Undead is like a summer teen flick (that is set in winter, there is a castle as well) which contains zombies, unlikely friends and an evil corporation. Bobby is finding life in England a wee bit difficult after her mother uproots her from America and returns them to their starting point in England. Her classmates seem to disapprove of her lingering American-ness and so when out on a field trip to um, Scotland? I think, she stays on the bus instead of getting off at a café with the rest of her classmates. Smitty, the resident bad boy, accompanies her (he isn’t given a choice as his bad boy-ness results in café-outing privileges being stripped from him). Then everyone dies apart from the school nerd (who is universally bullied) and the school mean-girl. It wouldn’t have been so bad except that they all rise again…as zombies.I want to say it’s rollicking good fun with lots of running, tension, danger and all that delicious stuff. There are hints of romance, some jealousy and a lot of dead people. There is very little logic and substance to the novel itself but the book is about zombies. You cannot expect it to be proselytizing on the meaning of being human. Well, maybe you can but you’d be reading the wrong book. Anyway, unlikely friendships do prop up and while Bobby is not especially memorable as a heroine, she is very likeable and easy to empathize with. She could be you or me or any other normal person trying to survive high school. Some revelations are interesting and I do think that there may be more to the whole thing than we are told but as this is a series, I have no doubt more interesting hijinks are in store for us. And zombies too, of course.All in all, if you are looking for something lighthearted, marshmallow kind of novel that is easy to read, Undead is the book for you. Enjoy.
