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16th out of 32 books
—
2 voters
My Rotten Life (Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie #1)
by
David Lubar
Ten-year-old Nathan Abercrombie is having a really bad day. First, Shawna Lanchester, the prettiest girl in his class, doesn’t invite him to her party. Then he gets picked last in gym class. Things couldn’t get any worse…until he gets doused with an experimental serum that turns him into a half-dead zombie!
Nathan soon discovers that being half dead isn’t all bad. He doesn’...more
Nathan soon discovers that being half dead isn’t all bad. He doesn’...more
Trade Paperback, 160 pages
Published
August 4th 2009
by Starscape
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Nathan Ambercrombie was having a really bad day. He has been getting picked on constantly by the popular kids at school and by his teachers. The this strange girl Abagail offers him a way to make all the hurt and embarrassment go away. Her uncle has developed Hurt-be-Gone and Nathan signs up to try it. Unfortunately, his friend Mookie spills the entire serum on him and bad things start to happen. Nathan does feel anything but he also doesn't eat or go to the bathroom anymore and he starts loosin...more
My Rotten Life by David Lubar talks about an unpopular boy thats having a really bad day. Just when he thinks things can't get much worse, it does. After being picked on by kids at school, a strange girl Abigail,
invites Nathan to try out an experiment that could cure his pain of embarrassment. Just as he's about to try the -Hurt-Be-Gone invented by Abigail, his best friend Mookie spills it on him which brings things downwards from there. As the three try to find a cure for Nathan,
Weird things...more
invites Nathan to try out an experiment that could cure his pain of embarrassment. Just as he's about to try the -Hurt-Be-Gone invented by Abigail, his best friend Mookie spills it on him which brings things downwards from there. As the three try to find a cure for Nathan,
Weird things...more
MY ROTTEN LIFE:
NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE
By David Lubar
Yet another book I picked up at ALA11 in New Orleans. They were giving away copies of this already released book. That trip is going to be memorable for years to come for so many reasons but most of all the fact that meet so many cool people and brought home some great books.
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie is a book I didn’t get from standing in a line but a book I found when I was sitting down for a rest wor...more
NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE
By David Lubar
Yet another book I picked up at ALA11 in New Orleans. They were giving away copies of this already released book. That trip is going to be memorable for years to come for so many reasons but most of all the fact that meet so many cool people and brought home some great books.
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie is a book I didn’t get from standing in a line but a book I found when I was sitting down for a rest wor...more
Mar 09, 2010
Sarah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
grades 3-6
Recommended to Sarah by:
5/6
Shelves:
children-science-fiction,
audio
Nathan thinks he has a rotten life...but things get much worse after he gets some experimental liquid called “Hurt-Be-Gone accidentally spilled on him! After that, parts of his body start losing feeling, he stops digesting food, and he doesn’t need to go to the bathroom!
His friends Mookie and Abigail help him get the ingredients for the mixture that will stop him from becoming a total zombie—ingredients that include a scale from a rare breed of fish and
a strange mushroom. The problem is, he mus...more
His friends Mookie and Abigail help him get the ingredients for the mixture that will stop him from becoming a total zombie—ingredients that include a scale from a rare breed of fish and
a strange mushroom. The problem is, he mus...more
Nathan isn't the coolest kid in the class - not even close. In fact, he was having a pretty bad day until he decides to look into his friend's crazy uncle's experimental Hurt-Be-Gone - only it accidentally gets poured all over him. There was one fatal error in the concoction - instead of using the corpus flower, he had used the corpse flower, and now, Nathan is slowly becoming undead - a zombie.
But life as a zombie isn't half bad. He doesn't need to use his lungs any more so gym class is no swea...more
But life as a zombie isn't half bad. He doesn't need to use his lungs any more so gym class is no swea...more
Some days just stink.
