Better Off Undead

by James Preller

After becoming undead, a boy tries to survive middle school.

Adrian Lazarus has met with a curious fate. He's returned from the dead (after a bad bike accident, no helmet), yet not a lot has changed. He's always been an outcast. But it's not just being a zombie that makes Adrian feel different. He notices the world has changed, too: bees are vanishing, forest fires are burning, super-flus are spreading. The holographic advertisements in the night sky assure people that all is well. Adrian and his friends - a beekeeping boy, a mysterious new girl, and a seventh-grade sleuth - aren't so sure.

When they discover a birdlike drone has been spying on Adrian, the clues lead two powerful corporate moguls. What do they really want?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Humor, Friendship, Fiction, Juvenile, Paranormal

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2017

About the author

James Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their books) to many noatable children's authors. This inspired James Preller to try writing his own books. James Preller published his first book, entitled MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, in 1986. Since that time, James Preller has written a variety of books, and has written under a number of pen names, including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. James Preller lives in Delmar, New York with his wife Lisa and their three children.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesp...

Reviews

[CraftyChara · Rating 2 out of 5]

First it was 4 then it was 3 finally it was 2

[Sanj17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

You should never think that you are different because its ok to be different.In the book he was a zombie but slowly he became more appreciated and fit in with everybody else.

[Bari · Rating 2 out of 5]

What to say about this book. After reading the jacket cover and reviews I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. I wasn't sure if this was about the main character Adrian, being a living dead kid or about saving the planet from global warming. The two just didn't seem to go together.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more like Better Off Unread. Seriously, it started off fine, but it got so preachy that it just wasn't fun. I'm all for teaching kids to save the planet, but they don't need to be hit over the head with it.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of this book is that not everything has to have an answer. Things happen for a reason but it cant always be explained

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a bike accident, Adrian Lazarus might think he'd be better off dead; instead, for reasons no one understands, he's a zombie, complete with decaying flesh and appendages that fall off at the worst possible moments. While his mother is off selling real estate and his father is overseas working for a company trying to obtain water rights, Adrian and his little brother Dane make do. To stave off further physical deterioration, Adrian drinks formaldehyde shakes and avoids the outside world as much as possible. When his mother insists that he attend middle school, he faces plenty of teasing, harassment, and bigotry. Fortunately for Adrian, he has friends to help him navigate the new challenges he faces: Zander has always been a reliable friend, and his current zombie state doesn't cause him to bat an eye; Gigi has had her own brush with death and seems able to foretell the future, and Talal is a savvy detective. Adrian will need all the help he can get once he realizes that he's come to the attention of some powerful businessmen. Although he doesn't do enough with it, I liked how the author tied Adrian's zombie condition to some of the things that ail the planet--burning forest fires, dying bees and bats, oceans filled with plastic. These are very real threats to life as we know it, and it is clear from the book and newspaper headlines that there are plenty of individuals who either do not believe global warming exists or see it as not their problem since they're busy making money. There are plenty of heartfelt moments in the book but also lots of humor and funny asides as well as potential avenues about discrimination against zombies that could be explored further. Intermediate and late elementary grade readers are likely to enjoy this outing with a member of the undead.

[booksventura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian Lazarus seharusnya mati. Jantungnya tak berdetak lagi, aliran darahnya berhenti. Tapi ia rupanya perlahan berubah menjadi zombie.
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Semuanya butuh penyesuaian. Keluarganya, makanannya, juga sekolahnya. Ia yang awalnya lebih suka tak mencolok, mendadak jadi sasaran kekesalan Daryl and The Gengs. Adrian zombie pertama yang terus beraktivitas layaknya manusia biasa. Dear Daryl, iri bilang bos!
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Sampai disini mungkin kamu bakal mengharapkan kisah zombie sepertinya yang sudah2. Seperti jawaban dari kenapa Adrian bisa berubah? Apa serumnya? Apakah akan ada serangan zombie lainnya? Stop.. itu smua ga ada di buku ini.
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Justru novel ini lebih banyak mengisahkan kehidupan Adrian selama menjadi zombie, yang aslinya beneran ga ada istimewanya. Sama kayak biasa aja layaknya manusia. Nah yang jadi seru itu justru pengalaman Adrian bertemu dgn kawan2 baru diluar zona nyamannya. Percakapan-percakapan mereka soal kehidupan dunia tuh yang bikin buku ini jadi spesial. Seperti ngbahas soal manfaat spesies lebah, dunia digital, make over, hingga fenomena alam. Intinya sih percakapan ini yang menggiring Adrian mengenali jati dirinya.
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Nah.. Celetukan mereka tuh memberi banyak renungan untuk kita. Sembari nantinya Adrian menyusun siasat melawan satu perusahan besar yang menginginkan dirinya, saat itulah insting manusiawi kita bangkit. Meski awalnya kita sama penasarannya seperti tokoh antagonis, rupanya menuju ending saya ga rela kalau Adrian justru jadi kenapa napa akibat berkat zombie istimewanya. Lagian bukan salah Adrian kalau dia jadi zombie kan..
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Btw karena ini buku reader jadi bahasanya gampang dipahami. Penulisnya juga pinter nyelipin isu sosial lewat percakapan, jadinya ga berasa berat dan beneran enak bacanya. Chapter nya juga pendek dan ga bertele-tele ya. Jadi cocok untukmu yang pengen baca serius dalam suasana santai.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the distant future, the climate is a mess, technology is intrusive, and middle school is the same. Over the summer, Adrian gets into a bike accident that somehow leaves him undead. Much to the amazement of all scientific professionals, everyone decides it's best if Adrian tries to get on with his life or afterlife that is. Middle school has never been easy, but now Adrian has to balance being a zombie on top of it. Outside of dealing with the local bully, Adrian and his new friends get pulled into a deeper plot as powerful people will stop at nothing to get their hands on the secret to eternal life.

