Zombelina School Days

May 15, 2017
Crow and Idle’s dance-loving, undead heroine helps a ghostly new student adjust to the classroom in her third outing. Zombelina can’t wait to show off her best moves during show and tell, but although her routine falls apart (as does her body, with limbs popping off and eyeballs rolling away) she still encourages a nervous Morty to sing his heart out: “He nods and he quivers, then sings out of tune./ It’s awesome! Like werewolves that howl at the moon!” Idle’s balletic, curving lines are put to excellent use in this dance-themed story, which balances its sappier moments with mischievous, gross-out ones. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

August 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-Zombelina is looking forward to show-and-tell at school. She loves to dance, as she demonstrates on the bus, and plans to share her skills with her class. Naturally being a zombie means that she has difficulty holding things together. Zombelina and her best friend, Lizzie (human) gladly welcome Morty, a new student who is rather blue (literally) to their twosome after neither Zombelina's nor his talent sharing goes particularly well. Zombelina falls apart (she is a zombie after all) but still finds the confidence to encourage Morty. After playing together at recess, Zombelina is inspired to invite everyone to a party at her house where she is finally able to share her dance prowess. The themes of inclusion and welcoming differences shines through in such a clever way that readers almost won't notice it. Zombelina delights with her confidence and acceptance of herself as well as her persistence. VERDICT This is a school story that could easily double as a Halloween selection. A first purchase wherever zombies are popular.-Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2017
A student who is a zombie has more difficulty than most keeping it together at school, but her relationship skills are never in any doubt. Math, grammar, spelling, and reading precede the much-anticipated show-and-tell (Zombelina's "hip-hop's to DIE for!"), and by then, readers will see where the tale might be going, as Zombelina loses the hand she raises to answer a question, and she puts her nose in her book. Literally. Sure enough, Zombelina and her dance both fall apart. But though the green-skinned girl is upset, it doesn't keep her from building the nervous ghost Morty up for his turn on his first day in a new school. After all, what could be worse than Zombelina's performance? After that, she, Morty, and her friend Lizzie (a living white girl) are fast friends. The tale ends with a dance party at Zombelina's house after her classmates request dance lessons. Crow's verses have the hip-hop rhythm of rap, though some will take some practice to read aloud smoothly. Idle's Prismacolor-pencil illustrations portray Zombelina as a blonde with a style all her own. Zigzags and hash marks make it look as though her body parts are stitched together. Aside from the phantasmagoric, blue Morty, the rest of the class has a normal range of diverse skin tones. This zombie may not be able to keep her body together, but she can sure keep her head in delicate situations and be a good friend. (Picture book. 5-8)

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July 1, 2017
Zombelina is excited to share her new hip-hop routine at show-and-tell, but when the time comes, "things begin falling apart" (literally). By channeling her embarrassment into empathy and support for nervous new (ghost) kid Morty, Zombelina gains a friend and dance partner. The singsongy rhyming text and didactic message are enhanced by Idle's lively and humorous colored-pencil illustrations.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)