Nathan Abercrombie is having the worst day of his life. To say that it was horrible would be an understatement. First off, he's diss'd by the prettiest girl in school-- the one he just happens to have a huge crush on. Then he's chosen last during gym. And then... and then, in a foolish effort to ease the heartache of being stuck forever at the losers' table, he gets talked into visiting a mad scientist, where he accidentally gets doused with an experimental fluid that leaves...more
Nathan Abercrombie is having the worst day of his life. To say that it was horrible would be an understatement. First off, he's diss'd by the prettiest girl in school-- the one he just happens to have a huge crush on. Then he's chosen last during gym. And then... and then, in a foolish effort to ease the heartache of being stuck forever at the losers' table, he gets talked into visiting a mad scientist, where he accidentally gets doused with an experimental fluid that leaves...more
Nathan Abercrombie was your average Second-Bester, not quite the worst at something, but still not good enough to really be noticed. That didn't stop him from having his heart stomped on by his crush, getting picked last at PE, and being taunted for his lack of video game skills. Desperate to not feel rejected anymore, he take quiet Abigail up on her offer to fix him. Her mad-scientist uncle is working on a formula that make people not feel sad anymore, Hurt-be-gone. After an accident leads to a...more
Most kids have bad days. But Nathan’s days get an unusual twist when he gets doused with a potion to erase feelings and instead gets turned into a zombie. Nathan’s natural (or rather unnatural) progression into one of the undead is persuasive. It shows, oddly enough, the perks of losing all feeling in your body—not needing to eat or sleep, performing all sorts of strenuous physical activities without getting winded (a boon for a kid with asthma), being able to face tense situations without break...more
May 21, 2009
Carmine
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
3/4th graders, most likely boys
Recommended to Carmine by:
ARC
cute premise-...boy agrees to become guinea pig in a science experiment that promises life without pain after being dissed by popular girl. Things go awry when the potion slowly starts turning him into a zombie- now that he doesn't sleep he can master video games to wow his peers, breath under water, do hundreds of pull ups, etc. The quest to undo his increasingly corpse-like physiology brings him closer to his friends- his old buddy, the chubby boy with flatulence issues and his new friend, the...more
Nathan Abercrombie is the second skinniest kid at school. He spends most of his time with the second tallest kid, the second fattest kid, and the second fastest kid. He doesn’t have a lot of friends and he’s used to being picked last for sports in PE, but for the most part, it doesn’t bother him. Until, the girl he’s been crushing on for a long time embarrasses him in front of the entire cafeteria. He is desperate to stop feeling the pain in his heart.
Things only get worse for him when Abigail,...more
Things only get worse for him when Abigail,...more
Have you ever wanted to be a zombie?
Definitely not my normal fare. Silly, gross humor, crazy plot, fun characters. Good elementary appeal. There are disadvantages and advantages to zombiness. Like, you can't eat (well, you can, but the food won't digest and just sloshes around in your stomach), and you can't feel pain, which means you don't notice when your fingers fall off. But on the other hand, you can't feel pain! And you can do things that would normally be really hard (like playing video...more
Definitely not my normal fare. Silly, gross humor, crazy plot, fun characters. Good elementary appeal. There are disadvantages and advantages to zombiness. Like, you can't eat (well, you can, but the food won't digest and just sloshes around in your stomach), and you can't feel pain, which means you don't notice when your fingers fall off. But on the other hand, you can't feel pain! And you can do things that would normally be really hard (like playing video...more
This first book in a series sets the stage for the rest. Fifth-grader Nathan Abercrombie is so tired of having his feelings hurt by the popular kids (last to be picked for teams, not invited to parties, etc) that he agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone. Unfortunately, he gets results he wasn't expecting - he turns into a half-dead zombie! The action progresses as his friends try to find a cure for Nathan. The twist at the end of the book is totally unexpected and will be appreciat...more
Nathan Abercrombie is not popular and he's having one of the worst days ever. The girl he likes has just ripped his heart out and then he gets picked last for baseball teams, even after the kid who spends his life with his hand jammed into his armpit/nose/ear/etc. Just when it looks like his day can't get any worse, his friend, Abigail invites Nathan and his best friend, Mookie, over to her uncle's laboratory. Nathan is accidently doused with a strange chemical that leaves him a half zombie! Wha...more
