M. C. Lesh

So, zombie books and I have kind of a special thing going on. As in, I see them and I absolutely have to read them. It doesn't matter whether they're spattered with gore and written for adults, or funny and written for kids. They just automatically go on my reading list!

Let's start with what I liked about Mr. Katz is a Zombie. This is definitely a funny book. While it wasn't quite my kind of humor, it's without a doubt the type of humor that will have younger readers giggling. Who doesn't love a zombie that eats donuts? Another point in this book's corner is that there is a great relationship between our main character and his parents. It isn't often that parents actually appear in stories, much less as supportive characters. J.D is a lucky boy, I'll tell you what. His parents are ghost hunters, and that's pretty darn cool.

As for what didn't jive with me, the writing falls in this category. It's a little rushed, and feels pieced together at times. While it makes things exciting in the action department, some important parts of the story are skipped over. For the younger set, I don't think this would be an issue. They probably won't wonder why no one missed Mr. Katz for an entire weekend. I did, and that bothered me. My other issue is that our characters felt flat. While J.D. and his quirky friends did grow on me, it took a while.

Final verdict? A three-star book for this reader. I know this will be a hit with the younger set, especially boys. It's funny, and slightly gross at times. It's also a quick read. If I were to time travel back and give this to my past self, she would have mainly been sad it was over so quickly. Maybe there's more around the bend? I'd love to see more of J.D. and his ghost hunting family.… (meer)

Fun, fast paced and well-written book for the 7-10 year old group. If your child likes "The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids" series they will love this book!

J.D. is a 12-year-old boy who can see ghosts--which comes in handy because his parents are ghost busters. When the family is out on a call, the ghost of a magician gives Jonathan a spell book. As intriguing as the book is, J.D. locks it away so as not to invite trouble. But his best friend Rodney (whose middle name is trouble) manages to steal it from him and reads one of the spells aloud. Unfortunately, the spell turns their teacher Mr. Katz into a zombie! What are they going to do? Stashing Mr. Katz in the closet, they contact the ghost of the magician to ask how to reverse the spell. The magician tells them the answer is in the "fine print" of the spell book. A cryptic message indeed. With the help of "Kozlowski's Mostly Practical Guide to Zombies," his friends and family, J.D. must figure out how to reverse this spell. Can he do it or is Mr. Katz doomed?

One of the things I liked about this book was that the family was included in the resolution to the problem. So many kids books have the family as absent or clueless, this was refreshing. It looks like "Mr. Katz is a Zombie: Goethalsburg Ghost Squad Book 1" is the first in a series. I anticipate that "Goethalsburg Ghost Squad Book 2" will be a great read!
… (meer)