Once Bitten

by Chris Gilbert

Tucker – “Tuck” – Graham is your typical 12-year-old. He’s a smart kid who loves sports, but he daydreams about tacos a little too much in class. Boy, does he love tacos – almost as much as the prettiest girl in his grade. But that’s another story. Tuck’s everyday life becomes anything but ordinary when a Little League fastball is pitched straight to Tuck’s head, knocking him out cold at the plate. When he comes to, he finds the world can be a far, far scarier place than facing off against your nemesis in Little League. Tuck’s hometown of Apex, North Carolina is now overrun with rotting creatures. Tuck and the fellow characters he collects along the way are in a race against time to find his missing family and figure out just what happened to their beloved town, that is, if the drooling jaws of the zombies lurking around every corner don’t get to them first. In a world where everything once familiar is now claimed by the uncanny and its very hungry Rotters, the sometimes-craven Tuck must learn to find his inner strength before he gets in over his head in a world where nothing is as it seems. Told in fast-paced, exhilarating prose, a story that has as much heart as it does adventure will hold you captive on the edge of your seat into the wee hours of the morning, too terrified to put the book down without knowing what happens next, but too terrified to turn the lights out for bed either.

Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Jane Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris is my nephew so I am probably a bit biased, but I enjoyed this book. It’s written for older elementary school or middle school age students but even adults will enjoy it. I am not a fan of science fiction. In fact, I don’t think I’ve read science fiction in decades! However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much I couldn’t put it down. This book is set in the real-life town of Apex and includes details of the Apex that Chris grew up in. I also grew up in Apex so many details were very familiar. It was these Apex details that initially drew me into the book. As I got into the book, the action kept me reading. The dialogue is rich and there are twists and turns that keep the reader interested.

[Julie Carper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Set in Apex NC and geared toward teens, I really enjoyed it. Lots of details that made it easy to visualize the action! Chris Gilbert is a clever and engaging author.