the initial scare and much discussion, the angels and the mother decide to go back to the Hall, but B follows Cian to get a toy in one of the many abandoned toy stores around London. There they get separated, and B is captured by Barnes and Coley, American hunters B had a run in with in Zom-B City. This time B is captured, and turned over to the Board, a coterie of human villains who are bent on dominating what’s left of the world but in the meantime, for lack of a plan, like to entertain themselves by holding gladiator games.

B is pitted against combinations of zombies three to five times a day, and every fight exhausts B’s strength a little more. Caught in the cruel clutches of the Board and of Dan-Dan, a serial child murdered, will B continue to fight against all odds or will it become time for death?

Zom-B Angels

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Angels. 2013, 182p. ISBN 978-316-21414-8. FIC SHA on the library shelves. Book 4 of the Zom-B series

B survived her trip through London in Zom-B City. After escaping one more encounter with Mr. Dowling and crew of mutant zombies, B follows red Z signs on walls and arrives at the Commons, a large building in the center of London. B meets Dr. Oystein, a zom-head. Housed in this vast complex are the angels, a force of revitalized zombies assembled by Dr. Oystein to fight Mr. Dowling’s forces and make the world safe for the living.

B encounters Rage again, the same one who left the zom-heads to fend for themselves in the underground military base. They must now learn to collaborate together as the origin of the zombie plague is revealed if they ever wish to defeat the evil clown. This sequel to Zom-B City is sure to keep you turning the pages!

Zom-B: City

Shan, Darren. Zom-B: City. 2013, 166p. ISBN 978-0-316-21436-0. FIC SHA on the library shelves. Book 3 of the Zom-B series.

B escaped from the underground complex where the zom heads were kept by the military. Now B finds the world outside to be worse than any twisted imagination could have crafted. London has been devastated by hordes of zombies killing all living beings in the city, including cats and dogs. Buildings have burned down to the ground, cars have been overturned. In the six months B has been locked up, the city has become ruins.

B locates a radio and finally gets news from the outside. All major cities were attacked simultaneously: New York, Tokyo, Moscow. Over four billion people have died in the zombie onslaught. Taking shelter, B returns home, but Mum and Dad are not here. From the clothes left behind, it appears they departed in a hurry. That pleases B. When the radio announces a rescue attempt in the middle of London, B decides to go. Maybe scientists can discover what causes some zombies to revitalize if they study what’s left of B.


The rescue takes place as planned, but as other people start making it on board the military helicopters one of them is shut down by Mr. Dowling the zombie clown, and a horde of mutant zombies attack. There’s nothing freakier than zombie clowns, and B is completely disgusted but unable to flee. Will this be the end of B. Smith? Read on to revel in the master of horror’s newest chapter in the B saga, following Zom-B and Zom-B: Underground.

Zom-B Underground

Shan, Darren. Zom-B Underground. 2013, 181p. ISBN 978-0-316-21412-4. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

In this sequel to Zom-B, B wakes up in an underground facility only to be immediately attacked along with other zombies by teens wearing leather and carrying flame throwers. When one of the attackers gets tackled by one of the zombies, B intervenes and saves the teen, who turns out to be a zom-head, a teen who was killed and was turned into a zombie but then somehow regained consciousness. B becomes one of the little group of zom-heads who are being studied in the research facility by Dr. Cerveris and a group of military officers.

B remains conflicted about life as a zombie. The little things in life, like hair growing, grooming, and sleeping are replaced by daily teeth filing, tear drops to prevent eyes from drying out, and a gray tasteless goo eaten and promptly vomited as zombies can’t digest food. B misses the parental units, but still questions what happens with Tyler at the school.

The zom-heads are used against other zombies to find anymore zom-heads, and their group dynamics replicate how they were in real life, with conflicts and fights among the characters. When the complex is invaded by zombies and the vile clown Mr. Dowling, B and the other zom-heads find themselves in the fight of their life, trying to escape the underground complex while being chased both by soldiers and by mutant zombies commanded by Mr. Dowling. Can B and company escape, or will they suffer a second and ultimate death?

Zom-B

Shan, Darren. Zom-B. 2012, 217 p. ISBN 978-031-621-4407. Available on the library shelves at FIC SHA, as an eBook and as an audiobook, both available from Overdrive.

When a zombie attack is reported in a tiny village of Ireland, B’s father thinks that it’s a blessing. He’s a racist, homophobic fascist who believes that England should only belong to white people. B shares the same ideas, but only because that’s what dad believes. Dad also likes to get drunk and beat his wife and B in the process when they disagree with him, so B has learned long ago to just go with it and not make waves at home.

B takes to school the attitudes found at home. B bullies those that are different, steals from stores, fails at school and is proud of the Fs earned by doing nothing in class. But when zombies show up at B’s school, B has some decisions to make. As the body count grows and all means of escape are blocked, B and the little group of friends who have so far survived find themselves in a race against time to find an exit before they are devoured by zombies or worse, turned into them.

This book an amazing read. B’s like is already like that of a zombie, devoid of thought before actions, and slave to what others think. I didn’t expect much from it, but the action is prevalent throughout the book, and B is such a lovable and despicable character all mixed in that it made for great reading. As the 1st in a 12 book series, Zom-B promises much and delivers even more!

Other titles in this series include Zom-B Underground, Zom-B City, Zom-B Angels, Zom-B Baby, Zom-B Gladiator, Zom-B Mission, Zom-B Clan, and Zom-B Family. This is a great action series for those who are not faint of heart!

Zom-B Baby

Shan, Darren. Zomb-B Baby. 2013. 160p. ISBN 978-0-316-21420-9. FIC SHA on the library shelves.

After surviving the horrors of reviving and escaping clutches of the military, B has now found refuge among the Angels, a group of revived zombies led by the enigmatic Dr. Oystein. The Doctor professes to be on a mission from God to fight Mr. Dowling, the evil clown, and his mutants, whom Oystein consider to be the devil. B is uncomfortable working for one who seems to be a self-appointed prophet, and after discussions with Rage and the other zom-heads, B decides that the Angels may not be the best place to be.

B returns to the center of the city and reconnects with Timothy Jackson, a painter B had met earlier while wandering through London. He shows her his new paintings, and also a puzzling discovery he made. In a crib, in a locked room, is a baby. This baby has no pupils, razor sharp teeth, and no gender. A metal bar sticks in its head. B instantly recognizes it as one of the horrors that afflicted B’s nightmares while alive, before the zombie invasion.

When B pulls the bar out, the baby begins screaming, alerting all zombies in the area. It looks at B, and it tells B to follow him. The zombies break in the building and kill Timothy, and B barely escapes with her life. Taking this appearance as a sign of God as surely He had sent the premonitions, B decides to return and join the Angels and fight Mr. Dowling.