Be sure to stop by and check out my interview with the awesome James Ponti to learn more about Dead City and to watch a couple teaser videos.
| TITLE: Dead City AUTHOR: James Ponti PUB: Aladdin PUB DATE: 10/2/12 FORMAT: hardcover SOURCE: pub |
The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins says this paranormal action-adventure “breathes new life into the zombie genre” and has “a terrific twist of an ending.”Most kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow has something else on her list: hunting zombies. By day, Molly attends MIST—the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology—but outside the classroom she’s busy dealing with the undead. Because not only do zombies exist, they’re everywhere, and it’s her job to help police them and keep the peace. Sure, she’d like to be a regular kid, but given that her mother was the most revered (or feared, depending on your perspective) zombie hunter in the history of New York City, “regular” just isn’t possible. Molly’s got some legendary footsteps to follow—and some undeadly consequences if she fails.
THREE
WORDS: Wildly Fun & Funny
MY
REVIEW: I enjoy a great zombie
story, but I LOVE a zombie story that offers a fresh twist on the
genre and I LOVE James Ponti's middle-grade book Dead
City.
In this book, Ponti has packed in all the things I love in my MG's,
while offering readers a fun and exciting whole new zombie world.
Seventh-grader
Molly Bigelow doesn't fit in, not even among her fellow smart peers
at MIST (Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology), and it
doesn't help that Molly rather hang around her mom's old workplace
(the morgue!) than hang out with other kids. And Molly's life just
gets weirder when she is recruited to join the Omegas, a secret
organization that protects and polices New York's zombie population,
and NYC is full of the undead. Molly soon finds herself infiltrating
zombie parties in Dead City, solving mysterious puzzles, going up
against the baddest zombie of all, learning things she never knew
about her deceased mother (the greatest Omega ever!) and, strangest of
all, doing all this with her first group of real friends.
Dead
City was
such a wickedly fun and immensely enjoyable read! I really just loved
everything about this book: the humor, characters, zombie world, and
the writing. James Ponti has crafted a refreshing, exciting
action-packed story that shakes up the zombie genre in the best way
possible.
Ponti
is a delightful and highly entertaining storyteller and he has
captured the perfect MG voice. Fast-paced and full of non-stop laughs
and action, Dead City takes
readers on a wild and thrilling ride through the tunnels under NYC
all the way to top of the George Washington Bridge. The humor is a
laugh-out-loud funny mix of wry sarcasm and clever wit, and some of
the chapter titles are some of the funniest I've ever read (like:
You're Probably
Wondering Why There's a Dead Body in the Bathroom
& You're
Probably (Still) Wondering Why There's a Dead Body in the Bathroom).
I
love the unique and captivating zombie world Ponti has created.
There's a whole undead community under NYC...and some rocking zombie
parties! The zombies in this book aren't just mindless, brain eaters.
There's actually three different levels of the undead, some, who can
blend in with society, need to be protected, while others need to be
killed. And the Omegas are a kick-butt, intelligent, resourceful
group of teens that are up for both jobs. The secret Omega society
that Ponti has developed is well thought out and smartly crafted,
with great mysterious layers. Readers of all ages (including me) will
be dying to sign up as an Omega!
As
cool as the zombie world and the Omega society are, the characters
are even more awesome. With Molly, Ponti had me at "weird girl who
hangs out at the morgue"! Molly is my favorite kind of heroine: the
charmingly sarcastic, clever kind whose witty observations make me
gigglesnort and who overcomes a lot of her insecurities and grows
into a kick-butt zombie fighting machine, yet still makes mistakes
and acts her age. She's impossible not to love, super relatable, and
an irresistible narrator . Molly's three Omega team members, Natalie;
Alex; and Grayson, are all fantastic and well-developed characters.
The four teens make for a quirky, but endearing and fun group of
zombie fighters and genuine friends.
Molly's
journey as an Omega is full of thrills, danger, and mystery. The
Omegas don't just kick zombie butt, they have to follow clues and
solve tricky puzzles. Readers will have so much fun figuring things
out with Molly and her friends, I know I did. And all of Molly's
training, smarts, and courage lead her to a gaspworthy and twisty
ending.
MY
FINAL THOUGHTS: With
a whole new take on the world of zombies and zombie fighters, Dead
City is
an awesome edition that stands out in a packed genre. Ponti's
excellent storytelling, fantastic characters, and unforgettable humor
will have readers of all ages devouring Dead City
and
desperate for the next installment (I am!). A superb, must read!
MY RATING
James Ponti
I grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and am a graduate of the University of Southern California. I've written numerous books and have worked as a television writer/producer. I'm currently writing the Dead City Middle Grade book series about a secret society of New York City zombie fighters. According to a non-disclosure agreement I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not I've ever actually fought a zombie face to face. Although I am certain that a few of my middle school teachers were undead.
Visit the Dead City Facebook Page to learn more, see pics, and watch teaser videos
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository
1 comment:
Awesome review! I think I would really like this book.
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