In his fiction debut--and the start of a new series--celebrated illustrator K.G. Campbell brings a touch of Tim Burton to this singularly strange and wonderful story about a lonely boy whose life is about to get a whole lot more complicated when a zombie follows him home.August DuPont has spent his whole life inside a dilapidated house with his aunt Hydrangea. His lonely existence ends abruptly with the arrival of an invitation to meet an aunt--and cousins--he didn't even know existed. When Aunt Orchid suggests that August attend school with his cousins, it's a dream come true. But August has scarcely begun to celebrate his reversal of fortune when he is confronted by a small problem on his way home. So begins an adventure filled with a wild child, a zombie, a fabled white alligator, and an unimaginable family secret.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
- The story is a little slow, especially at the beginning. It gets better towards the end.
- The zombie doesn't show up until about halfway through the book. I wish the story had focused a little more on her.
- I enjoyed the whimsical characters and the family history. The characters are what really drive the story. I hope Madame Marvell shows up more in the series.
- I really liked reading this with my daughter. It was fun to see her reactions to things. She liked the story, and she thought it was funny, especially the zombie.
