Back of Book: 

Ariel is afraid of her own mind. She already feels like she is too big, too queer, too rough to live up to her parents' exacting expectations, or to fit into what the world expects of a “good girl.” And as violent fantasies she can’t control take over every aspect of her life, she is convinced something much deeper is wrong with her. Ever since her older sister escaped to college, Ariel isn't sure if her careful rituals and practiced distance will be enough to keep those around her safe anymore.

Then a summer job at a carnival brings new friends into Ariel’s fractured world, and she finds herself questioning her desire to keep everyone out—of her head and her heart. But if they knew what she was really thinking, they would run in the other direction—right? Instead, with help and support, Ariel discovers a future where she can be at home in her mind and body, and for the first time learns there’s a name for what she struggles with—Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—and that she’s not broken, and not alone. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A verse novel that masterfully connects OCD and the expectations thrust onto females by society. 

Ariel is terrified of the intrusive thoughts that constantly invade her mind. The crocodile inside of her constantly asks her to commit violent acts and she is so afraid that she is going to hurt someone she loves. Not only does she feel trapped in her own mind, she also feels the constant burden of society's expectations that she be a "good girl." Good girls aren't violent. They don't think about sex. And they definitely don't imagine stabbing their own parents every single day. When she returns to her summer job at a carnival, she makes two great friends, Ruth and Rex, that allow her to feel seen in a way that she never has before. It's nice having people to rely on, but it's difficult when every single day allows her brain to push her closer to the end of her limits.

"Ariel Crashes a Train" is a very interesting look into the mind of someone with OCD. I've never seen a case in which someone has such violent obsessive thoughts, but it totally makes sense how these come to be when one is dealing with the obtrusive thoughts that accompany obsessive compulsive disorder. Many of the rituals that Ariel performs such as counting footsteps, tapping objects, and reciting mantras are just what I'd expect though, so it was enlightening comparing how similar and different Ariel's OCD is from other cases I've read about. 

The feminist messages in this book are very powerful. Ariel constantly feels the pressure from society that she isn't feminine enough and that everything she does isn't right. Most women struggle with trying to adhere to society's guidelines, but when you pair them with a compulsive brain that's also a bit of a perfectionist, these things can become extremely deadly quite quickly. Also, this novel talks about how tall women aren't viewed the same as small, petite women. There are so many ways that this world discriminates people; it is absolutely depressing that tall women are viewed as less feminine for their height alone. 

The prose in this book is gorgeous. The fact that this one is penned in poetry definitely enhanced the entire feel of the novel. It allowed for easy portrayal of Ariel's intrusive thoughts and presented a unique way for Ariel's internal dialogue to be displayed on the page. The wit that Cole uses in their writing is stellar; there are so many times when they would allude to things and I'd think to myself, "That was so smart! Well played." It makes me really happy when an author's allusions are highly successful and add to a story rather than take away from it or distract me from what truly matters. 

Overall, I was impressed with the discussion of societal expectations and OCD that occur throughout "Ariel Crashes a Train." This book showed sides of OCD that I've never thought to imagine, so I found it to be very enlightening. This book is certainly dark at times, but the topics discussed benefited from this tone of voice. The wit was splendid, and the way that poetry was used to tell this story was beautiful. I already had high hopes for "Dear Medusa," but now I'm really excited to give that one a read, too!

Back of Book: 

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people...

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

For Every One is exactly that: for every one. For every one person. For every one who has a dream. But especially for every kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to imagine. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them: All the kids who are scared to dream, or don’t know how to dream, or don’t dare to dream because they’ve NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguishes—because simply having the dream is the start you need, or you won’t get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

Poet, writer, and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. makes his debut with a powerful YA memoir in verse, tracing his journey from being a closeted gay Black teen battling poverty, racism, and homophobia to becoming an openly gay first-generation college student who finds freedom in poetry. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, George M. Johnson, and Jacqueline Woodson. 

