Zombiekins

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Zombiekins

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Overview

Kids don¿t get much wimpier than fourth-grader Stanley Nudelman. He is shy and afraid of, well, lots of things. He spends most of his time hiding from school bully Knuckles Bruzkowski. But then everything changes when Stanley finds an unusual stuffed animal at Old Lady Imavitch¿s yard sale.

Zombiekins is part bunny, part teddy bear¿and 100% zombie! When Stanley brings his new friend to school, all heck breaks loose. Now Stanley will have to find the courage he¿s pretty sure he doesn¿t have in order to stop zombies from taking over the fourth grade!

With years of experience as a language arts teacher, Kevin Bolger knows the types of stories kids devour. His popular Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger was called ¿Don Quixote for nine-year-olds, filtered through Captain Underpants and Monty Python¿ (Quill and Quire). Bolger¿s distinct brand of humor is hilariously conveyed by award-winning narrator and stand-up comedian Johnny Heller.

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Nancy Garhan Attebury

Typical school days for Stanley and his friend Miranda quickly meet with disaster after Stanley buys Zombiekins at a yard sale from a woman named Widow Imavitch! Stanley fails to heed her warning about Zombiekins not being an ordinary toy and he fails to listen to what the woman says about how to use and care for Zombiekins. So when the moonlight hits Zombiekins, it turns into a creature capable of committing havoc. Stanley is unaware of what Zombiekins can do so he heads to school, where he is misunderstood by his teachers and bullied by a sixth grader, with Zombiekins in tow. At school Zombiekins stalks, chases and bites kids, and turns them into zombies. On the playground zombie child Felicity devours a soccer ball. Another kid bites the head off a doll, another swallows a box of crayons, and one eats a horribly moldy sandwich. Finally all the kids but Stanley and Miranda are zombies so Stanley and Miranda barricade themselves in the teachers' lounge for their own safety. Unbeknownst to them, Zombiekins has picked the same room. Stanley and Miranda face a horrible fate until Miranda remembers the Halloween candy Widow Imavitch had tossed to them as they left her yard sale. Miranda pelts the zombies with the candy which, immediately upon being eaten, returns all the kids to their human state. Stanley acts quickly to ensure that Zombiekins' mischief stops, and it does—until the moonlight hits Zombiekins again. The strange, disgusting Zombie behavior displayed in the action and illustrations will give young readers a thrill. So will the quirky humor and word play deftly woven by the author who also penned Sir Fatsalot Hunts the Booger. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan Attebury

School Library Journal

Gr 3–5—Onomatopoeia, puns, and alliteration rule the school in this ghastly gala of gleefully goofy gore by Kevin Bolger (Razorbill, 2010). Stanley Nudelman, a cautious fourth grader, discovers a strange stuffed toy when he and his best friend, Miranda, stop in at a Mrs. Imavitch's yard sale. She reminds Stanley to read the instructions for his creepy new pal, but of course, he does not. The author builds suspense, and then tears it back down, only to build it up again, and tear it down, over and over as the spooky creature—half bunny, half teddy, all bloodthirsty—scares the stuffing out Stanley and Miranda during a couple of extremely eventful days in the little town of Dementedyville. Narrator Johnny Heller is in rare form, moaning and groaning, milking every strangled consonant and mangled vowel, impersonating teachers and students alive and undead, and bringing Bolger's sound effects to eerie life. In fact, due to Heller's excellent work, listening to Zombiekins can be a little scary in places—which cannot be said of the print version. This short and entertaining audiobook will be especially fun at Halloween—and juicy words like macabre, revivified, and piteous will help children build a basic zombie vocabulary.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, MD

Kirkus Reviews

Dementedyville is a town just like any other. And just like any town that's just like any other, there's one spooky house the kids won't go near. In Dementedyville, that's the Widow Imavitch's house. However, when she has a yard sale, Stanley Nudelman and his best friend Miranda check it out (with a crowd of townsfolk). Stanley buys Zombiekins, an adorable yet repulsive stuffed bunnybear . . . and ignores the Widow's entreaty to read the instructions. When Stanley takes Zombiekins to school, the moonlight from a science movie awakens it, and its bite starts a zombie plague. Can Stanley and Miranda dodge Mr. Baldengrumpy, their teacher, long enough to cure their schoolmates? Heck, can they survive? Canadian author Bolger's silly zombie spoof will tickle the funny bone and satisfy the gross-out quotient of any reader, reluctant or otherwise. Blecha's black-and-white illustrations, some supplying punch lines set up in the text, are an added bonus. If running from zombies gets a bit old by the close, the cheeky humor will hold interest. The whole thing's worth the hilarious stuffed-animal slaughter at the outset. (Funny horror. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169389746
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	06/24/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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Editorial Reviews

