A Small Zombie Problem (Zombie Problems #1)

Campbell (Flora & Ulysses) leaps assuredly into middle grade fiction in this, well, spirited series opener featuring a cast of enchantingly eccentric characters. August DuPont lives in the garret of his family’s crumbling manse with his quirky Aunt Hydrangea, who, fearing for his safety, refuses to let the 11-year-old outdoors. August’s only knowledge of peers derives from a TV show about a group of friends—a program that he views, via telescope, on a TV located on a ramshackle houseboat nearby. Lonely and longing to “join the world,” August insists on accepting an invitation to visit Hydrangea’s equally offbeat sister, Orchid, estranged since she married a descendant of the ruthless entrepreneur who drove the DuPonts’ prosperous hot sauce company out of business. Venturing beyond the garden gate for the first time, August gets a whirlwind introduction to the real—and not so real—world when he meets an undead girl in a cemetery, who removes and offers him one of her eyeballs, then refuses to leave his side. With wry humor and inventive plotting, Campbell reveals August’s tangled, magic-tinged ancestry while shaping a poignant portrait of a boy—and a zombie—in search of friendship. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (June)