Barnabas Bartholomew and the Undead Freshmen

by Matthew Lett

Welcome to Univerzity U.- where the homework is hard, the halls are haunted and the cafeteria food would kill you, if you weren’t already dead! Barnabas “Barney” Bartholomew is a freshly raised zombie just trying to make his mother proud and survive his new school and maybe make a few friends along the way. But between secret, ancient assignments, and classmates who would rather scare than study, surviving freshman year will take more than good grades. All bets are off when Barney discovers a chilling family secret and suddenly detention is the least of his worries.

Quirky, spooky, and full of friendship and heart, this ghoulishly fun adventure is perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Harry Potter!

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2024

Reviews

[Jill Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of riddles and fun, Barnabas Bartholomew tells a brainteaser exquisite enough to open the doors to UniverZity U, the school for the undead. As a ninth grader, he is honored to be amongst the students fortunate to be selected to UniverZity. Housed underground with other undead such as himself, each student has a story. And while readers are slowly introduced to several foundational characters, it is Kevin Krueger who stands out. Full of trouble and backed by his powerful grandmother, his attitude leaves many enemies in his wake, but it’s Barnabas, Barney for short, that he’s really homed in on.

As readers are introduced to the Crypt Keepers, the various areas of study at UniverZity U, and the endless riddles aimed at helping them translate the required text, a story begins to unravel. With uncertainty and likely danger surrounding them, this spooky tale of undead children is wildly entertaining and perfect reading as Halloween approaches.

Think “Harry Potter” for the undead, schooling for those who have risen from their graves. The perceptions, prejudices, and manner of acceptance remains ever prevalent whether your heart is beating or not. “Barnabas Bartholomew and the Undead Freshmen” must work together to translate the first three chapters and graduate their first year of schooling. Creatively entangled amongst the winding underground tunnels, author Matthew Lett captures the adolescent plight of new friends, roommates, bullies, and girls.

Lett intrigues readers with his creative undead UniverZity U, and even the gnarly meals they eat, fit for those who’ve departed untimely. Crypt Keepers may be tasked with watching over the kids in Lett’s tale, but the pallbearers and politics are ever present too. With enough action in this fantastical world to keep readers worried about what goes bump in the daylight, “Barnabas Batholomew and the Undead Freshman” have this reader more than excited about their second-year endeavors.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, fast paced and suspenseful middle grade story with the right amount of spookiness and mystery plus horror elements to keep me glued throughout the story.
The main character of Barnaby was resilient, courageous and a good main character within the story- determined to solve the various riddles given to the students by the head teacher at UniverZity U, along with making new friends in the school along the way.
I really felt the setting fitted perfectly with the story (a school for the undead) and the interaction between Barnaby and Kevin Kreuger reminded me very strongly of that of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy but within an undead environment. The other characters in the story also added to the intrigue within the novel and it was good to get an insight into each of their backstories as the book progressed towards the crux of the action.
I look forward to reading the next book in this spellbinding and unique series.
Thankyou to Net galley, the publisher and the author Matthew Lett for an arc of this book.

[RWH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adolescent/YA book! The friendships, themes, and setting vaguely remind me of Harry Potter—except for it being an underground school for the Undead.

I really enjoyed the author’s discussions about prejudice and learning acceptance. This is such an important topic for young (and seasoned) readers!

The author gave us a creative story and definite page-turner. The riddles were fun to figure out, and there was plenty of mystery and suspense. This is a perfect spooky season read!

The book ended with some serious cliffhangers that set up well for future books:

Favorite quotes:

“The Book of the Undead! It contains the light of wisdom and the darkness of power; a reason for intellect in the sewers of ignorance.”

“I sometimes forget your feeble-mindedness. You’re ignorant, a wretch born to wallow in the quagmires of stupidity.” (Sickest burn ever.)

[Judy slagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read; don’t discount an offhand remark, it will come back and shock you. Well thought out characters all normal…except they are not. An easy read , hard to put down.
Just every day life in a school for the undead

[Brittney Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story! The friendships that were formed, and the lessons about accepting people different than you were amazing. There’s a really easy to hate character, and he is written so well that even as the reader, you really come to hate him. I definitely recommend this book!