Typical school days for Stanley and his friend Miranda quickly meet with disaster after Stanley buys Zombiekins at a yard sale from a woman named Widow Imavitch! Stanley fails to heed her warning about Zombiekins not being an ordinary toy and he fails to listen to what the woman says about how to use and care for Zombiekins. So when the moonlight hits Zombiekins, it turns into a creature capable of committing havoc. Stanley is unaware of what Zombiekins can do so he heads to school, where he is misunderstood by his teachers and bullied by a sixth grader, with Zombiekins in tow. At school Zombiekins stalks, chases and bites kids, and turns them into zombies. On the playground zombie child Felicity devours a soccer ball. Another kid bites the head off a doll, another swallows a box of crayons, and one eats a horribly moldy sandwich. Finally all the kids but Stanley and Miranda are zombies so Stanley and Miranda barricade themselves in the teachers' lounge for their own safety. Unbeknownst to them, Zombiekins has picked the same room. Stanley and Miranda face a horrible fate until Miranda remembers the Halloween candy Widow Imavitch had tossed to them as they left her yard sale. Miranda pelts the zombies with the candy which, immediately upon being eaten, returns all the kids to their human state. Stanley acts quickly to ensure that Zombiekins' mischief stops, and it does—until the moonlight hits Zombiekins again. The strange, disgusting Zombie behavior displayed in the action and illustrations will give young readers a thrill. So will the quirky humor and word play deftly woven by the author who also penned Sir Fatsalot Hunts the Booger. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan Attebury

Children's Literature - Nancy Garhan Attebury

Gr 3–5—Onomatopoeia, puns, and alliteration rule the school in this ghastly gala of gleefully goofy gore by Kevin Bolger (Razorbill, 2010). Stanley Nudelman, a cautious fourth grader, discovers a strange stuffed toy when he and his best friend, Miranda, stop in at a Mrs. Imavitch's yard sale. She reminds Stanley to read the instructions for his creepy new pal, but of course, he does not. The author builds suspense, and then tears it back down, only to build it up again, and tear it down, over and over as the spooky creature—half bunny, half teddy, all bloodthirsty—scares the stuffing out Stanley and Miranda during a couple of extremely eventful days in the little town of Dementedyville. Narrator Johnny Heller is in rare form, moaning and groaning, milking every strangled consonant and mangled vowel, impersonating teachers and students alive and undead, and bringing Bolger's sound effects to eerie life. In fact, due to Heller's excellent work, listening to Zombiekins can be a little scary in places—which cannot be said of the print version. This short and entertaining audiobook will be especially fun at Halloween—and juicy words like macabre, revivified, and piteous will help children build a basic zombie vocabulary.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

Dementedyville is a town just like any other. And just like any town that's just like any other, there's one spooky house the kids won't go near. In Dementedyville, that's the Widow Imavitch's house. However, when she has a yard sale, Stanley Nudelman and his best friend Miranda check it out (with a crowd of townsfolk). Stanley buys Zombiekins, an adorable yet repulsive stuffed bunnybear . . . and ignores the Widow's entreaty to read the instructions. When Stanley takes Zombiekins to school, the moonlight from a science movie awakens it, and its bite starts a zombie plague. Can Stanley and Miranda dodge Mr. Baldengrumpy, their teacher, long enough to cure their schoolmates? Heck, can they survive? Canadian author Bolger's silly zombie spoof will tickle the funny bone and satisfy the gross-out quotient of any reader, reluctant or otherwise. Blecha's black-and-white illustrations, some supplying punch lines set up in the text, are an added bonus. If running from zombies gets a bit old by the close, the cheeky humor will hold interest. The whole thing's worth the hilarious stuffed-animal slaughter at the outset. (Funny horror. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews