Killer Pizza

Killer Pizza #1

by Greg Taylor

Pizza you'll die for!

Toby McGill dreams of becoming a world-famous chef, but up until now, his only experience has been watching the Food Network. When Toby lands a summer job at Killer Pizza, where pies like The Monstrosity and The Frankensausage are on the menu, things seem perfect. His coworkers, Annabel and Strobe, are cool, and Toby loves being part of a team. But none of them are prepared for what's really going on at Killer It's a front for a monster-hunting organization!

Learning to cook pizzas is one thing, but killing hideously terrifying monsters? That's a whole other story. Still, if Toby quits Killer Pizza, will monsters take over his town?

Greg Taylor's Killer Pizza is a humorous and fast-paced read that R.L. Stine calls "a hot slice of horror that I couldn't put down!"

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2009

About the author

Greg Taylor (b. 1951) is an American writer of books for children and young adults. He is also a screenwriter of films including Jumanji and Prancer.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Toby Magill is a 14 year old obsessed with Food Network and dreams of becoming a chef. When he gets his dream job at Killer Pizza, he thinks he's set for the summer. However, he and his coworkers, Strobe and Annabel, learn that the pizza place is a front for the boss's humanitarian effort, which is killing monsters. He offers the three contracts to be Monster Control Officers. Will the three have what it takes to pass training and help eliminate the pack of guttata that have infiltrated their quiet little town?

This middle grade horror was a fun read. The characters are all likable, but they could be fleshed out a little more. This is a first in the trilogy, so hopefully, we get to know the characters a little better in the next two books. There is a lot of action in the book, which helps keep you glued to the pages, but sometimes the downtime in between is a touch dull. Overall, I think this is a great book for 6th grade and up. I would've loved this book at that age. It'd also good for adults as nostalgia or just a good light read in-between more heavier books.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for sixth grade and up. Toby McGill just an ordinary guy who wants to be a chef applies for a summer job at the newest pizza place in town - Killer Pizza. He works with a team consisting of Annabel, a girl from his school who comes from a rich family, and Strobe, who is fairly new to the community and Toby has never met. He finds that he loves making great pizzas and working with his new team. He never dreams what will happen next when Harvey,the owner, explains to them that Killer Pizza is just a legitimate front to fund his humanitarian work of killing monsters. He believes they are a good team and wants them to train to be MCO's (Monster Combat Officers). There is a group of Guttata, a very sophisticated species, who are living in their community and posing as human community members. They attack humans to recruit them and begin the conversion to guttata, but sometimes they just eat the humans for food. Toby and his friends sign a contract to continue to earn minimum wage and train to be MCO's. It certainly brings new meaning to the name Killer Pizza! Great new first novel for Greg Taylor. This book is on the 2010 Texas Lone Star List.

[Treyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my new favorite because it has action and violence and a good story line and actions of characters. I could not put it down after read half of it. Hope you read this 5 star book!

[Nuffy]

Probably should have read the synopsis. This isn’t about a pizza that’s killing people or a sinister pizzeria with villainous plans hidden under the cheese. :(

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to pick this one up for the great name and the fact that the author grew up about when and where I did and had Chilly Billy as one of the inspirations for this middle-grade horror. Killer Pizza is light and fun as far as horror goes. Not that the monsters aren’t scary and the protagonists not in danger but it it’s gruesome, which given its target audience, shouldn’t be a surprise.

Toby Magill, the main protagonist, is a young man, slightly out of shape and addicted to the Food Network (and who can blame him?). He’s a wee bit too young in my opinion (either thirteen or fourteen, I can’t remember) for this, but that’s where the whole suspension of disbelief comes in. Toby gets hired on for what is going to be his dream job, making pizzas at Killer Pizza. He wants to be a chef one day and putting together pies with monster-themed names looks like a good start. He’s put together with a couple of other teens, Strobe, Annabel and Doug. The first two, along with Toby make a good team.

