The Rise of Zombert is perfect for those kiddos who love the creepy, freaky, and mysterious, who love animals, and who love to be grossed out! This book has all the good parts of those things. It’s short and leaves you with a cliffhanger that encourages you to wish for more books to the series. The title is fitting in that this particular book covers the “origin story” of Zombert! What comes after his “rise”? I’d imagine we’ll have to read book 2 to find out! That or we’ll have to use the book as a writing prompt and see what the readers think happens next! Either way, the cliffhanger doesn’t detract from the story! The story is engaging and is one that I can see students passing around to all their friends!

This is a story about Mellie, who feels ignored by her parents who are too busy blogging about their food and the newly adopted twins to pay much attention to Mellie. Mellie and her friend Danny find a cat, who has escaped from a local experimental laboratory/food processing center, where Danny's mom works as a secretary. Mellie is able to hide the cat because he's out at night hunting and sleeps all day. There are nefarious villains afoot trying to recapture the cat and Mellie is trying to convince her parents (when they finally figure out it out) that she should be able to keep the cat. The ending is an abrupt cliffhanger, with the idea that the story will continue in another episode. It was so abrupt I kept trying to turn the page and wondered if I had only gotten an excerpt or something had gone wrong with the download. It was neither, but I know a lot of kids would be very unhappy with the ending. I also didn't like that the adults in the book ranged from villainous to incompetent. I think the kids might like it-it's a fast read and it's fairly suspenseful.

This first book in a new middle grade series is a good one for kids who want to read something creepy, but not TOO scary. In a corporate town where everything is owned and run by YummCo Foods, a black cat escapes a lab. He's found by a girl named Mellie, who discovers the filthy, ragged cat in a dumpster and takes him home to nurse back to health. She names him Bert and decides that he's going to be the pet she's always wanted... but Berg wants blood. He has a taste for heads, in particular; after decapitating Mellie's stuffed animals, he heads out for less stuffy game. As cats would do, Mellie discovers Bert's version of sharing a meal with her, when she keeps finding headless birds and mice left for her. Mellie's best friend, Danny, is convinced the cat is a zombie, and readers will get the feeling that there's a lot more going on at YummCo than the oh-so-friendly representatives will let on. And Bert? Well, he can't really understand why Mellie isn't appreciating his gifts, he still feels something for the girl, but nothing can stop him from his mission: revenge and freeing the other animals in the lab. 

I loved how this book built and built up the suspense, but it ended so abruptly, I had to check and make sure I wasn't reading an excerpt. It's a fast-paced read, and will definitely invest readers right away. The black and white sketches add to the moody atmosphere of the book, and the ending will leave everyone waiting for the sequel. Kara LaReau is the author of the Infamous Ratsos series, so she knows how to write for a younger audience and get things moving along quickly. Ryan Andrews illustrated another book I love, The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson.

For the most part this was a fun and engaging read. Mellie is very likeable and I think many readers will find her relatable. Bert is more of a mystery. The ending is quite a cliffhanger so I think most readers will be clamoring for the sequel.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rise of Zombert is a short, witty, heartfelt start to this series.

A fantastic entry way to spooky books for young readers. The characters are well thought out and interesting. The story is filled with mystery, intrigue as well as some important emotional development. I can't wait to find out more about Bert and how his story will pan out.

I feel like my cat is the opposite of Zombert. She leaves only the heads of her victims, and he only likes to eat the skulls (brains, anyone?) I liked this one well enough to read my advance copy on my phone. If I had to compare it to previous reads, I'd say this was less like Bunnicula and more along the lines of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I'd hand this over to any kid who wants a bit of zombie cat possibility in their life.

Fun read about an escaped lab cat who is befriended by middle-grader Mellie. Bert is not for the faint of heart - he rips the heads off his prey, including Mellie's stuffed animals, but she loves him anyway. Chapters are told from the alternating perspectives of Mellie, Bert, and two lab employees charged with finding the cat.

The zombie overtones and the vaguely dystopian aspect of a community completely controlled by a corporation give the book a dark feel, but is balanced by the more normal travails of Mellie and her friend Danny. They make movies together, work on school assignments, and battle the school bully in between caring for Bert, who comes in and out as he pleases. Mellie's parents are professional bloggers who have given their daughter privilege to "free-range" thinking they're giving her the space she needs, but in reality she feels quite neglected. There's a lot here in this quick read. The ending comes quite abruptly,though, and there obviously will be a sequel.

The story about ZomBert the cat, which escaped a laboratory and was found by Mellie and her best friend Danny. The cat has some unusual hunger for animal heads only, leaving the bodies for Mellie to find. Meanwhile, Mellie and Danny have to face the school bully and YummCo, the corporation ZomBert escaped, is on the hunt for him. What's so special about this weird cat?

While I loved the plot, I could not really bond with the characters. Mellie and Danny were OK, Mellies family and the YummCo people were ridiculous and annoying. And while I knew this was the first book in a series, the ending came so abruptly right in the middle of things that at first I wondered whether the ebook file was defective and missing some pages. Overall, an enjoyable read for young readers, but make sure to have the sequel ready or you might end up 'cliffhanging' disappointed.

This was a fast paced and easy read, with the short chapters it's great for middle grade readers. There is a lot of action in this book and it keeps you reading.

trigger warning
<spoiler> experiments on animals, child neglect, bullying </spoiler>

When Mellie finds a scraggy cat, there is no question about what she'll do: Adopt the animal and nurse it back to health. She never had a cat, however, she's quite sure the guy she named Bert ist not a normal exemplar of his species.

This is a very fast read due to the font size, illustrations and very short chapters, which makes me think that this book is a very good pick for a child who just learns to love books. Stuff happens constantly, you don't have to wait for it. There is no build-up, and the whole story happens in a short timeframe.
Also, this reads like the first part of a series, and not a standalone.

I just think this isn't for me. I like to read middlegrade books, but I guess in this instance I felt too acutely that I'm not the intended target audience. I was able to read this in one sitting, getting increasingly more anxious about how fast I was progressing, fearing it would be a short read - because I would have liked to read more about the girl who sees an animal in need and immediately sets out to help, her best friend who is filming a horror movie. Mellie's parents are bloggers and have to learn to juggle private life and their job. Even the bully gets some background.

All in all, this book felt like the first episode of a cartoon. One I'd like to watch further, because this glimpse wasn't enough.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and quick read about Mellie, who finds a scraggly stray cat, Bert. What she doesn't know is that Bert has escaped from a lab, and has an appetite for brains. Could Bert be a zombie cat?

Mellie is a really fun main character. She is curious and wants to be a scientist. She is also kind and brave, and just a normal girl. Her parents run a food blog which has taken over the family life, making Mellie feel unloved and forgotten at times. She spends a lot of time with Danny, who adores horror movies and is in the process of making his own. And of course we have a bully, who turns out to be quite an interesting character himself as well. 

Mellie learns a lot about cats throughout the story in order to take good care of Bert. She even gives a presentation about it at school. This provides the reader with some fun trivia, and who doesn't love cat facts? We also have some chapters from Bert's point of view, adding an extra layer to the story.

However, the book is somewhat simple, and although fun, the plot doesn't get enough time to develop. The ending is very abrupt. It isn't necessarily open or a cliffhanger, the book just stops. We were starting to get to a big event, but never get to it. Therefore nothing really happens in this book, it is all just build-up. So although a fun read, it is also very unsatisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of Rise of ZomBert.
It is a wonderful adventure novel, but has a strange and odd ending.

Rise of ZomBert is a middle grade reader level series setup and backstory for the titular character (an escaped lab cat who may or may not have special powers) and the young girl (Mellie) and her friend (Danny) who encounter and sort-of-adopt the scruffy half dead feline. Due out 14th July 2020 from Candlewick Press, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The narrative is at turns slightly creepy, but doesn't actually edge over into horror or supernatural goings-on. The characters are well rendered and the whole is quite readable and fun. It will be interesting to see how the story develops because, fair warning, it ends *very* abruptly. The art is wornderfully atmospheric and slightly gritty and suits the story very well.

