I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It, by Adam Selzer

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It, by Adam Selzer. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. 177 pp. ISBN 9780385904971


READER'S ANNOTATION
To Alley, Doug is the cutest guy, with impeccable taste in music: hers.  So what if he's a little -- well, a lot -- pale?

GENRE
Horror, Humor

SUMMARY
Alley Rhodes is a high school senior who lives in a small Iowa town in what has been termed the "post-human era".  It is so called because humans, zombies, and vampires live together, without harming each other for the most part.  The era began when the vampires came out of the shadows to successfully spearhead a legal action on behalf of the zombies, whom the Megamart chain had brought back from the dead to use as slave labor.  Against this satirical backdrop is an engaging story about Alley's meeting of and dating Doug, a guy from a neighboring town who sings with a local band and shares Alley's taste in music.  But she shortly realizes that he is not quite human.  However, he is her first real love, and their relationship really transforms for the better the way that she treats others.  She also grapples with the question of whether a teen like herself should make permanent life-altering decisions in order to be with the person she loves. 

EVALUATION
This is an easy and fun read which will get teens thinking about social issues and interpersonal ones as well.  The plot is fairly simple but the story is well-paced; Alley's experiences day-to-day at school and dating milestones such as having Doug meet her parents, going to prom, etc. are balanced with her sorting through her feelings about the relationship. The story is quite funny at times, and Alley is a likeable character with whom I think teens will identify.  The other characters are not as developed.
What may make this novel controversial to some are a couple mentions of teenage drinking and teens dying in order to become vampires or zombies.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
I think this novel could help teens involved in romantic relationships to keep their perspective and not let the relationship radically change their post-high school plans.  It could also help teens to develop more compassion for physically challenged or ill classmates.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
The phrasing of the title and the idea of dating a zombie made me laugh.

Zombies vs. Unicorns, edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black

Zombies vs. Unicorns, edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010. 415 pp. ISBN 9781416989530 


READER'S ANNOTATION
Which makes for better fiction: zombies or unicorns?  Read through these twelve inventive tales and decide for yourself!

GENRE
Fantasy, Horror

SUMMARY

This is an anthology of twelve short stories by YA authors, half about zombies and half about unicorns.  The premise by which the editors unite the tales is that they wish readers to read them all and then decide whether zombies or unicorns make for better subject matter for fiction. Each story is preceded by a page of banter between editors Larbalestier and Black about the merits of zombies and unicorns.  Stories vary widely in theme and setting, all the way from Margo Lanagans’ seemingly Middle Ages tale, A Thousand Flowers, which concerns a royal lady who will make the ultimate sacrifice to be with her true love, to Carrie Ryan’s futuristic Bouganvillea, in which a young girl’s mettle is tested .

 
EVALUATION
I really loved the great majority of these stories.  Although it is hard to narrow it down, my favorite is Naomi Novik's Purity Test just because it's so zany, centering around a teenage girl conscripted to help rescue a group of baby unicorns in New York City.  I especially love the unicorn Belcazar's sarcasm, and his lines about Fairyland and chocolate milk really tickle my funnybone for some reason.  I also loved Bouganvillea by Carrie Ryan.  She manages to convey such a heavy expectant mood, and I like the growth and ultimate strength shown by Iza, the main character.  The black humor and thought-provoking nature of  Alayna Dawn Johnson's Love Will Tear Us Apart are also just great.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPS
I think that one uniting factor of several of the stories is that protagonists are called upon to act decisively in the interest of self-preservation or in order to be true to themselves.  This could inspire teens in any situation in which courage is called for.

WHY I CHOSE TO READ IT
Some of the stories sounded really funny and/or thought-provoking.