Tony dreams about life after high school, where his poetic voice can find freedom on the stage and page. But the Boogeyman has been following Tony since he was six years old. First, the Boogeyman was after his Blackness, but Tony has learned It knows more than Tony wants to be the first in his family to attend college, but there’s no path to follow. He also has feelings for boys, desires that don’t align with the script he thinks is set for him and his girlfriend, Blu. 

Despite a supportive network of family and friends, Tony doesn’t breathe a word to anyone about his feelings. As he grapples with his sexuality and moves from high school to college, he struggles with loneliness while finding solace in gay chat rooms and writing poetry. But how do you find your poetic voice when you are hiding the most important parts of yourself? And how do you escape the Boogeyman when it's lurking inside you? 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Memoir | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A moving memoir told in verse about being a poor, gay, black boy and the adversity that one faces from society for just trying to be themself. 

Memoirs told in verse are a pretty niche genre, but one that I always end up enjoying immensely. Tony's poems are moving, and it was cool how he still had access to many of the poems that he wrote as a young adult that he could include in this manuscript. This blending of past and future Tony was really neat. 

This memoir nails down a ton of lessons about life that can sometimes be hard to grasp in reality. Tony implores us to conquer our demons, rise above our financial standing, and go after our dreams no matter how far-fetched they may seem. I love when people are willing to share so many personal details about their lives in the hope of inspiring others to live their best lives, too. 

I think my favorite part about this book is how Tony talks about this script that society expects everyone to follow (which has also been enforced by Hollywood): The boy is supposed to get the girl, prom night is a rite of passage where fourth base should be passed, they're supposed to go to college together, get fancy degrees, have sex along the way, eventually have children, and be successful parents together. This though, is far from anyone's reality and puts so much pressure on people who feel like they have to follow this script but feel like it doesn't capture who they are. I was lucky enough to not care what society thought about me and my early life decisions that affected my entire life, but most people aren't blessed with such strong wills. 

Overall, "How the Boogeyman Became a Poet" is a moving memoir told in masterful poetry that explores many deep topics about growing up, embracing one's individuality, and coming to peace with oneself. It also urges us to chase our dreams, conquer our demons, and defy the narrative that society expects from us and thrive while doing so. I would definitely recommend this quick read for lovers of poetry, stories by diverse voices, and inspirational narratives. 

Back of Book: 

How do you deal with a hole in your life?

Do you grieve?

Do you drink?

Do you make out with your best friend?

Do you turn to poets and pop songs?

Do you question everything?

Do you lash out?

Do you turn the lashing inward?

If you're Avery, you do all of these things. And you write it all down in an attempt to understand what's happened—and is happening—to you.

I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain is an astonishing novel about navigating death and navigating life, at a time when the only map you have is the one you can draw for yourself. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟 

A contemporary tale told in experimental poetry featuring a young queer teen as they learn to cope with grief and explore their sexuality. 

Avery has hit a major low point in their life. When life gets you down, some people turn to alcohol. Some turn to violence. Some lay in bed and don't move for months. Avery turns to poetry. When Avery's life gets turned completely upside down, they must learn how to move on, even when the pain feels as though it's too much to bear. 

Honestly, I figured that I probably wouldn't enjoy this one, but I kept walking past it at the library and the title always jumped out at me. Rather than keep picking this short poetry novel off the shelf time and time again, I decided to just check it out and sate my curiosity. 

Unfortunately, my expectations for this book were completely and utterly met; I ended up not liking it very much. I appreciate how the author explores grief, sexuality, and growing up in a way that I can tell is so personal to him, but I couldn't relate to much of anything. I am a poetry fan, but not a poetry enthusiast, so most of the allusions to famous poets didn't resonate with me all that much. I also found many of the tactics that Walton applied in this novel to be a bit confusing and hard to follow. 