However, it wasn’t their pizza making skills that they were hired for. Their boss, Steve, and Killer Pizza’s owner, Harvey, are actually recruiting monster hunters and they want Toby, Strobe and Annabel to be a team. (Like I said, their very young ages really work against my suspension of disbelief but I am greatly older than the intended target audience). He shows them a guttata, a monster that’s been responsible for the disappearances of teens they’ve been hearing about. It infects them via its bite and they become a gutatta, maintaining a human appearance until the full moon.

While not sure he wants to do more than sling dough, Toby does reluctantly join the training, bringing him painfully close to the danger. The threesome has to fight monsters and keep themselves safe. Overall, it’s fun. Some middle-grade books, like the Percy Jackson series, work for all ages. This works but not quite as well. I’m sure if I were fourteen I’d have had less problems with young teens being recruited to fight monsters. Heck if they had just been about two years older I would have had less trouble (Buffy, anyone?). That aside Toby is a well-drawn character. We spend more time in his pov than the others who aren’t quite as strong as characters (which could change in the sequels. I know there’s at least one).

On a technical note, there was quite a bit of telling rather than showing, passive verbs and extreme exclamation mark abuse (maybe the rules aren’t as strict in middle grade fiction) there were some pages where we neared a dozen exclamation marks per page. Ah well, those were minor. Toby and the others are fun characters.

[Milica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Elyrria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost never read middle grade, especially for horror, but this was so cute and the pizza title sucked me in lol. If I had read this in middle school I would have been absolutely obsessed! I loved the old-school horror and creature-feature nostalgia. Even though I prefer "adultier" books and more horrifying horror, this was a fun little break with all of the fundamental goodies that make the genre so addicting. I'm going to need Greg Taylor to create a real-life Killer Pizza restaurant right now please, thanks.

[Kimberly Vanderbloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

My uncle gave me this book. He said he saw it and thought this is so Kimmy. The name and the description made me decide to give it a go. It turns out that I highly enjoyed it. I found it to be easy to read and it flowed naturally. I loved the characters and the concept was cute. I'm thinking about even trying the recipe in back but I'm not good with too much heat. I went out and got the second book in the series that I plan on reading soon.

[Jeanine Allen]

Jeanine Allen
Horror

Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor is a book about a boy named Toby dreams of becoming a chef one day even though he has had no experience. He starts working in a pizza parlor in his small Ohio home town. He soon finds out that he pizza parlor is also used as an organization to hunt and kill monsters. Soon he is being recruited to work as a Monster Combat Officer. He works with Annabel who is one of the most popular and prettiest girls in school as well as a guy named Strobe. Their job is to find the alpha male of the Guttata and kill him in order to dissolve the pack.

This book was listed as a young adult, but I found that it was right on the cusp of being children and young adult. It seemed to be a bit juvenile in writing and in theme. This book is more silly than horror which made it fun. It did have a lot of written action and was very humorous.

[Arsh M · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/14/12


I am currently reading Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor.I'm at the part were a guy from the Echo 8-Plex movie theater is about to leave but a monster stings him and makes him faint. I think the author dose a good job of putting a lot of details like the place was at a dead end and it hodgepodge of business. I think me and Toby have things in common like we both like comics and we both see things like shadows and creatures.Each time I open up this book and imagine the Killer Pizza restaurant I see a large,bloody,dark,and dark place. I think you should read this book if you like horror and action.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was good at times but it was also sometimes a bit boring. I think this happened because when it was good there was action but when there wasn't action it was boring. I also thought that at times the book was a bit confusing because the setting was changing so quickly or because the author wasn't describing the characters in the book. This happened near the end of the book when they were all fighting the alpha guttata and the author didn't describe what the alpha guttata looked like. This made it hard for me to understand if the animal was fast or slow, big or small. After reading this book I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Prashansa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really nice. Three teenagers sign up for a summer job at a pizza place called "Killer Pizza". But later on, they find out that it's actually a front for a monster-hunting organization. the three teenagers have to make a life changing decision of if they want to join the organization or not. They go on adventures to save tons of people from dying and go face to face with many monsters.

