Basement of the Undead

Jason Strange

by Jason Strange, Phil Parks (Illustrator)

Three boys discover something terrifying in their school basement. Zombies!

Genres: Horror

72 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Corruption at Ravens Pass Middle School: how far does it extend among teachers and administration? Lew, his friend Gary, and a bully named Mort may provide a glimpse of how far the rot goes. Lew becomes the object of Principal Drone's ire when the initials "L. A. R." are found written in marker on the principal's office door. Lew Andrew Reynolds is the only kid in school with those initials, but Lew insists he didn't do it. He suggests that Mort Anthony Roth, known as "Lugnut" by students, is responsible for the graffiti. Lugnut is a troublemaker who hangs out in the school's basement even though it's off limits to students. Principal Drone backs off from his certainty of Lew's guilt, and sends him to fetch Lugnut from the basement. He'll have to hurry; the school day ends a few minutes from now.

Lew wants no part of wandering the dark, dirty basement, but his friend Gary volunteers to accompany him. The hallways branch off in mazelike patterns, and Lew spots at least one rat scurrying from his approach. When Lew and Gary find Lugnut, it doesn't take the muscle-bound bully long to deduce that Lew outed him as the one who defaced Principal Drone's door. Panicked, Lew and Gary run from the violent sixteen-year-old, but can't extricate themselves from the labyrinthine basement. By the time Lugnut catches up, they have a new problem: school is over for the day. The lights turn off and every door up to the main floor locks. Spending the night with Lugnut is bad enough, but this basement holds a secret: an infestation of undead faculty members from Ravens Pass Middle School, rotting zombies ready to devour lost kids. Lew and Gary's only hope is that Lugnut, who spends more time down here than anyone, can lead them to an emergency exit before the undead close in for the kill. Will our protagonists survive their run-in with zombie teachers?

Alberto Dal Lago's cover art is superb and Phil Parks's interior drawings are good too, but Basement of the Undead doesn't offer much else. The concept had potential, but its contours and logic aren't well developed, so the book makes little sense and isn't immersive as a horror story should be. Other entries in the Jason Strange series are evocative and surprising—23 Crow's Perch, for one—and I recommend you go there for your literary thrills. I might give Basement of the Undead one and a half stars, but it isn't a memorable read.

[Rebecca & Jeremiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good kids book

My son really enjoyed reading this book. It is a good AR book for kids who have enjoyed other Jason Strange titles.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zombies are found in the basement of the school.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lew didn’t write his initials on the principal’s door, but Principal Drone won’t believe him unless he produces the perpetrator. So Lew and his friend Gary creep into the school basement to confront Lugnut, the school bully.

Lugnut is in the basement, but so is someone...or rather...someTHING else. Zombies! Locked in school basement after dark, Lew, Gary and Lugnut must team up to outwit undead custodians, gym teachers, and librarians.

Lew, Gary, and Lugnut behave like elementary students, although the “police report” at the end of the book identifies them as 15- and 16-year olds. Adults are depicted as hostile and unhelpful (and in the case of the zombies -- cannibalistic villains!). Despite the thin, predictable plot and shallow characters, readers will be drawn to this book by its eye-catching cover, and may enjoy this short tale featuring zombies and bullies, which are topics of interest for this age group.

[Mac Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a boy named Lew. He was sent to the principal's office for something that he didn't do. He is sent to the basement to find the one responsible and Lew ends up getting locked down there for the night with a bunch of undead.

I thought this story was better than Text 4 Revenge because it got exciting immediately. My favorite part was when Lew pushes the bully undead into the furnace and Lew and his friend, Gary, escape!

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a hi-lo book and as such serves it's purpose. It's not as good as the "Mothman" entry in this series, which was quite a good story. This is just meh. What's amazing about these hi-lo stone arch books is that they're so EXPENSIVE - like $23 for one measly little 62 page book. Wha?

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting horror series for young readers. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO COOOOOOOOOOOL

[Olivia Steffler · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book. It wasn't my favorite. It has some good detail but can always have more.

[Lindsay Brandenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yikes! You don't want to mess with these zombies. Three boys learn their lesson not to go in the basement, of their school.

[Alexis Smith]

It is a very good book thank you

[Jaredan Nguyen]

IS SO GOOD