MELVIN McGEE: ZOMBIE HUNTER REVIEW

Artwork by Marek Jagucki. Click to expand.

Melvin McGee’s 10th birthday is about to get a whole lot more interesting… more than he ever could have imagined.  I mean, he was 10 years old, an adult, so there was that.  So much more to do.  So much more responsibility.  Who would have ever guessed the kind of responsibility that Melvin would have to take on in the coming days?

It all starts well enough.

“Happy Burpday, Melbin!”  That was Jessica, “Melbin’s” little sister.  There would be a proper morning birthday party, of course.  With a top mum and a dad in charge of the party details, it was going to be a great day.

Then a zombie (grabble) apocalypse breaks out, and Melvin’s life would never be the same.

Melvin McGee: Zombie Hunter, by Mathew Sullivan starts off like a shot, and is relentless to the very end.  Melvin and his family and the “potential girl of his dreams” Chloe Barnes are drawn into the chaos so quickly, and the book is such a fast and frantic read, that I was actually able to hold my breath the whole time (which was necessary)!  The only reprieve was the occasional pause to further the mysterious plot (involving the school and the epidemic itself).

By the way, the coined term “grabble,” says Sullivan, came from thinking about what a ten year old (Chloe) would call a zombie if they didn’t know it was a zombie.  It’s also a twisting of the word “gobble.”

And not only is Zombie Hunter a fun read, it’s also educational.  There are any number of informative lists, like:

•    Zombie Misconceptions
•    Items necessary to make a School Run during a grabble epidemic
•    Must have accessories for the young lady during a grabble epidemic

Grabble-goo, the McgeeMobile, Melvin’s protective grabble gear all play a part in Melvin’s survival and unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic.

I absolutely loved Melvin McGee: Zombie Hunter, and your kids will too (the book is classing in at ages 8+).  I guess I must be just one big kid!  It’s heartwarming, exciting, tragic, and funny (I loved how the grabbles were constantly losing body parts).  There are even the occasional statements on society (told in an understated way that children would understand), like zombie-kids mindlessly flipping through their dead cellphones.  Your kids might not know these societal references, but they might recognize the zombie-like behavior in many of their friends (and perhaps even in themselves).  The artwork (by Marek Jagucki) is excellent, and a great addition to the story.

When I was in school, I was one of those kids that signed up for the book club, so that I would receive the latest catalogue of new titles, and I was so hyped when the catalogue would arrive. I would place my order and when the books would arrive, I couldn’t wait to get home to dig into them.  This would easily have been one of them.

Sullivan has created something special, and I can’t wait to see Melvin take on the next  challenge.  Do we see Melvin McGee: Vampire Hunter in his future?

To purchase this book, just hop on over to: http://www.thecepress.com/product/melvin-mcgee-zombie-hunter/

About the Author

Mathew Sullivan is a Y5 teacher and Literacy Coordinator at St Richards RC Primary in Manchester.
He is the author of ‘Developing Writing Through Comics‘, co author (with Alan Peat) of ‘The Ultimate Guide to Non Fiction‘ and ‘A Second Book of Exciting Sentences‘ all published by Creative Educational Press Ltd.
Melvin McGee: Zombie Hunter is his first children’s novel.