Great book on CD. Two narrators, one for the female voices and one for the male voices. Loved this story (which I'm sure is just the first in a series). A boy Nathan Abercrombie accidentally gets doused with an experimental liquid called hurt-be-gone. Instead of taking away hurt feelings, it's slowly turning Nathan into a Zombie who can't feel any pain. Can Nathan, with the help of two friends, find a cure before he is completely dead? This book would be very easy to booktalk. There's a gross ou...more
I really was suckered in by the title, I mean, "Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie"? What's not to like there? This is the first in a series for juvenile readers. Nathan is in 5th grade, and is having a very bad day, which leads him to try an experimental emotional killing drink called Hurt-Be-Gone. Instead of killing off his negative emotions, it kills off his body, literally. Nathan is now a zombie, but somehow, no one except his 2 friends notice. The story was so-so, I enjoyed the zombie p...more
This is David Lubar's trademark goofy blend of humor and horror (horror meaning he goes for the gross-out and is rarely actually scary). Nathan is 5th grader who gets an experimental compound accidentally spilled on him at a kooky scientist's lab. He ends up slowly turning into a zombie, and is desperate for a cure - and maybe his new friend Abigail can help. There are a few laugh-out-loud moments and kids who like books about characters with special abilities will enjoy the story as Nathan disc...more
Poor, Nathan Ambercrombie! Always, getting picked on by the popular kids at school. Til one day, Abigail offers him a way to make all the pain go away. So, they go to her uncle who has developed a serum called Hurt-be-Gone. Unfortunately, Mookie accidently spills the entire serum on Nathan and that's when tragedy strikes. Nathan can't feel anything. He can't eat or go to the bathroom like a normal person. Most of all, he is losing body parts. It is then he realizes that he is turning to a zombie...more
Finished this over my lunch break today. A funny, gross, and sometimes didactic tale of Nathan Abercrombie, who well, accidentally becomes a zombie by means of a dangerous scientific experiment gone wrong. With the help of his friends, Abigail and Mookie, Nathan navigates the ups and downs of not needing to sleep, not feeling pain, and having endless energy. And did I mention it's gross? Nathan can't digest food, which he finds out after having eaten quite a bit and also loses several digits at...more
In addition to the fact that he's one of the most unpopular kids in school, now Nathan has to worry about the fact that he is becoming a zombie due to his friend's crazy uncle's Hurt-B-Gone formula, guaranteed to rid you of bad or sad emotions. Many kids will relish the gross details of Nathan's zombie formation, such as being unable to digest his food or sustain injury, while all kids should be able to relate to being a social outcast at one point and another and the hero's resolution. The endi...more
I had a real problem with this book for a lot of reasons. Maybe it was the fact that this 10 year old is acting way to cool and calm for being 10 and dead. Then there was the constant fork jabbing and people acting a little out of character. I really wanted to like this book as I like the other Lubar books but it just wasn't doing it for me.
There was the whole school fighting and every adult was just "out of the picture".
This book just didn't have the flow or the fun that I would have thought....more
There was the whole school fighting and every adult was just "out of the picture".
This book just didn't have the flow or the fun that I would have thought....more
Feb 19, 2010
Phair
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-childrens,
audio-books
Maybe I'm just not a fan of middle school level gross-out books but this one did little for me. I found the gross bits, well, gross; the plot points a little predictable when they weren't positively off the wall; and the ending a little hard to believe. The reader of the audio book was pretty good. Listened to this because I received an ARC of the second book to review & felt I ought to become familiar with the first one. I guess boys will enjoy the zombie antics even if they don't quite ma...more
Both my 10 yr old son and I read this book. I received the sequel to this book as an ARC, and after reading the first chapter, I HAD to buy the this book. I prefer reading books in sequence, even though sequel stood nicely on it's own.
This book was absolutely hilarious. It had both my older son and I cracking up (the younger son hasn't gotten a chance to read it since it fell into the clutches of boy#1).
Nathan thought his life was rotten until Abigail's estranged uncle spilled Hurt-Be-Gone on N...more
This book was absolutely hilarious. It had both my older son and I cracking up (the younger son hasn't gotten a chance to read it since it fell into the clutches of boy#1).
