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krwriter8's review against another edition
4.0
Zombert is this generation's Bunnicula. A quick read about a scraggly zombie cat that's taken in by a young girl, meanwhile the corporation from which he escaped is looking for him. Illustrations accompany the text throughout. I can see this becoming a series that young readers who like their stories a bit on the dark side will gravitate towards.
janwe's review against another edition
3.0
Very enjoyable read. I picked this up at my local libary. I thought it was a standalone, however this is the first book in a series. The friendship between Mellie and Danny is very well written. However, they seem a bit older than they are in the story. To me they seem like 12-year olds, instead of 9-year olds ... Zombert is an amazing cat - I love him. Great representation of "ugly" cats ;P
juleej's review against another edition
1.0
I usually don’t write reviews because to each their own.
But...this was a cute story but none of the plot points are answered. I guess it’s to sell future books in the series. However it’s not even a cliff hanger. It’s just entirely unresolved.
Pass on this one.
But...this was a cute story but none of the plot points are answered. I guess it’s to sell future books in the series. However it’s not even a cliff hanger. It’s just entirely unresolved.
Pass on this one.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Mellie finds a stray cat and names him Bert. Bert won't eat regular cat food, and prefers to hunt for mice and frogs and squirrels. His strange behavior causes Mellie's friends to speculate that Bert might be a zombie cat! But Bert's unique abilities are the result of his past at the YummCo factory. Could the factory have experimented on animals and created a monster zombie cat? Mellie loves him anyway.
This trilogy is so funny and exciting! I loved the mysterious plot and the interesting characters. Mellie is a wonderful main character. She has a complex personality and I loved seeing all the different relationships she has with friends and with her weird family. She has a lot of confidence in herself, and this helps her to stand up to bullies and adopt an ugly cat and save the day.
This is the perfect trilogy for kids who want something a little bit creepy, but not scary. Bert leaves headless rodent corpses for Mellie, but it's not super gross. Only a little gross. At one point in the trilogy, we do see some mild zombie action, but they don't eat brains. Bert likes to hang out in a graveyard, but it's not too spooky.
I liked the black and white illustrations that bring the story to life! The artwork is really good, and I liked the designs for all the characters.
I enjoyed learning about the town where Mellie lives and about the history of the mysterious YummCo Food factory. The setting is interesting and gives some depth to the story.
There are a few shorter chapters that are told from Bert's perspective. I thought it was kind of odd that most of the story is told in first person narration from Mellie's POV, and then the chapters from Bert's POV are in third person. It's kind of a bold choice for a writing style, but it works.
The best part about this trilogy is how funny it is! I was laughing and giggling, and it's just FUN.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
This trilogy is so funny and exciting! I loved the mysterious plot and the interesting characters. Mellie is a wonderful main character. She has a complex personality and I loved seeing all the different relationships she has with friends and with her weird family. She has a lot of confidence in herself, and this helps her to stand up to bullies and adopt an ugly cat and save the day.
This is the perfect trilogy for kids who want something a little bit creepy, but not scary. Bert leaves headless rodent corpses for Mellie, but it's not super gross. Only a little gross. At one point in the trilogy, we do see some mild zombie action, but they don't eat brains. Bert likes to hang out in a graveyard, but it's not too spooky.
I liked the black and white illustrations that bring the story to life! The artwork is really good, and I liked the designs for all the characters.
I enjoyed learning about the town where Mellie lives and about the history of the mysterious YummCo Food factory. The setting is interesting and gives some depth to the story.
There are a few shorter chapters that are told from Bert's perspective. I thought it was kind of odd that most of the story is told in first person narration from Mellie's POV, and then the chapters from Bert's POV are in third person. It's kind of a bold choice for a writing style, but it works.
The best part about this trilogy is how funny it is! I was laughing and giggling, and it's just FUN.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
bhpurpletealdragon's review against another edition
5.0
Usually do not read books at this level I think it is middle grade. I really liked it and had to buy the second to learn what happens. I hated spending $10.00 for a damn ebook but I hope it will be worth it I really am invested in seeing these bad guys go down and go down hard.
Not a fan of kids but I liked the characters and the illustrations too.
Not a fan of kids but I liked the characters and the illustrations too.
catsluvcoffee's review against another edition
3.0
I decided earlier this year to start including middle-grade reads on CLC for a variety of reasons. I remember the love that I had from a very early age of horror-leaning books and how much joy it brought me. Including middle-grade allows me to reconnect with some of the nostalgia of my youth and it also permits me to read more diminutive stories that aren't so heavy topic-wise. There's a different focus in middle-grade horror as well. Friendship and family are so often at the center of the narrative, encouraging a completely distinctive read. Rise of Zombert seemed like a perfect pick!
The story centers around friends Mellie and Danny. They do everything together so when they find a mangy stray cat in the garbage can, they quickly secret him to Mellie's house. She can't tell her parents about him because she's afraid they won't let her keep him. Besides, her parents are clearly distracted by her younger twin siblings and the family blog that her parents run. Everything in this house is about getting the perfect shot or the best blog title or the perfect photograph! So much so that Mellie is able to hide "Bert", as she dubs him, pretty effortlessly, simply because her parents aren't paying attention.