Overall, "I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain" is a blip on the radar kind of book that I will have forgotten that I read in a matter of days. The story and messages didn't resonate with me personally, but I'm sure that others (especially die-hard poetry lovers) could vibe with this book quite well. 

Back of Book: 

Sydney Stapleton is a relatively new author, starting her writing career in 2007. Currently residing in South Carolina with her feline companion, it is evident that she has a passion for writing and storytelling. Her debut book, I Hope This Hurts, delves into the experiences of a young girl who finds solace in writing but struggles with loneliness and misunderstanding.

In the book, the protagonist’s inability to connect with others due to her self-doubt and fear of rejection is something that many readers can relate to. The reader will experience the protagonist’s hardships from a genuine and real perspective thanks to Stapleton’s writing, which will put them in the advocate's position.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

I really appreciate what the author was trying to do with this one. "I Hope This Hurts" is a novella written in verse that is unedited, raw, and full of emotion. However, I do feel as though many of the rhymes are forced, which takes away some of the authenticity from the story.

Poetry is always a wonder because every reader interprets it differently. For me, "I Hope This Hurts" read as a hate letter to an ex boyfriend. Stapleton's words grapple with the complicated feelings one encounters when they enter a toxic relationship and struggle to stand on their own two feet. As the book progresses, the negative spiral gets progressively worse until we hit a point of hope in which the narrator releases some of their negative feelings in a positive way.

Overall, I feel that the "I Hope This Hurts" is a deeply personal dive into the author's thoughts and emotions. As I reader, I can appreciate her written words, but as a person, I can't relate to them much. I am an overall optimistic person and I haven't been hit with much heartache in life, so this book didn't impact me as much as it would others. I think that many readers could empathize with the situation presented in this book and would feel seen while reading this, but I couldn't connect to it personally. It's a quick read packed full of emotion though, so I don't regret giving this one a go.

Back of Book: 

“I find it so easy to forget / that I’m just a girl who is expected / to live / without thoughts.”

Opposing slavery in Cuba in the nineteenth century was dangerous. The most daring abolitionists were poets who veiled their work in metaphor. Of these, the boldest was Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, nicknamed Tula. In passionate, accessible verses of her own, Engle evokes the voice of this book-loving feminist and abolitionist who bravely resisted an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen, and was ultimately courageous enough to fight against injustice. Historical notes, excerpts, and source notes round out this exceptional tribute.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Historical

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

A beautifully written novel in verse about a young Cuban girl who is willing to find her voice and use the power of words to help others. 

This is a short but inspiring book based on a true Cuban abolitionist by the name of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda also known as Tula. As a young girl, Tula is told that women should never speak out, shouldn't read, and should expect to be married by the age of fourteen to the man who is willing to pay the most money for her. Tula feels shackled in her day to day life and finds her escape in the written word. 

"The Lightning Dreamer" celebrates the power of the written word as well as the spoken word and the influence it can have on people. It also highlights how terribly women, slaves, orphans, and the poor were treated during the time period, which also reflects some of the inequalities that we see today. 

I think that it is really neat how Engle took information from Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda's book entitled "Sab" and integrating her fictional characters into Tula's childhood in this book. It proves to the reader that Engle put in her research and truly understands the real Tula as a person. 

The poetry in this book was also nice to read. The figurative language was wonderfully written and Tula's fears were made clear through her poems. The alternating perspectives were also refreshing and Engle wasted no time on individual title poems, which allowed one to fly through the story. 

Overall, "The Lighting Dreamer" is a well written historical novel in verse that shines a little light on the everyday existence of a young Cuban girl during the early 1800s. Life was quite different back then, and I love how Engle captured Tula's voice through her poetry. "The Lighting Dreamer" is a quick book that I found worth reading, especially because I enjoy poetry and think that Hispanic cultures past and present are quite fascinating.

Back of Book:
Sixty seconds. Seven floors. Three rules. One gun. 

