Justin and his best friends, amateur filmmakers who never seem to get the movies all together, decide to crank out a zombie movie in the last couple weeks before summer break. They try - by hook or by crook - to cobble together the actors, the effects, and the story for a great zombie movie. And of course, nothing goes quite right along the way. Entertaining, light, and fun. ( )

Despite its title, The Best Zombie Movie Ever doesn’t have a single zombie. Not one, lonely, solitaire zombie. You would think a novel that has zombie in its title and yet doesn’t even have one itty-bitty zombie wouldn’t be any good, but you would be wrong. Instead, this young adult novel is filled with the comical musings of Jeff Strand, and if there’s anything better than zombies, it would be Strand’s fiction, which has me rolling from beginning to end.

Besides humor, the one thing that Strand is exceptionally skilled at is getting characters in seemingly innocuous situations and turning the situation into something really terrible for the characters. And just when you think this bad situation can’t get worse, Strand makes it worse. And just when you’re certain there is no way that the author can find a way to make it worse for them, the evil genius somehow manages to make the character’s situation even worse. You get a lot of that sort of thing in this novel. My only conclusion is that Strand really, really hates his characters.

This novel is a quick read. I finished it in about three sittings, which is refreshing given the length of some of the novels in today’s marketplace. The pace is just where it should be, and the characters are well fleshed out. The entire time I read the story, I kept thinking there’s no way these kids are going to pull off the task of making this awesomely epic zombie movie. I won’t spoil if it worked out for the Justin and his two friends, but the journey was well worth it. If you haven’t read Strand’s fiction before, The Best Zombie Movie Ever is a good place to start.

Carl Alves - author of Battle of the Soul ( )

While this book is not going to be a major hit on any level, it's great to have something fun and catchy for the middle school boys. THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER is about a group of boys focused on producing exactly that--to many humorous failed attempts. ( )

THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER by Jeff Strand is a quirky young adult novel celebrating horror film-making.

Although Justin’s previous horror films haven’t done the greatest on YouTube, he’s hoping that his latest zombie adventure will be a hit. Unfortunately, everything doesn’t go as planned and his movie is a disaster. However with a little creativity and he’s able to turn his zombie movie into something unique.

Strand’s engaging brand of humor and many movie references will attract teens who enjoy the idea of making a movie.

Librarians will find this title appeals to a niche audience who enjoy Strand and his approach. Keep in mind that this title isn’t a zombie horror, instead it’s a friendship story about a teen’s quest to make a movie. Look for an audience among youth who like quirk humor and movies.

To learn more about the author, go to https://jeffstrand.wordpress.com/.

Published by Sourcebooks Fire on March 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )

Review copy

When reading a new work from Jeff Strand, I'm frequently reminded of the popular line from Forrest Gump, "My momma always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'" Will I get something in the horror genre, something delightfully demented, strange, or even charmingly romantic like his Kumquat novel from a couple of years back. Or will I just get chocolate all over the pages of the book?

What we have with Strand's newest novel is a YA story of some high school buddies who set out to make the greatest zombie movie ever. It's a herculean task fraught with challenges, like money, casting, money, equipment breaking-down, money, romantic entanglements...oh, and did I mention money?

They are so desperate for funds they wind up going to Justin Hollow's grandmother, who turns out to be a bit of a loan shark.

the greatest zombie movie ever. was a lot of sarcastic fun and is a book that is genuinely suitable for all ages.

In some ways the book was similar to the familiar trope of "Let's put on a show," made popular by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland back in the 30s. It's a thing, google it.

I actually had a zombie dream while reading this book, well not while actually reading the book, although if I could find a way to read while sleeping, I'd be all in favor of that.

the greatest zombie movie ever. is available now from Sourcebooks Fire in both paperback and e-book formats and recommended for grades 6-12.

Jeff Strand moved to Fairbanks, Alaska when he was six months old. He grew up in the cold, where he desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. Then he wanted to make video games. Then he wanted to write movies. Actually, he still wants to do all of those things, but for now he's quite happy writing lots of demented novels in a wide variety of genres.

Because he doesn't do cold weather anymore, he lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and a deaf cat. ( )