Speaking of Bert, he's not your average cat here, but you knew that already from the title. In fact, Bert aka Y-91 somehow escaped from an animal lab run by YummCo. Everything in the town is run by YummCo, but no one really knows what is going on behind the scene and poor Bert has been at their mercy for who knows how long. Mellie finding him finally gives him a place to recover and he does so immediately by killing small animals and insects and eating their heads. Yum. Of course, he's sweet by bringing the headless corpses back for Mellie. Is he a zombie? What has YummCo done to him?
Rise of Zombert was a bit difficult for me as an animal lover. We have no idea what type of testing the facility is doing behind closed doors and Bert is in pretty rough shape when we first meet him. He frequently spends time thinking about those he left behind and he promises to go back for them which is heartbreaking. I didn't expect it to be so sad! Of course, there's the frogs, and birds and squirrels and the myriad of other creatures that Bert hunts and kills. Kids will probably enjoy the grossness of Bert crunching his favorite part, the heads!
What I did like were the main characters. Mellie is adorable, smart, and very resourceful. Danny is everything you want your childhood best friend to be, loyal and kind. There's lots of fun dialogue between these two dubbed the Weirdo Twins by the class bully—who maybe is just really misunderstood. Even Mellie's family, in spite of being distant in the beginning, eventually come around in a sweet, supportive way. The illustrations peppered throughout are well done and added so much to the story. It also has a split narrative, going back and forth from Mellie and Danny to Bert and to the YummCo lab assistants tasked with finding the wayward kitty.
Don't expect a happy ending from this one though. It's the first episode of Zombert's story, so there's an abrupt finale. I actually kept turning blank pages at the end thinking maybe there was an issue with my copy! I wouldn't even call it a cliffhanger. It literally just...stopped. No closure of any kind. No big build-up. It just ended. I was disappointed that there weren't really any answers given.
I can see younger kids loving this one. It's not spooky or scary and reminds me a lot of the Bunnicula series by James Howe, though Bert doesn't come anywhere close to being the narrator that Chester is. Is Bert really a zombie kitty? You'll have to read the series to find out.
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The story centers around friends Mellie and Danny. They do everything together so when they find a mangy stray cat in the garbage can, they quickly secret him to Mellie's house. She can't tell her parents about him because she's afraid they won't let her keep him. Besides, her parents are clearly distracted by her younger twin siblings and the family blog that her parents run. Everything in this house is about getting the perfect shot or the best blog title or the perfect photograph! So much so that Mellie is able to hide "Bert", as she dubs him, pretty effortlessly, simply because her parents aren't paying attention.
Speaking of Bert, he's not your average cat here, but you knew that already from the title. In fact, Bert aka Y-91 somehow escaped from an animal lab run by YummCo. Everything in the town is run by YummCo, but no one really knows what is going on behind the scene and poor Bert has been at their mercy for who knows how long. Mellie finding him finally gives him a place to recover and he does so immediately by killing small animals and insects and eating their heads. Yum. Of course, he's sweet by bringing the headless corpses back for Mellie. Is he a zombie? What has YummCo done to him?
Rise of Zombert was a bit difficult for me as an animal lover. We have no idea what type of testing the facility is doing behind closed doors and Bert is in pretty rough shape when we first meet him. He frequently spends time thinking about those he left behind and he promises to go back for them which is heartbreaking. I didn't expect it to be so sad! Of course, there's the frogs, and birds and squirrels and the myriad of other creatures that Bert hunts and kills. Kids will probably enjoy the grossness of Bert crunching his favorite part, the heads!
What I did like were the main characters. Mellie is adorable, smart, and very resourceful. Danny is everything you want your childhood best friend to be, loyal and kind. There's lots of fun dialogue between these two dubbed the Weirdo Twins by the class bully—who maybe is just really misunderstood. Even Mellie's family, in spite of being distant in the beginning, eventually come around in a sweet, supportive way. The illustrations peppered throughout are well done and added so much to the story. It also has a split narrative, going back and forth from Mellie and Danny to Bert and to the YummCo lab assistants tasked with finding the wayward kitty.
Don't expect a happy ending from this one though. It's the first episode of Zombert's story, so there's an abrupt finale. I actually kept turning blank pages at the end thinking maybe there was an issue with my copy! I wouldn't even call it a cliffhanger. It literally just...stopped. No closure of any kind. No big build-up. It just ended. I was disappointed that there weren't really any answers given.
I can see younger kids loving this one. It's not spooky or scary and reminds me a lot of the Bunnicula series by James Howe, though Bert doesn't come anywhere close to being the narrator that Chester is. Is Bert really a zombie kitty? You'll have to read the series to find out.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest
cassroberts89's review
3.0
I actually quite enjoyed this fun little story of a girl who finds a cat test subject turned escapee. What I really disliked was the way the story just kind of drops off. I get that it’s part of a series, but it really feels like half of a story. There is almost no closure or conclusion at all. You could not possibly read just this book and feel like the plot and conflict presented are even sort of finished, even just for now.
I read this to precede the ARC I received of the sequel. I’ll see how I feel after reading that and update this if needed.
I read this to precede the ARC I received of the sequel. I’ll see how I feel after reading that and update this if needed.
jen_thetelltalebookclub's review against another edition
4.0
Perfect for kids 8-12 who are ready for something a little more scary.