Nathan thought his life was rotten until Abigail's estranged uncle spilled Hurt-Be-Gone on N...more
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Never say that you are having a bad day. Nothing can compare to the day Nathan has had!
When he wants to just get rid of his bad feelings, the new girl, Abigail, suggests that her uncle has a magic potion in his lab that can do the trick! So Nathan, his best friend, Mookie, and Abigail head off to the lab to get the "Hurt Be Gone." But at the lab, Nathan is splashed by some strange liquid and soon, he starts to feel weird.
When he reports to Abigail that his...more
Never say that you are having a bad day. Nothing can compare to the day Nathan has had!
When he wants to just get rid of his bad feelings, the new girl, Abigail, suggests that her uncle has a magic potion in his lab that can do the trick! So Nathan, his best friend, Mookie, and Abigail head off to the lab to get the "Hurt Be Gone." But at the lab, Nathan is splashed by some strange liquid and soon, he starts to feel weird.
When he reports to Abigail that his...more
My four-year-old daughter and I read this together. She loves zombies, and we both enjoyed the mad science behind Nathan Abercrombie's undead predicament. The supporting characters were humorous and fun, as well.
Lubar captures the goofy and mischievous nature of children in a way that celebrates their efforts and actions rather than demeaning them. The littlest quirks and comments made the biggest impressions, creating lasting characters.
We will definitely be reading the sequel!
Lubar captures the goofy and mischievous nature of children in a way that celebrates their efforts and actions rather than demeaning them. The littlest quirks and comments made the biggest impressions, creating lasting characters.
We will definitely be reading the sequel!
I am giving it three stars because it didn't make me laugh out loud, but I think that 9-11 year old boys will be rolling as Nathan Abercrombie almost loses one of his fingers to the neighbor's dog and hangs from parallel bars to upchuck his food (zombies can't digest, you know). I like that it's a series which will appeal to boys who enjoy mild gross-out humor. I see this as an upper elementary book or lower middle school book for had to please readers.
A promising new series for 9-12 year olds. The usual trio of main characters: the everyman chosen one, the goofy best friend, and the brainy girl. The usual alienation metaphor: this time it's being half-dead. Pretty decent writing.
I really didn't like the line: "a solution isn't like a piece of clothing--you can't always find one that fits the way you want" because I certainly can't always find clothes that fit the way I like.
I really didn't like the line: "a solution isn't like a piece of clothing--you can't always find one that fits the way you want" because I certainly can't always find clothes that fit the way I like.
I liked this original take on a favorite theme. I was pleased to see that this book is not just about a boy that turns into a zombie. There is complexity and a real change of heart that occurs that, I think, elevates this particular book above the average. There were lots of gross and otherwise icky scenes that kids will love to wrinkle their noses at, too.
Much better than I expected - maybe a 3.5 star effort since it entertained me so much. A fun, easy read for 4th-5th graders - kind of a step up from Franny K. Stein. The friendship plot/lesson was expertly blended with the creepy zombie stuff. And there's a scene where Nathan realizes that he can't process food so what he eats is just rotting in his stomach - it thoroughly grossed me out. Kudos for that.
Unfortunately, my least favorite David Lubar. I was disappointed. There were moments where I laughed out loud, but overall it was bland, especially when I found out it was set up for a series. Perhaps, the protagonist was too young in my opinion (10). He needed to be at least 13 or 14 for me. Oh, well. Despite that, I have quite a few middle school readers who will eat this up.
My 10-year-old loved this book and I enjoyed it too. Nathan Abercrombie is accidentally turned into a zombie by a mad scientist. As he becomes more and more "dead", he finds abilities and advantages to his current state. It's funny and silly too. I found myself envying him--he doesn't have to sleep or eat any more!
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David Lubar created a sensation with his debut novel, Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Thousands of kids and educators across the country have voted Hidden Talents onto over twenty state lists. David is also the author of True Talents, the sequel to Hidden Talents; Flip, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror selection; several short...more
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