I'll be looking forward to the following books. This would suit readers who have enjoyed Spiderwick, Lemony Snicket's books, or even E. Nesbitt. It's not derivative of any of those in any way, but it has a similar vibe.

Well written, perfect (non-intrusive) art. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I enjoyed the Rise of Zombert. I thought the main characters were interesting and likeable, the plot was compelling, and the writing was good. I can see where it will be a good fit with a lot of my upper elementary school readers, who also enjoyed LaReau's book The Infamous Ratsos. My only complaint was the ending, which was a bit abrupt. In fact, my first thought was that the end of the book wasn't available for preview. Overall though, I would say Rise of Zombert was an enjoyable read that I will consider buying for my library.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book, a chapter book. I really enjoyed the book Bert was awesome. Liked Mellie and Danny. Mellie's parents need a huge wake up call. But the story was entertaining, and the artwork good. The ending was horrible! It just stops. Not a great way to end a kids book. No resolution. Very odd. 3 stars just because of the wnding.

Odd, But Likable

This is not your standard issue zombie pet book. It has some edge, a bit of grit, and two heroes who are more engaging and realistic than usual.

I've read about zombie hamsters, guinea pigs, dogs, and rabbits. Those books are usually silly, good for laughs, or have a strong fantasy element. This one, though, is more like "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" meets a middle grade slice of life tale. And I mean that in the best possible way.

Our animal hero, Zombert, is an escaped lab animal. He may or may not be developing as yet undisclosed super powers, (a la "Secrets of NIMH"). Alternating chapters are written from his point of view. And he's not written as a wiseguy sidekick, or a deadpan funny narrator, or a cute character. He's written as a cat with highly evolved reasoning powers. He tracks, kills, and eats things. He is a wild animal who wants to survive, exact revenge on the lab, and maybe find a friend and "family" with the book's heroine. This is not a cuddly guy; one of the first things he does when he is taken home by our girl is tear the heads off all her plush toys, because he's really, really hungry.

As to the kid heroes, we have the lead heroine, Mellie, and her guy pal, Danny. Mellie has some family issues, (that mostly just pad the book in a realistic way), but she is mostly smart, loyal, resourceful, decisive, and a soft touch for a sad sack beaten up feral cat. Her pal Danny is a stand up guy who is her equal in terms of smartz, imagination, and team spirit. They work together easily and convincingly, and this may be one of the best "buddy" teams I've read in a while. They encourage each other, challenge each other, and support each other whenever the stakes get high. Excellent role models.

There's a lot of action here. Zombert gets stronger and tougher and it's never clear whether he's going to be a good guy, a bad guy, or something more interesting. Mellie and Danny wake up to the fact that something's going on fairly early, so we don't have any of that "no one believes us, especially the adults" stuff that can weigh down a book and bring it to a halt. Of course there's a corporate villain and sneaky henchpersons, but even that's done with a bit of tongue in cheek.

This is all lightened up by some funny set pieces and a lot of realistic middle grade banter and some nice, edgy throwaway lines and observations. This is not a "horror" book, although a lot of birds get eaten by Zombert, and Zombert's thrill at a successful kill is a bit of a non-cartoony surprise. The illustrations are top drawer - they capture the characters and illustrate the action nicely. This isn't a graphic novel, but the occasional drawings added more punch than I expected.

My big warning is that, (SPOILER), this is a setup book that gets all of the pieces in place and then just ends. Nothing is resolved, but you can see exactly where Book Two is going to start, and you can suspect where it's going to go. I was O.K. with that because the setup was so entertaining.

So, this is a series about which I can honestly say I'm looking forward to the next volume. And that's a very good thing. (For what it's worth, the author of this book is also responsible for the Ratsos series, (sweet and upbeat), and the Bland Sisters, (deadpan funny and masterfully ironic), so she's really on a roll.)

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I was enjoying this fantastic book ...and then, it just ended in the most abrupt, not even a cliff hanger way. I hope this is a mistake because what in the world would make an author cut it off. So disappointing. I would never recommend this book if this is indeed the actual ending. Otherwise, it has potential to be a fun adventure story.