Will's older brother, Shawn, has been shot. Dead. Will feels a sadness so great he can't explain it. But in his neighborhood there are THE RULES: 

No. 1: Crying 

Don't. No matter what. 

No. 2: Snitching 

Don't. No matter what. 

No. 3: Revenge

Do. No matter what. 

But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there's always someone else who knows to follow the rules. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

The concept of this book is so intriguing and Jason Reynolds delivered with a masterful novel written in verse.

This book tells the story of a boy named Will who is planning to get revenge for the death of his brother. He enters the elevator from his apartment on the seventh floor and meets a person on each floor that has died due to gang violence. The entire way down, Will contemplates whether seeking revenge is the right course of action or if he should try to stop the vicious cycle of gang violence that perpetually continues around him.

My favorite thing about this book is how Reynolds never tells the reader what is right or wrong. Everyone has their own story to tell and their own lives to live and Reynolds respects that. Therefore, I respect him and his work. Plus, the way that he writes is truly magical.

I would be totally willing to recommend this book to people if I thought they would be at all interested in reading it!

Back of Book: 

A masterful poetic exploration of the impact of Matthew Shepard’s murder on the world.

On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one-year-old college student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a Wyoming bar by two young men, savagely beaten, tied to a remote fence, and left to die. Gay Awareness Week was beginning at the University of Wyoming, and the keynote speaker was Lesléa Newman, discussing her book Heather Has Two Mommies. Shaken, the author addressed the large audience that gathered, but she remained haunted by Matthew’s murder. October Mourning, a novel in verse, is her deeply felt response to the events of that tragic day. Using her poetic imagination, the author creates fictitious monologues from various points of view, including the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him, the deer that kept him company, and Matthew himself. More than a decade later, this stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers too young to remember, and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard’s life.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Historical 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟 

An ode to the life of Matthew Shepard, a college student who died too young due to the injustice of a hate crime. 

I really appreciate what this book is doing. It is shining a spotlight on a gay boy by the name of Matt Shepard who was killed by two arrogant young men that thought they were better than him, just because Matt was gay. It breaks my heart to read stories like this, but I know that they are all too common.

Despite the fact that I love the author's passion for the topic, the actual poetry itself was rather lackluster, in my opinion. Many of the poems felt really cheesy and the ones that featured inanimate objects/random animals really didn't do much for me. Many of the poems just felt clunky and like a way to fill the pages of a book. 

However, the author's note at the end was beautiful. It was cool to hear how heavily affected Newman was by her chance meeting with Mr. Shepard's college community and hometown only days after his death. The fact that she was so heavily touched by the community's grief that she wrote about it years later is quite amazing. 

Overall, "October Mourning" did a great job of introducing me to Matthew Shepard and did still tug at my heartstrings despite some of the poems being overly cheesy. I hope that this collection continues to spread awareness about what happened to Shepard and about the horrific hate crimes that members of the LGBTQIA+ community still have to deal with to this day. I pray that this will become an issue of the past erelong, but it will take a collective effort to install change if we want anything of value to stick. Just as Newman preaches, I beg of you to do your part to stop homophobia today. 

Back of Book: 

Cerulean Gene is free everywhere except school, where they’re known for repeatedly challenging authority. Raised in a free-spirited home by two loving parents who encourage Cerulean to be their full self, they’ve got big dreams of moving cross-country to live off the grid with their friends after graduation. But a fight with a teacher spirals out of control, and Cerulean impulsively drops out to avoid the punishment they fear is coming. Why wait for graduation to leave an oppressive capitalist system and live their dreams? 

Cerulean is truly brilliant, but their sheltered upbringing hasn’t prepared them for the consequences of their choice—especially not when it’s compounded by a family emergency that puts a parent out of work. Suddenly the money they’d been stacking with their friends is a resource that the family needs to stay afloat.