That ending was... unexpected. This is definitely going to be a series. I can see it being where Adrian has to countlessly out do the Borks or some other entity desiring eternal life, while he and his friends solve some worldly matter. Through most of the book, it seemed like normal middle school drama. The bully, the love interest, family drama, the works. I thought it was going to be a funny spin on middle school and accepting yourself, even if you are a reanimated, decaying corpse. All of a sudden, Preller introduces the Bork brothers who want to experiment on Adrian. It makes sense, since Adrian is the only one of his kind, but it starts a new plot that doesn't have time to be fleshed out, let alone resolved in this novel. It'll be interesting to see where this story goes.

[Aimee Pelletier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian was staring in the mirror looking at himself. He is the main character, and a zombie. Talal is a boy that helps Adrian in the story. Gia is a girl who is somewhat like Adrian. She was stung by so many bees that she died but came back to life with the power to see somewhat into the future. She can see what happens. When she uses it she loses energy. Zander is one of Adrian's best friends and sticks with him till the end. In the book, Adrian used to be a human before he got in a accident and died. He came back to life with no heart. Adrian meets Gia right before some boys come into a restaurant and start messing with them. Adrian scared them off. Later, they meet Talal who finds out that a huge company is spying on Adrian with drones. Adrian then meets them and finds out they want to use him to make them younger. Near the end, Adrian's brother gets kidnapped and the whole gang is forced to go with them to the companies place which then they get in a whole fight to escape. They show the truth about the company. I rate this book a 10/10. If you like "The Girl with Borrowed Wings" then you will love "Better Off Undead" by "James Preller."

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start, slow middle, fast paced ending. My kids struggle to finish a book, so I have a feeling I can sell this book, but they will start and return unfinished, and won't get to the part they'll like best- confronting bully, Daryll, with a prank fight and using drones and Talal's computer skills to save Adrian from medical experiments by the Bork brothers.
And maybe it was just me, but please, in the next book cut back on the text about the polluting the environment, water shortages, GMOs, bat white-nosed syndrome, oil tanks on old train tracks that go nowhere and pollute our Earth and powerful corporations like the Bork (Koch) Brothers. The bees were central to story but at times these parts dragged. Liked the stars disappearing reference towards end. Just enough facts (a couple paragraphs and not a full chapter) to keep me interested and make a connection within text. Liked Adrian's relationship with little brother, Dane. Introduction of P.I. Talal and see into the future, Gia, were just right to keep the story going.

[Suravi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ALL OVER THE PLACE. No clear conflict and the story's plot changed quite drastically. We switched from reading about a zombie boy who was bullied and wants to fit in, to a kid who is being hunted down by a massive corporation led by Siamese twins that want to live forever. I was expecting a bit more, to be honest. I also wish that there had been more depth about the environmental situation at the time because it was supposedly the protag's reasoning for his actions, but we never had the actual issue flushed out? The protag never actually defeated the villain and 0ut of nowhere he is kissed by a pretty girl and his heart starts to beat again. What???? I picked those books for a school project where I was supposed to convince someone to read the book, which was hard considering that I did not like the book in the least and would never recommend it.

Steer clear if you are looking for a complex re-read.

[Yalonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this from my school's Blind (Virtual) Date With A Book and it was fantastic! Interesting tale about zombie life without the usual gore - more focused on how everyone feels different in middle school. I liked how our main character was able to make friends with other unusual kids but it felt like a normal day at my school. The book obviously wanted to deliver the message that different isn't bad but it didn't come across as preachy or far-fetched 'loser makes good'. I applaud the subtle reminder that family is still important and comes in many forms. Perhaps the most unexpected thing about this book is the focus on environmental issues. Totally wasn't expecting that in a YA book about zombies but again the message came through without being preachy. I enjoyed this and would recommend it. One of my 12-year-old students checked out this book at school the day after I got my digital copy and I am eagerly waiting to see what he thinks.

