Undead Ed

Gr 6–8—Ed Bagley was unlucky in life and isn't faring any better in death. Hit by a truck on his 13th birthday, he wakes up in a sewer to find his left arm has torn itself off from his body and is crawling away, threatening to kill Ed should they meet again. He's also become a zombie, and his hometown of Mortlake is full of unseen vampires, werewolves, and ghouls. As Ed tries to get the hang of life after death, he's mentored by "Dead Buddy" Max, a werewolf. Together they fight the creepy creatures that inhabit Mortlake's underworld. Their ultimate enemy: Ed's left arm, which has been possessed by the spirit of a cursed circus clown and is wreaking havoc on the entire undead population. In the climax, Ed's newfound courage and abilities as "Undead Ed" help him exorcise the spirit from his rogue arm, reattach it, and anticipate his next adventure. Heavy on humor, this book is an uneasy mix. Cartoonlike illustrations and gross-out hyperbole ("you stink worse than my last dump") appeal to upper elementary readers. However, mature expressions ("it didn't just suck. It blew," "I'm a badass") and vocabulary ("arcane," "fetid," "erstwhile") suggest middle school reluctant readers as the target audience.—M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY