Zombie in the Library

Return to the Library of Doom

by Michael Dahl, Bradford Kendall (Illustrator)

Legs and arms
and hands and feet--

Old books crawl togehter,
and where they meet

A zombie grows,
and when he walks

No one breathes
and no one talks...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Paranormal, Childrens, Middle Grade, Zombies, Fantasy

72 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Michael Dahl is the author of over 200 books for children and young adults, including the acclaimed Finnegan Zwake mystery series and The Library of Doom. His works have earned Edgar and Anthony Award nominations and national design honors. As Editorial Director at Stone Arch Books, he champions engaging, award-winning stories that inspire young readers everywhere.

He also writes under aliases Chris Carey, Rick Thomas, and Mark Ziegler.

Reviews

[KKelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about adam wanting to buy a monster book for his mother him and his mum was suppose to go to the book sale but the lighting was to frightening. The next day adam went to the library and he wanted to find a monster book for his mum. Finally he found a book about monster but the librarian said that the book is for the book sale so he said that it was even better. But the next day it was rainning so hard but he still go...........
you need to find out what happen next.

[Ethan Stefko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and cool. Kind of scary.

[Sammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed this for my six-year-old after reading one of the Library of Doom books, liking the fact that the Return to the Library of Doom books were a bit longer. She read it in two settings instead of one, like the other one. Perfect for reluctant readers. It's an early chapter book and is chock full of beautiful illustrations and effects around the words (which my daughter loved most of all).

Adam wants to buy his mother a book for her birthday, and he finds the perfect one, a book about monsters. Trouble is, he has to get to the library to buy it, and that night, there's a lightning storm. Despite knowing he shouldn't, Adam decides to ride his bike across town, where the lightning has had some interesting side effects.

The story is really well paced and engaging, packed full of action. I like the discussion questions and writing prompts at the end, which were something fun to do afterwards. The ending itself, though, was a bit disappointed. It was a fine ending, but it felt almost incomplete in a way, and my daughter wasn't a big fan of the open-ended conclusion. All in all, still a good read, and would definitely recommend the series.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam wants to buy his mother a book for her birthday, and he finds the perfect one, a book about monsters. It is being sold at the library used book sale, but because of a lightening storm, his mother decides the sale will probably be postponed, so they don’t go. Adam is worried, the sale will go on, so decides to ride his bike instead. Not a good idea, especially when the lightening has some interesting effects on the books.

My 8 year old grandson and I read this one together, then he read it by himself with not problems. The story was well paced and had lots of action. Even though it is about zombies, it wasn’t scary, but a fun read. The illustrations added to the story and were well placed, and not too many to overpower the text in this early chapter book. The end of the book had a glossary, some discussion questions and writing prompts, which could be used if this book were being used for home instruction or in a classroom. My grandson liked the story and wanted to read more about The Librarian, so we visited the library where we checked out a couple more in the series for him to read.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Grandson found this book at his school library and was so excited to bring it home for me to read. He knows I like stories that are set in a library and are scary.
This is a good children's story and an open-mined adult. Meaning must understand it is written for middle school-age kids so don't expect it to be a complex plot.
I am happy that my Grandson wanted me to read it right away, it made his day I read it and liked it. This alone gets five stars.

[Kaitlynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting little story. I picked it up because I was trying to finish off my A-Z reading challenge, and this was the only letter I had left. It was not quite as scary as I thought it would be (but it's a MG book, so I don't know why exactly I was expecting super scary.) Although if the last thing I didn't think was scary is any indication, I will probably have nightmares about the book zombie tonight. lol

It was a nicely paced story for the age range that it was written for, and a good chance for younger readers to dip their toes into a spooky story that isn't too spooky.

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for kids that don’t want to read. There’s plenty of space on each page and awesome drawings, so the story goes very quickly. I would recommend this to parents looking for something creepy yet engaging for their children to read.

Never thought about books coming to life as zombies. Very creative!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cheesy, but fun!

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just no. I cannot appreciate this book BUT there must be an audience for it.

[aria · Rating 2 out of 5]

illustration was good. wish it was longer though

[Sara Rothery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the series. Great for dyslexics.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! a great introduction to horror for young readers. I listened to the audio on Hoopla.

[Joseph R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While at the local library in the children's section, I spotted this title prominently displayed on the top of a shelf. Intrigued, I picked it up and brought it home.

The story follows Adam, a young boy who wants to go to the local library because he's seen the perfect book for his mother's birthday. The book is about old monster movies, a topic his mum loves. Adam tried to check it out but the worker told him it's not for loan. It will be on sale Friday night at their book sale. He is ready on Friday but a large electrical storm convinces his mum to stay home. Adam sneaks out to find the book. Meanwhile, the library is closed because of the storm and one of the custodians takes the boxes of books for the sale and mistakenly throws them in the dumpster outside. Then lightning strikes and the books form a zombie that stalks the streets and Adam. Will he get out alive? Will he get the book?

The story goes very quickly since the book is somewhere between a graphic novel and an easy reader. The story isn't too scary and has some interesting ideas. It also includes a glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts. The book is part of the Return to the Library of Doom series, a sequel to the Library of Doom series. The Library is the largest collection of deadly and dangerous books. Sounds like a fun place, right?

The book is enjoyable if not outstanding.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam is determined to buy a classic movie monster book for his mother's birthday. Not even something like an electrical storm will deter him. Little does he know that the storm has brought several old books to life, creating a library book zombie. Part of the Return to the Library of Doom series, Michael Dahl uses the power of sound to curdle the blood in our veins in this bone-chilling tale. And using his gift of illustration, Bradford Kendall brings the horror to life. What are you waiting for? Go pick up Zombie in the Library today, and, while you're at it, be sure to check out other chilling titles in the series.

(read the whole post)

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for my libraries for two reasons: (1) It is a short read about librarians and (2) It is meant for struggling readers. While the plot is simplified, the plot is quality. It is well written to keep even the middle schooler engaged. The pages have lots of "white" space to not overwhelm the reader; it also has some words with photos / images to support the definition.

The ending seemed like not an ending which left me confused. I look forward to reading it to my students & having them feel confident as they read it.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basis of this volume showcases a library book sale. The child questioned if traveling to the library would be worth it for a special book. I agree with the Librarian when he said, "Some books are worth it." I also admired the use of book love and Library Doom characters passed on from a Mother to her son.

[Paul Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect little book (and series) for young readers who want a little horror & action for their age group, or could be a useful little book for those struggling middle school readers who need a book to help them practice reading skills but with content that is not too childish. Plus I like the fact that the hero is a Librarian!

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this series of books is meant to entice reluctant readers. There are creepy illustrations scattered throughout. The plot is simple, but didn't hold my interest because of that. Still would be great for kids who are overwhelmed by a book with a great deal of text.

[Kayla Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book. I would have liked the plot to flow together a little better and maybe some more detail but it was a good story. Great for reluctant readers - you can finish in one sitting and it has a comic book feel to it without being a true graphic novel.

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book because I saw the last name Dahl. I realized after, it was not the author I thought it was. Oops! But I did find a cute, short story written for younger children. It was a little cheesy and I chuckled at a few places, but over all it was not a bad story.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story with chapters designed for reluctant readers (boys) with discussion topics and writing prompts in the back. Excellent little read.

[Ratforcekids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Dahl has written a series of spooky kids chapter books. Try Zombie in the Library.

Never visit the Library after hours. You never know what will happen!

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will definetly be purchasing this series for my fourth graders. It is an excellent start to chapter books for those who are not quite far along yet.

[Verónica Juárez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining and short, but not excellent. A good option for reluctant young readers, zombie fans, book lovers and librarians.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to the Library of Doom. A little more excited than I should be that there is a second series.

*No Favorite Passages*

[Mackenzie]

I think these books that you make are like really great you know

[Mollie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page turner! It reads fairly quick; there are very few words and lots of images. Kinda scary. Not bad.

[Michelle Glatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A genuinely creepy read, especially in light of the fact that it is a high interest/low level book. I will definitely be recommending it to some of our instructional students.

[Christina Ramos]

marcel ramos