The Attack of the Zombie Zing

Project Z #3

by Tommy Greenwald

The thrilling conclusion to the Project Z trilogy!
Life as an undead fifth grader is pretty good for Arnold. He finally feels like he can embrace both his zombie side (unlimited jellybeans!) and his regular kid side (kickbutt trampoline moves!).

And now there's a new zombie in town. Azalea, Arnold's closest friend from the Territory, is living with Evan's family and ready to try out human elementary school. But when Azalea questions whether or not she wants to return to the Territory, Arnold starts having doubts, too. Should he stay--or go?

256 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2019

About the author

Tommy Greenwald's book GAME CHANGER has been named an Amazon Best Book Of The Month, a 2019 YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection. Tommy is also the author of the CRIMEBITERS, CHARLIE JOE JACKSON and PROJECT Z series, among many other books for children.

Day-job-wise, Tommy is the Co-Founder of Spotco Advertising, an entertainment advertising agency in New York City, and the lyricist and co-bookwriter of JOHN & JEN, an off-Broadway musical.

To read woefully outdated information about Tommy, visit tommygreenwald.com. (To send an email telling him how much you liked whatever book it was that you just read, holla at tommy@tommygreenwald.com.)

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exciting and fun last book in the Project Z series!

It is the end for this series, but how will the author end it? What will happen in this one and what will happen to Arnold. I had so much fun reading this book and while I am sad that it ended I can say that it was a great ending and one I would have probably picked myself had I written the book.

This time we have POVs from Arnold, Evan, and Azalea. We see how life has being going for them since the last book and there is more to come. I loved that this book also has graduation, I love seeing characters grow and find new things. We also have some exciting things and some scarier things (like the military popping up once again, are they good or bad this time?).

Arnold is still having the greatest time of his life. I love seeing how much he grew and how much he learned. He is still a zombie, still a bit awkward at times, but boy this kid grew. He knows more words, he knows what he likes to eat and how to make things with jellybeans, he has a wonderful family, he makes friends easily. I am so happy for Arnold that he was able to integrate in this new world with humans.

Also in the book is cancer. Remember Evan, best friend of Arnold who had cancer when he was a kid? The cancer came back. And my heart just broke, I could so understand the feeling because it hit close to home for me. I don't know how I would react if cancer would return in my life, but I am sure that I will be like Evan. Afraid to tell people, afraid that if I say it aloud it will be truly real. I was rooting so hard for Evan that he would once again be able to conquer this round of cancer, that he would be able to recover from it. I loved his friends and his family and how sweet they were and how helpful. I loved that many of the kids did those things for Evan.

Azalea makes a comeback as well and those who read my previous review know I was eager to have her back again. I love the girl and I love that she gets a chance to try out life in the real world. With a family that is human. But I could see from early on she didn't have it easy and I had a suspicion on how things would eventually end. No spoilers from me, but I think most readers will agree. Still I was cheering for her and I loved seeing her change, discover new things, find friends, learn how to live a normal-ish life. I am glad that she also got a chance to do something big, it was a bit scary, but she swept them all of their feet. Go girl!

I didn't like the drama in the movie theatre. Yes, that happened, yes, it wasn't OK. But both of them tried their best to have things fixed and all they got was being treated as poop. I hated that. It is really one of the few times that we see that zombie acceptance is still far away.

I wasn't a fan of Kiki and Ross. Great that you two want to be together, but Ross is just a dick. Yes, he does some things good... but often I was just wondering why she let those things happen and not do anything more than reprimand him. He still makes shitty remarks, he still does some crappy things that NO ONE should ever do. Plus, I did think it was indeed weird that Kiki fell for someone who made her friends life such a hell. Oh well, love makes blind?

I am sad this book is ending, but again, I do love the ending. I will miss the characters, miss seeing them and all the things they experience. I will definitely be re-reading this series in a few years when I don't remember as much as I do now.

I would also highly recommend the books to everyone.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Kiki, and Evan has been behaving very strangely recently. He's back to being moody, sits by himself at lunch, and gets real quiet when I'm with Ross. I get the Ross thing, since Ross used to torment and bully Evan. But even Arnold is having a hard time understanding him. I just found out Evan is sick again, so that explains a lot of what's going on. The other students don't know how to react, and that causes Evan even more anxiety. The students have recently gotten a bit distracted though, since Azalea came to our school. Arnold's done so well that the Territory decided they'd try assimilating another zombie into our town. Most people seem to be okay with that, but Dr. Grasmere is lurking around, determined to cause trouble.

You can probably enjoy this book without reading the first two books in the series, but I wouldn't recommend it. You'll miss all the fun! The premise of zombies living peacefully among humans is unique, as these zombies can only eat jelly beans. Dr. Grasmere has been the antagonist since page one of the first book, and he's returned to continue that role. He wanted to change the zombies into formidable warriors in the last book, but his motivation this time is unclear. It makes readers wonder what he's up to, although his conflict is mostly on the back burner. The plot focuses more on the return of Evan's illness and how he, along with others, react to the situation. Evan displays many common emotions, and his friends try to help him cope with them. The story of Azalea mirrors what Arnold's been going through since the beginning. She tries to understand humans, as they try to accept the presence of another zombie. Although the zombies are harmless, misinformation and preconceived ideas influence the behavior of some people. Overall, the series is fun to read and touches on some serious topics. I highly recommend you give it a shot!

[Siera · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Memories are important. They're how we keep track of our lives after all." This line seemed important because Arnold is a zombie and that zombies would always forget things. This line made him think that one day maybe he could be a human. This is also true to use humans if we don't have a memory we would not remember our child hood or life so that's why I think that line is really important.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddy read with H.

This one was my least favorite, but the series on a whole was really fun.

[Genevieve Markin]

I love arnold!