Zombie Baseball Beatdown

When his friend Miguel’s family is deported, young Rabi Chatterjee-Jones uncovers a conspiracy at Milrow Meat Solutions, the small town’s local meatpacking plant, that has him and his friends dodging zombies and clashing with corporate lawyers in an effort to save the world. While it may seem like a stretch, there’s an antifactory farming slant to this hilarious story from Bacigalupi, which is adroitly narrated by Malhotra. Throughout, the reader’s pacing is superb and his comic timing perfect. Malhotra’s characterization are rich and complex—despite the fact that this may seem a silly comedy-horror mash-up—and his spirited delivery of Bacigalupi’s prose brings more to the table than the book’s title may imply, including some commentary about the meatpacking industry. Ages 8–12. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Sept.)