Josh Rondell loves all things zombie and even trains with his group of zombie hunter friends to be prepared when zombies appear. His home life is a bit strained and he gets in trouble for his zombie fascination especially because of his whiny, annoying little brother. One day, riots break out around the country. Josh glimpses some footage on the news and he knows in his gut that it's zombies. He tries to tell his family and friends but they figure it's his imagination going wild and his zombie obsession at work again. At school, all hell breaks loose as zombies attack. Josh takes it upon himself to keep his friends and family safe.

Josh is just a regular kid with a zombie obsession. He fights with his little brother, complains about chores, and plays in a treehouse with his friends. His home situation isn't the best. His father went to war and came back a changed person. He's struggling to find work, leaving his mother to support most of the finances by herself. Josh has many more responsibilities than he used to because his family needs help. Like a typical twelve year old boy, he complains, fights with his brother, and shirks his duties. When the zombie apocalypse hits, he grows up fast. He realizes he has to step up and make hard decisions to protect his family.

I love Rhiannon Frater's As the World Dies series which is targeted more for adults. I was worried that she would reign in the zombie violence too much for a younger audience, but she didn't. Josh's perspective focuses on the difference between being a zombie fan, enjoying zombie stories and the harrowing experience of seeing people you know being turned into zombie or being eaten by zombies. Emergency situations bring out the best and worst in humanity. Josh steps up to save as many as he can, but he sees some people acting deplorably, not saving the weak or vulnerable and only looking out for themselves. Others can't handle reality at all and refuse to accept it, leading to sometimes fatal consequences.

The Living Dead Boy is fast paced and exciting. It's similar in a lot of ways to Sick by Tom Leveen, but faster paced, much more zombie violence, and younger characters. I only had some small criticisms. The title and cover made me thing this would be about a zombie child and it wasn't. Also, the ending felt a little false in that it was too perfect. I hope for this part to be resolved soon since Rhiannon Frater is currently writing the sequel. ( )

Goodreads Synopsis: Josh Rondell is twelve years old and known as the "living dead boy" due to his rampant love of all things zombie. As the head of the Zombie Hunters Club, he's obsessed with preparing for the zombocalypse.

Though no one around him really believes that zombies will one day rise to devour the living, Josh is convinced it just might happen.
When zombies do shamble into his schoolyard, Josh finds himself the leader of the dwindling band of zombie hunters, and he is charged with protecting them all. Josh's baby brother, his closest friends, and the love of his young life try to survive as the undead take over their town.

Trapped in his treehouse and surrounded by the dead, will Josh be able to save them all?

A gripping horror tale for zombie fans of all ages!

My Review: Living Dead Boy probably should have just stayed dead. Honestly and truthfully, I didn't like this book at all. Though it seemed interesting at first, the characters were bland, and obviously the author doesn't have any kids, because they acted too old for their age. I kind of regret downloading this book. I mean sure, a free book is a free book, but I can't see myself downloading anything else by the author. The characters are plain, they aren't really developed, and they're 2D. Two little boys, Drake and Josh (Yes like the tv show) who are a pre-teen and a toddler, face off with their friends in a tree house against a hoard of zombies. I didn't like them. They didn't seem like they could be real people, and I kind of thought that all the characters acted like they were eight, when they were supposed to be much older and much younger than that. Their friends weren't important to the story, and I didn't really get to know any of the characters anyways throughout the book. One kids parent dies, and they basically tell him to move on, but when one of their own parents die, the whole world stops for them. I just don't understand. Maybe I'm too old for this book, but either was I didn't like it. Thanks for reading.

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