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better Off Undead was an interesting book. Plot was quite odd, but the book wasn't awful. I wouldn't suggest it to a friend, but I think the book has potential. James Preller could've gone another direction with the plot that wasn't so weird, but they chose some odd events to take place in the book. I don't really understand Gia, she got stung by a bee and now she can see the future. I don't know why they made the Bork brothers connected. Also, the book just doesn't make sense. They never explained how the zombie is living: how could he be living if his heart had stopped? The only thing that I can really say that is positive is that I like the author's writing techniques. While I was reading I really never got bored and there always seemed to be some action going on in the book. Not exactly a page turner.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adrian (last name Lazarus - wonder what that's referring to...) was not wearing a bike helmet (duh!), and died when he got into a bad accident. Somehow he came back to life, but he is now afflicted with terribly dry skin, loss of appetite, and is constantly harassed by clouds of flies. Things are different, but it's not just because he is undead. Globally things are falling apart as well - bees are dying, forest fires are raging. Then he discovers that he is being spied upon by a droid. He and two friends are determined to figure out what is going on.
A serviceable mystery/adventure with some humor thrown in for good measure. This is very different that Preller's previous works about bullying and is suited for a younger audience.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one knows why Adrian Lazarus came back to life after being killed by a hit and run driver. Since they can't explain his moldering flesh and hunger for raw meat, the adults in his life decide to ignore his zombieism. Thus Adrian for forced to attend middle school, where his classmates are much less tolerant. He has precisely three friends: eco-warrior Zander, psychic Gia, and gumshoe Talal. He will need all their talents when his condition attracts some dangerous attention. Adrian's story keeps getting overwhelmed by global catastrophes: his condition is just a symptom like mass extinctions and climate change. By cramming together both plots, neither gets fully realized.

[Lena White · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book it's amazing how when you think that you're the only one that is different and no one understand. There are others that will stand by you no matter what. I really enjoyed this book it showed friendships, bullying at it finest which I loved cause what goes around comes around. Bullies always get what coming in one way or another. Also when you need answers to what's happening to your love one and no one has any answers and you pay money to Doctors to figure things out and even they can't answer any of your questions to what is going on. I which that it had a part two to this book. I gave this book to my niece so she could read it I'm excited about what she thinks.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is this fantasy? Zombie, duh. Why is this Sci Fi? It happens in the near future w/ a realistic extrapolation from the present in the ecological problems. Why is it realistic fiction? Because really, Adrian Lazarus being a zombie is just a metaphor: normal kids don't know who they are, are trying to fit in with a group yet feeling alone and dorky, normal kids try to be like everyone else and end up just being stressed out and zoned out like a zombie. This is like a younger version of "Zombie baseball beatdown".

[Lucas Portabella Álvarez De Toledo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better Off Undead by James Preller was a pretty good book although the start is not the best but the ending is really good and includes a lot of action. I would recommend it for all ages as it's something everyone would enjoy! It's about a boy that dies from being hit by a car while riding on a bike and he revives in the hospital so he goes through tests and they find out he has no blood or heart and they give up. BUT a company K and K a billion dollar industry owned by 2 brothers that are old and dying want to find him to find out how they can live forever.

[Barbara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better Off Dead is a fabulous connection between science and literacy for classroom teachers to capitalize on. What is destroying our planet? What can be done? My students loved this book and made connections between the story and the world in which they live. There is no better review than a young adult enjoying a book.
I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for a copy of Better Off Dead.

[Debbie Armbruster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian Lazarus died a few weeks before the start of school- but don’t think that gets him out of starting 7th grade...

A cute, funny middle grade zombie adventure set in the near future. A smattering of societal and environmental concerns are addressed, although not in a truly in depth way- probably just right for sparking interest and further inquiry. My incoming 6th grader will enjoy it, as will some of the younger 7th graders. Of interest for 5th-7th.

[Terry Maguire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful read for fans of zombie-mystery-friendship-school fiction (yes, it really is all of those in one book!). I loved the voice of Adrian Alexander and his wry humor as he talks about his accident and resulting zombie state. The book quickly moves into mystery mode as Alexander tries to figure out who is spying on him and why- which means him relying on help from his friends. This is a light-hearted read that will appeal to many middle grade readers, particularly boys.

[Kim Mento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian is just your average middle school kid except that while his classmates are worried about pimples, he is worried about his nose falling off. Adrian is a zombie. He's not sure how it happened but it did. He died in a bike accident (no helmet - poor decision) and now he's undead and trying to get though seventh grade and making some friends along the way.

In our library F PRELLER.

[Chelsea Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this just to get away from thinking too much, and I got that. This is, admittedly, a children's book. So it was comically easy to read, and the story was mostly enjoyable. The ending left a lot to be desired, almost as if it was the first of a series.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, engaging story with a powerful message about discovering your self worth and protecting the environment. Features honey bees and conservation themes. Sweet sibling relationship. One chaste kiss at the end.

[Yuiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I liked it the story was written witty and
Enjoyable but half way through the book I got rather bored of it and wanted to finish it quickly

[Aidan G-C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good book and i liked the storyline about the book as well.

[Lori Kaye Coerber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not impressed. When I picked it up I'm not sure what I was expecting but a book about beekeeping and running from a kidnapper was definitely not it.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Saint Paul Read Brave 2020 consideration...

[Coreia G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. i believe it could've been way better. It was a little confusing for me.

[Blanca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit scary, but a very exciting book.