Werewolf Max and the Midnight Zombies

A fateful night introduces fourth grader Max to the world of zombie-fighting werewolves in Davenport’s engaging debut. En route home from his friend Tim’s house on the night of a full moon, Max gets bitten by a “big and hairy” creature with “glowing red eyes.” When his wounds heal mysteriously by the next morning, he realizes strange things are afoot. Slowly, Max discovers that he’s becoming stronger and faster as well as more volatile. The night of the next full moon, he changes into a werewolf. Prowling the woods, he meets seven other werewolves, led by Peter and the wolf that bit him—Tim. With his new pack, Max sets out to control his people-eating urges and thwart the continuous zombie attacks spurred by a trio of banshee necromancers. Mann’s grayscale, cartoon-style illustrations give the characters’ emotions immediacy. Though Max and Tim seem older than their age, character development is slim, and squeamish readers may want to steer clear (plenty of zombies are bloodily dismembered), Davenport’s supernatural series starter has solid pacing and accessible language, with positive messages about teamwork, friendship, and fighting for family. Ages 8–12. (Self-published)