A Zombie Ate My Homework (Project Z Series #1)

by Tommy Greenwald

Overview

Arnold Z. Ombee has escaped a secret government zombie project -- but now can he survive human elementary school?

From the hilarious mind behind the Crimebiters series comes a new trilogy that fans of The Last Kids on Earth will love to pieces (literally). Arnold Z. Ombee has escaped a secret government lab that's developing zombies. Young, scared, and alone, he is found by the Kinders, a warmhearted couple who take him in. The Kinders decide Arnold will become part of their family. They help him disguise his undead appearance and teach him how to act like a human boy. After a lot of practice, he's ready for the ultimate test: Fifth grade!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338305944
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Series:	Project Z Series , #1
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tommy Greenwald is the author of many books for children, including the CrimeBiters! series, the Charlie Joe Jackson series, and the football novel Game Changer. This is his first series for zombies.

Editorial Reviews

04/08/2019

This spry series launch introduces Norbus Clacknozzle, a product of the U.S. government’s Project Z, founded to create zombies and release them to terrify residents, thereby uniting a divided nation against a common adversary. But before the program is rolled out, a confused juvenile zombie escapes from the government experiment facility and is taken in by a kind couple who disguise his identity (his new name, “Arnold Z. Ombee,” hints at his provenance; contact lenses cover the red stripes across his eyes) and enroll him in school. Greenwald (the Crimebusters series) weaves a relatable and unexpectedly credible story as Arnold—with his small frame, aversion to sunlight, formal vocabulary, and diet limited to jelly beans—endures the ridicule of his fellow fifth graders. As Arnold adjusts to human life and makes his first-ever friends, his angst is increasingly tempered by humor: invited to a slumber party, he thinks, “I couldn’t possibly go to a sleepover. I don’t sleep, remember?” After tightening the tension with clues that Arnold’s cover will be blown (the government issues a classified notice of a possible escapee sighting), Greenwald neatly wraps up this amusing story about identity, tolerance, family, and friendship. Ages 8–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Greenwald breathes new life into the zombie story with a few twists and Norbus' fresh, funny narration. Bardin's cartoon spot illustrations add a cinematic quality that matches well with the short chapters and quick pace." — Kirkus Reviews"Themes of being an outsider and finding your place in the world are present throughout this book. The text is humorous and age-appropriate...The book will appeal to readers who enjoy an adventure story with snappy dialogue and lots of action...definitely be of interest to middle grade students."- School Library Connection "This new series from the author of the Crimebiters books is full of humor and gross high jinks and is a fun pick for middle-schoolers interested in an alternative zombie tale." - Booklist

From the Publisher

2019-03-03

A kid zombie escapes from a lab—and it's not brains he's after, just freedom.

United States government documents from 2024 tell of a top-secret human reanimation program known as Project Z. Three years later, a juvenile zombie named Norbus Clacknozzle is the first (and only) one to escape. He's rescued by a friendly human couple—aptly named the Kinders—who bring him to their home. Under their direction, Norbus begins masquerading as a human fifth-grader. But even jeans and a T-shirt can't hide Norbus' pale skin, strict jelly bean diet, or ridiculously advanced vocabulary. And the pseudonym Arnold Z. Ombee is a dead giveaway. Can the Kinder family keep the secret, or will the government catch on? Greenwald breathes new life into the zombie story with a few twists and Norbus' fresh, funny narration. Bardin's cartoon spot illustrations add a cinematic quality that matches well with the short chapters and quick pace. Overarching messages about embracing difference are reflected by a diverse cast to complement the white Kinders and deathly white Norbus: Kiki has dark skin, Evan uses a prosthetic leg, and Sarah Anne is nonverbal. However, Sarah Anne's participation in the conclusion tiptoes dangerously close to "pitiful disability"-trope territory.

Jelly-bean-flavored snack reading. (Science fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews