Better Off Undead

Ages 9-12; grades 4-7

After becoming undead, a boy tries to survive middle school.

Adrian Lazarus has met with a curious fate. He’s returned from the dead (after a bad bike accident, no helmet), yet not a lot has changed. He’s always been an outcast. But it’s not just being a zombie that makes Adrian feel different. He notices the world has changed, too: bees are vanishing, forest fires are burning, super-flus are spreading. The holographic advertisements in the night sky assure people that all is well. Adrian and his friends – a beekeeping boy, a mysterious new girl, and a seventh-grade sleuth – aren’t so sure.

When they discover a birdlike drone has been spying on Adrian, the clues lead to two powerful corporate moguls. What do they really want?

James Preller brings his singular humor to Better Off Undead, a middle-grade zombie story that’s about fitting in as much as it’s about the end of the world.