[Deon Santhosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme for this book is think before your actions. When Toby signs up for a job at the Killer Pizza store, he doesn't know that everyone there is part of a monster killing group. When he's asked if he wants to join, he says yes. But he regrets it because it's a whole lot worse than it actually is.

[Joshua Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun little weekend book. This was recommended to my by a student. It’s always fun to read books recommended by students! This one reminded me of the Goosebumps books I read as a kid! The perfect part creepy… and full of action! I will recommend this to 8th graders to come!

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I didn’t expect this to be so much fun!! Loved the character development, the monsters, the pizza!!

[Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pizza and monsters are a perfect match!!!!

A perfect read for a hot summer night with a pizza.😋

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading KILLER PIZZA, probably more than I thought I would when I first found it at the Goodwill by my house!

First, let's show some appreciation for the cover. In person, the hardcover has a sleeve that looks oily because of the stains you'd see on a pizza box. It's so cool and I honestly love those little details. Also, there's a recipe for a spicy pizza in the book, so I mean, you can't go wrong with that.

The story itself was unique and so absurd at times that I couldn't help but giggle. A perfect example of this is the name of the monsters--it was hilariously ridiculous.

I loved the dynamic between the characters and how the MC grew as the story progressed. His self-confidence grew so much and by the end of the book, he was barely recognizable. I loved that for him because I think if a young reader gets their hands on this book, they could see a little of themself in this character.

While this is clearly a YA novel, it reads both a little older in the monster hunting and consequences, but younger in the way the characters behave. I this is the kind of fun summer adventure that everyone of all ages might enjoy, but I know some adults might find this to feel too young. But you know, just imagine that you're a teenager again living your best life through these characters.

I enjoyed seeing the stories through various perspectives because it's a thing I like, also because it helps a story feel like it's more rounded.

I'm sad this didn't get a lot of hype when it first came out--to the point where the third book is only available as an ebook. I'm currently reading the second and will eventually get my hands on the third book!

I highly recommend this for people who want quickly paced summer horror and monster stories that are just pure fun.

Happy reading!

[Joseph Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor is a book set in a modern small town and is about a boy named Toby who is average size, smart, and loves to cook, who takes a job making pizza at a place called Killer Pizza. What he doesn't know is Killer Pizza is actually a monster hunting agency that wants him and the other two new employees, Annabell and Strobe to become monster hunters. They agree and get their first mission, Exterminate the Guttate threatening their town. They stake out positions, lead attacks, and even break into houses to find what they need. Would highly recommend this book because although there is some boring parts, overall it is an exciting book and I would rate to 4/5.

[Kaiden G · Rating 5 out of 5]

EPIC

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, fast, delightful little read.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a fun premise: three teens are hired by a local pizza delivery place, only to discover that it's a front for an international monster-hunting organization, and their jobs were just a pretext for recruiting them into the group. The (probably) main character, Toby, is sort of a drifter in his own life: he starts things, then gives up before he gets very far, mainly because there isn't anything he really cares about...except cooking, which he's too shy about to admit to anyone. Working at Killer Pizza gives him the confidence to follow that dream and the ability to push through the hard times because he's got his teammates depending on him. There's some good action, scary monsters, and I liked that Toby's physical transformation (he's sort of a couch potato before the KP training regimen tones him up) doesn't instantly make him self-confident as well.

Unfortunately, Killer Pizza has some writing and structural problems that get in the way of the story being exceptional. Most serious of these is that the point of view shifts frequently not only between characters, but between a third-person-limited and third-person-omniscient tone that in a horror/thriller/action novel kills the illusion of immediacy. Since the third-person-omniscient POV often turns into the author telling the reader what's happening instead of showing it, it's like the narrative is full of potholes that stop you just as the tension is starting to build up steam. I think that's unfortunate because one of the things Taylor does well is create extremely tense horror-movie scenes. On the other hand, the scenes in which Our Heroes face off against their terrifying foes tend to be full of gratuitous exclamation marks! which are multiplied depending on how dramatic the event is!! because Taylor, not being satisfied with describing an action sequence, needs to sum up what we've just seen happen with a single descriptive sentence!!! (I am not making this up. Some sentences end with multiple exclamation marks.) All of this should have been addressed by an editor before the book ever saw daylight.

