Zombie in Love

Review

Common Sense Media says

Punny zombie love story is all heart, some brain.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this sweet, silly zombie love story has gruesome elements suited to the subject matter: worms, severed limbs, a detached heart, a severed finger, a plate of eyeballs, a keyboard made of finger bones, and a picnic in a graveyard with brain as the entree.

  • Educational value1
    Mortimer places an ad in the newspaper. Kids can learn that there is another place people advertise besides the Internet.
  • Positive messages4
    Although he is lonely, Mortimer does his best to stay hopeful and keep reaching out to others. His patience and persistence pay off in the end.
  • Positive role models3
    Our zombie hero is nice and keeps trying to connect with girls, but unfortunately the human ones are scared of him. Still, he never gives up. He even tries to get in shape by working out at the gym, but his arm falls off when he lifts weights.
  • Violence & scariness0
    No active violence, but severed body parts and exposed brains allude to possible violence having occurred at some point offstage.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
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What's the story?

A zombie named Mortimer has no sweetheart to take to Cupid's Ball, so he places and ad in the newspaper headlined "Tall, Dead, & Handsome," inviting anyone who likes walks in the graveyard, waking up at midnight, horror films, and voodoo to meet him there. No human girls will dance with him at the ball. Then a zombie named Mildred arrives, they have fun dancing, and then leave to share a midnight brain picnic. "It was love at first bite."

Is it any good?

 

The text by Kelly DiPucchio (Grace for President) is sweet, funny and pun-filled. And the comic illustrations by Scott Campbell (whose art is featured in the video game Psychonauts), is to die for.

What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about zombies. What are they and do they really roam the earth? Could a zombie really have romantic feelings for another zombie?

  • Mortimer is afraid he'll never find someone to love. Then he finds someone just like himself and they are happy together. Do you think it's more fun to be with someone who is just like you or different from you?

  • What is it about the art and the story that make this book about zombies not scary? 

This review was written by Regan McMahon
Adult
October 31, 2011
AGE
4
 
Mortimer rocks!
This book is just adorable! I read it to my son's 1st grade class and they said, "Gross!" "Oooo," and "He needs to brush his teeth!" They also laughed like mad and loved the zombies eating brain at the end. There is so much to see in the illustrations and it is cute and funny!
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Kid, 12 years old
January 6, 2012
AGE
6
 
Cute book, surprisingly scared my 10-year old sister
I would think this book would be fine for kids of most any age, but my 10-year old sister was really creeped out by the whole zombie aspect. The story is fun, pun-filled, and cute, but it might be wise to be careful about whether or not your kid might find the zombie aspect creepy.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (3) | Had useful details (2) | Read my mind (3)
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This review was written by Regan McMahon
Author:Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrator:Scott Campbell
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Picture Book
Publisher:Atheneum
Publication date:September 23, 2011
Number of pages:32
Hardcover price:$12.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):4 - 8
Read aloud:8
Read alone:9
This review was written by Regan McMahon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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