<i>Zombie Tag</i> (review)
2012; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 65; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2012.0048
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Gothic Literature and Media Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: Zombie Tag Kate Quealy-Gainer Moskowitz, Hannah. Zombie Tag. Roaring Brook, 2011. [240p]. ISBN 978-1-59643-720-3 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5–8. For the past six months, twelve-year-old Wil has been grieving the loss of his older brother Graham, but his parents keep telling him that you can’t raise the dead so you might as well try to move on. Except Wil knows that you can, in fact, raise the dead, and that it was done about thirty years during an event that the grownups of Wil’s world still refuse to talk about. When he realizes that the key to bringing the deceased back to life (a secret government weapon) lies in his best friend’s basement, he manages to steal the item; sure enough, after Wil rings the magic bell, his once-dead brother shows up on his family’s doorstep. Unfortunately, while Graham isn’t a brain-eating zombie, he’s still not quite Graham; he can’t seem to feel anything other than anger and fear, and what was supposed to be a joyful family reunion is turning out to be a tragic reminder that even with Graham back, things will never be the same. Admittedly, there is contrivance in the plot mechanisms that bring us to Graham’s re-awakening (what government official hides classified weapons in their basement?) but the story here isn’t really about the zombie apocalypse or lack thereof; instead, it is about the grief of a boy over the loss of his brother, and it’s a touching yet gently humorous exploration of that sadness. Wil is a typical boy’s boy, so his pondering about his brother’s death and his own life in its aftermath are sometimes sandwiched between his worries about his parents finding his dirty magazines and his annoyance with his best friend, making his concise contemplations painful in their clarity. Funny and thoughtful, this will appeal to fans of Matthew Cody’s Powerless (BCCB 2/10). Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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