There are some moderately gory episodes, including a homeless man being devoured by one of the monsters and a creature being shot in the eye, that make me hesitate to recommend this for the middle-grade audience it's probably meant for. I'd say it's a good read for teens interested in action or horror stories who care more about the story than how it's told, because underneath it all, there's a good (if not groundbreakingly original) story here.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toby McGill doesn't ask for much. He'd like to get a summer job. After all, he's 14, he doesn't have many friends and he's very bored. However, Toby has plans of becoming a celebrity chef, so he just needs some practice. Enter Killer Pizza. It's the only place to hire Toby, where he works with Annabel (a beautiful, smart and rich classmate) and Strobe (an angry older boy).

However, all is not as it seems at Killer Pizza. Instead of a pizza place with a monster theme, it's actually a front for a monster hunting organization and the leader, Harvey, wants Toby and his coworkers to be the start of the team in their area. The book involves guttatas (humans turned nasty beasts), humor and slowly growing friendships, along with danger and suspense. Toby is a likable main character and Strobe and Annabel seem like realistic coworkers and eventually, friends.

It's well written, however, sometimes it seems a little superficial. When reading about the author you learn that Taylor is also a screenwriter and that explains a lot, in that you can tell that sometimes the action is slightly more important than character development. The book reads like an action packed humorous horror movie and that's not a bad thing. I'd give it a solid B or even a B+ for some kids. I'd probably recommend it for kids 13 and up.

[Ernesto Valenciano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like Horror Books like World war z and the walking dead because if you do you will like killer pizza.Killer pizza is a Horror book the book is about a boy who dreams of becoming a world famous chef and his name is Toby McGill. Toby only experience to become a famous chef has been watching the food network. When toby gets a summer job at killer pizza he doesn't know that monstrosity and the frankensausage are on. I like the book it was a cool and horror book because none of them is prepared for what's really going on at killer pizza.

The setting of my book is at Killer Pizza where Toby gets a job. The plot is Toby gets a job at killer pizza and wanted to be a chef and part of the team. But the team doesn't know that it is a monster hunting organization. The conflict of my story is person vs. supernatural because Toby fights a monster at killer pizza. Theme is A place you think is great to work at might not be so great.

The title relates to the book because "Killer Pizza" doesn't mean super amazing. It means that there is an actual killer trying to hunt monsters.

I was surprised when I found out the book was not about a boy who dreams of becoming a famous chef . I like this book because its a horror book and I like horror book . I would give this book 4 stars because its a cool book a and I would like the author to make more books.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope the author writes a few more.

This book was a blast with just the right amount of tension and fun and intellectual type stuff and I can safely recommend this book to the young people I volunteer with as there is no objectionable material in the book - unless you count murderous monsters...

Toby is an aspiring chef and gets a job at the latest branch of Killer Pizza. Just as Toby is enjoying the pace and flexing his chef pecs in the kitchen at Killer Pizza he finds out that the pizza gig is just a cover for a secret organization that hunts, tracks, studies and destroys monsters. The monster hunters want Toby to begin training.

What follows is some training, some monster lore, some good action sequences, some suspenseful moments, some tense moments and lots of fun.

Bonus - try the pizza recipe - it was killer. (and I'm hoping that there will be a few more books along these lines)

[Raufil]

I am one the part when Toby hears a noise from the woods but does think it is just an animal. when he go to his work called killer pizza he is cooking Fangtastic Hawaiian.

[Yodamom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light different kind of mystery/adventure. Middle school level.

[Elijah B]

awesome

[Debra Gastelum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. If you like scary Goose Bumps type books, you'll really like this. It's all about monsters! The next one is available in the book fair and I think I'll get it.

[Samuel Currier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book i would recomend it any day 5:5

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought book was a very good adventure. It's like reading the story mode of a video game.