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

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 Crimebiters 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. [em](May) [/em] Correction: A previous version of this review misstated the name of the author's earlier series.