The No-Brainer’s Guide to Decomposition

The summer before seventh grade deviates from Frani Gonzalez’s expectations in this distinctively eerie adventure by Cuevas (Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo). Frani—who lives on a “body farm” with her forensic anthropology professor papi and older sister and calls her ADHD brain Arañita, or little spider—is assisting her father with his research over the summer. When strange things start happening, such as corpses rising out of the ground and wandering the property, Frani’s new friend Benji proposes theories from horror movies. The actual cause eludes them—until they befriend “Definitely Undead Dude” Santiago, a perpetually 16-year-old former foster kid whose disappearance and death went uninvestigated. Thorough forensics research, as explained in back matter, provides clinical facts about decomposition that add heft to numerous gross-out moments in this genre-bending tag-team horror adventure. The focus on Frani’s attempts to better understand her brain and how it works—and how to use it to her advantage—offers a unique perspective to the numerous supernatural and interpersonal challenges she encounters throughout. Frani and Santiago are Latinx; Benji reads as Japanese American. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Sept.)