Rise of Zombert (Zombert Chronicles #1)

In this spooky series launch, friends Mellie and Danny find a scraggly cat after Danny, an aspiring filmmaker scouting for a horror movie location, drags Mellie to the YummCo Foods factory's eerie grounds. Smitten with the skinny cat, which has escaped from a cage in the mysterious factory's lab, Mellie takes him home. There, he bites off her stuffed animals' heads and proudly flaunts his hunting prowess outdoors, leaving his prey's decapitated bodies for her to find. Intermittently taking over for Mellie as narrator, the feline--named ZomBert for his brain-eating, "zombie-cat" behaviors--has some of the novel's snappier lines; he's offended when Mellie buries his gift of a headless frog "without even tasting it!" LaReau (the Infamous Ratsos series) credibly weaves real-life strands into the plot--Mellie resents her lifestyle blogger parents' preoccupation with their work, is anxious about presenting her school report, and tries to deflect a bully's taunts--yet leaves enough threads hanging mid-air, largely surrounding cryptic goings-on at YummCo, that the story feels unfinished on its own. Energetic pictures by Andrews (The Dollar Kids) add to the story's mood. Ages 8-12. (July)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

The parallel stories of Mellie's discovery of Bert, the search for Y-91, and Bert, as he pursues a mission of his own, will keep young fans of the slightly spooky turning pages...and eager for the next installment...Enjoyably mysterious.
—Kirkus Reviews

LaReau (the Infamous Ratsos series) credibly weaves real-life strands into the plot—Mellie resents her lifestyle blogger parents' preoccupation with their work, is anxious about presenting her school report, and tries to deflect a bully's taunts...Energetic pictures by Andrews (The Dollar Kids) add to the story's mood.
—Publishers Weekly

This first in a planned series delivers an entertainingly foul-looking feline hero with a death stare...This could make an eventful quick read for youngsters who want to dabble in early horror without getting too scared.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Frequent digital sketches add suspense to a story with dead-on appeal for Halloween reading.
—The Horn Book