When I was a kid, growing up
in the ‘70s, the world was a dramatically different place. It was an existence
without cable television, video games, cell phones, the Internet… All of the
(three) local television stations actually went off the air after midnight and
came back on in the morning! In my free time, I either went outside and played with my
friends or I stayed inside and read. I loved reading – especially science
fiction and fantasy – and in the cozy confines of my bedroom, I could instantly
transport myself to a distant planet, a Tolkienesque realm where magic existed,
I could go back in time or experience the wondrous future. I could be anyone or
anything – a powerful sorcerer, a sentient cloud, an interstellar space
colonist, a wise man living alone in an endless forest, one of the Sidhe, an
invisible man…
I firmly believe that my love
of reading as a kid played a significant role in my adult life – my vocabulary
as an elementary student was impressive, my reading comprehension was advanced,
and my imagination was boundless. Reading so many books, it was inevitable that
I pick up words and terms and miscellaneous facts… I didn’t excel at math or
science but consistently high grades in my English classes paved the way for
being accepted into college, majoring in English Literature and Writing, and an
eventual career as a book reviewer.
I often think about how I would’ve turned out if I were growing up now in the 21st century instead of the 1970s. There are so many distractions for kids today – hundreds of cable channels, countless video games, everything the Internet offers… it’s not surprising to hear that children’s literacy is plummeting. Why read a book when you can watch the movie on Netflix or play the video game? As a father with two kids under the age of four, this societal change really worries me. How heartbreaking would it be to be a lifelong genre fiction lover – a full-time book reviewer for half of my life! – and have my children grow up without a love for reading?
I see it all around me – kids
growing up in my neighborhood who could care less about reading for pleasure. I
also see these kids dropping out of college, struggling to keep jobs, wandering aimlessly through life, etc.
That’s why I love authors like David Lubar. His uproariously entertaining Nathan Abercombie, Accidental Zombie saga – which recently concluded with the release of the fifth and final installment, Enter the Zombie – is categorized as “middle grade fiction” and is written from the perspective of a nerdy fifth grader turned zombie turned super spy for the secret organization BUM (Bureau of Useful Misadventures). Accompanied by his two best friends – “little Einstein” Abigail and bumbling Mookie, who has a major flatulence problem – the trio of social outcasts fight to save the world from the forces of evil as they struggle to maneuver through a minefield of playground bullies, nosey parents, sadistic gym teachers, etc. And, not surprising considering the saga’s intended audience, the narrative is filled with gloriously gross subject matter – like projectile vomit, hellacious farts and slimy boogers.
I have thoroughly enjoyed
every book in this series – My Rotten Life, Dead Guy Spy , Goop Soup, The Big Stink, and Enter the Zombie – Lubar has not only written a witty, engaging
story that will appeal to young readers (especially boys), he has also made it
palatable for adults as well. In Enter the Zombie, for example, Lubar makes literary
and pop culture references that only adult horror aficionados will understand –
like Romero Community College, Lovecraft Upper Elementary School, and Dunwich
Academy.
In Enter the Zombie, spring has come to East Craven, New Jersey, and Nate’s bizarre experience as a zombie is coming to an end – whether he likes it or not:
“Winter is over. I used to like spring. But when you’re dead, and trying not to rot too fast, the last thing you look forward to is warm air and sunshine.”
So as Nate and his friends try to find a cure for his dread affliction, he must try not to lose any deteriorating body parts while in school – and there’s also his side job as undercover spy doing battle with the forces of RABID (Raise Anarchy By Inciting Disorder)…
This is so much more than
just a grossly funny series about the misadventures of a boy zombie and his
buddies. Lubar explores some weighty themes – bullying, being honorable,
overcoming fear, the importance of friendship, etc. – and infuses some subtle
yet invaluable existential wisdom into the narrative: don’t ever be afraid to
be yourself, follow your dreams, and stay away from cauliflower casserole.
I cannot recommend these novels enough – what better way to combat wildly entertaining and highly addictive video games and television shows than a wildly entertaining and highly addictive series of zombie fiction novels for kids! It’s my hope that books like Lubar’s Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series will not only motivate kids to read more but also instill in them a lifelong love of reading and that transcendental sense of wonder that comes from immersing oneself in an enthralling work of fiction, be it science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, etc.
As a book reviewer and a concerned parent, I thank you, David Lubar, from the bottom of my fart. I mean heart!
Paul Goat Allen has been a full-time book reviewer specializing in genre fiction for almost the last two decades and has written more than 6,000 reviews for companies like Publishers Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, and BarnesandNoble.com. In his free time, he reads.
