My Zombie Hamster

May 5, 2014
The zombie apocalypse has arrived, and now towns are protected by Undead Neutralization Units, which are essentially bug zappers for zombies (aka “deadbeats”), and Zombie Squads, who patrol for the undead inside town walls. Despite this, life is otherwise pretty normal for video game–obsessed Matt and his three best friends in this entertaining, journal-style adventure that takes off after Matt’s birthday hamster, Snuffles, turns into a zombie and escapes. Other pets soon disappear, and Matt and his friends form a group to track them down, as well as the newly dubbed “Anti-Snuffles.” McCreely creates a world where zombies are just another part of life—to Matt, they’re less annoying than his mother taking a job as a substitute teacher for his class. The deadbeat encounters can be frightening, but humor is at the forefront (“Were we about to be attacked by a horde of deadbeat squirrels? What an embarrassing way to go”), and McCreely lays groundwork for a possible evolution of the human-deadbeat relationship. Think Shaun of the Dead for a middle-school crowd. Ages 8–12.

June 15, 2014
For Christmas, Matt wants a Runesword that will allow him to ditch his control pad and take his level-28 cleric into whole new realms of awesomeness. He gets Snuffles the hamster-who pretty soon turns into Anti-Snuffles, the zombie hamster, who promptly escapes.This is a problem, as in Matt's America, towns are surrounded by high walls and patrolled by Zombie Squads. (The back story behind the zombie plague, which evidently began only recently, is elided.) A zombie hamster inside the walls puts Matt's family in legal jeopardy, so Matt and his pals embark on a stop-and-go search for Anti-Snuffles before he can turn all Edenvale's pets into deadbeats. McCreely's execution of his premise is scattershot. Matt relates his tale in an unconvincing, diarylike structure, but there's no sense that Matt is actually keeping a diary, making it a conceit without any real justification. Perhaps coincidentally, his voice is very similar to another, famous, diary-keeping middle schooler, and Matt seems to suffer equally from a sort of narrative ADHD. Bouts of anxiety over Anti-Snuffles' depredations alternate with games of Runespell and lamentations at the appointment of his mother as a new long-term substitute teacher. The plot twist that has the best promise of engaging readers emotionally occurs over halfway through the book; those who make it that far may be interested enough to wait for the sequel, but that's not a sure thing.This zombie hamster doesn't have much bite. (Funny horror. 8-12)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-Life isn't so bad after the zombie apocalypse. Walls surround the town of Edenvale, and Zombie Zappers lure the walking dead to their final ends. The zombies are dangerous but under control, which frees Matt Hunter to worry about more pressing matters, like what he's going to get for Christmas. Matt hopes for a controller for his favorite video game, but his parents disappoint him by giving him a hamster instead. Snuffles doesn't do much except eat and sleep, until he dies and rises up as a zombie. Anti-Snuffles-as Matt now refers to his undead pet-soon escapes captivity. Now Matt and his friends must hunt down malevolent rodent before it turns Edenvale's pets into an army of the dead. McCreely maintains a humorous tone throughout, keeping the story from ever getting too dark. The irreverent narrator, short chapters, and brisk pace will appeal to reluctant readers. My Zombie Hamster contains some implied violence, but nothing too graphic, making it the perfect pick for readers who are interested in zombie action, but who are not ready for gore. The satisfying conclusion leaves just enough unresolved to hint at future adventures involving Matt and his ghoulish rodent.-Tony Hirt, Hennepin County Library, MN

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