Bad Taste in Boys

Gr 7—10—Kate Grable is a scientific genius who helps train the school's football team. When she discovers suspicious vials in the coach's office, she assumes that he is trying to improve the team's performance with steroids. Then members of the team develop mysterious, violent symptoms—one of them even bites Kate—and she learns that the coach has been giving them injections of a zombie virus that spreads mainly through being bitten. She soon falls prey to the infected, which become extraordinarily violent, yet humorous, as fingers and feet start to fall off the victims as the disease runs its course. Being an epileptic, she soon discovers that the only cure for the virus is her own medicine. With the help of her longtime crush and goofy brother and his pseudo-sword, Kate manages to restore order. Teens will admire how Kate uses her brains to win the hearts of her male classmates. The plot moves along quickly, making readers feel as if they were watching an actual zombie movie. The short chapters are filled with light humor along with a silly, gory edge that will make readers laugh, rather than cringe.—Krista Welz, North Bergen Public Library, NJ