Salt the Water is a book about dreaming in a world that has other plans for your time, your youth, and your future. It asks, what does it look like when a bunch of queer Black kids are allowed to dream? And what does it look like for them to confront the present circumstances of the people they love while still pursuing a wildly different future of their own? 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟 

A queer black teen faces discrimination and suppression in his public school, but this doesn't stop him from dreaming big and wanting more for himself. 

Cerulean Gene can't help but challenge the corrupt authority of his local school. Their teachers are homophobic, racist, and constantly misgender them, and Cerulean is fed up with their constant badgering. Despite this, Cerulean dreams big dreams of moving across the country with their friends and pursuing the life they've always imagined for themselves. One day, Cerulean's life is turned upside down when a fight with a teacher escalates and they find themselves unable to deal with the suppression any longer. 

This book has writing that is just as beautiful as the cover implies. Sadly, the execution of this book was incredibly lackluster. 

The first section of this book is a tad slow-paced, but I found this okay because it is a very slice of life book. The plot escalates about two-thirds of the way through the book, which had me excited that this book could have been heading in a great direction. Unfortunately, the ending of this book is just awful. I don't want to get too far into spoiler territory, but the last third of this book transitions into other characters' perspective and didn't add a ton to the narrative. The decisions that Cerulean makes late book are truly awful, and they had me not caring what happened to literally any of the characters. 

I do like the topic matter that this book explores including dreaming big, standing up to social injustices, creating things with your own two hands, and finding connections with nature. I found a ton of value in all of these themes, but I wish any of them would have been explored more intensely or have been strung together with more finesse. 

Overall, "Salt the Water" was a pretty lackluster read with a horrible ending. The writing was lyrical, it has great themes, and I appreciated how this book doesn't shy away from hard topics, but I just found the execution of combining the elements and stringing the story together to not be great. I would certainly give this author's work another try, but this one really didn't work for me. 

Back of Book: 

A memoir in poetry by one of the most crucial activists for sexual assault survivors writing today. 

When she was thirteen years old, Laurie Halse Anderson was a shy, bookish girl who was raped by a boy she trusted. Today, she's known as the New York Times bestselling author of Speak and many other novels, a two-time National Book Award nominee, and an advocate and activist. 

In this powerful and searing book of free verse, Anderson tells the story she's never shared publicly before: what happened to her as a teenager, the path to recovery she built herself, and how she turned her pain into art that would go on to help millions of readers the world over. 

This book is for anyone who has ever been lost, ignored, silenced, abused, assaulted, harassed, talked down to, made to feel small, or knows someone who has. It's for the writers and the readers, the dreamers, the story weavers, poem collectors, song traders, word eaters. It's for the heartsick and the hope-filled, the furious and the fierce, the creators of call-outs, and anyone with the courage to say "#MeToo", whether aloud, online, or only in their heart. 

The moment to speak has passed. Now it't time to SHOUT. 

Book Number: Stand Alone 

(Note: This book does go into details about many of her novels including Speak, Twisted, and others. It isn't necessary to read these novels first, but I would recommend reading Speak for some base knowledge of where Anderson is coming from in some circumstances. I found it really interesting to see how her life influenced Speak from her love of foreign languages to the actual assault itself.) 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Memoir | Mental Health 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

When the heart gets lost, let the music find you.

Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming—like many—that Blade will become just like his father.

In reality, the only thing Blade has in common with Rutherford is the music that lives inside them. But not even the songs that flow through Blade’s soul are enough when he’s faced with two unimaginable realities: the threat of losing Chapel forever, and the revelation of a long-held family secret, one that leaves him questioning everything he thought was true. All that remains is a letter and a ticket to Ghana—both of which could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

A dazzling story told in verse of sixteen-year-old Declan Lynch and the girl whose centuries-old voice rings in his head.

One day, Declan Lynch, a restless teenager, starts hearing a girl’s voice inside his head. Eventually, he even begins to see her. Though he’s not certain the girl, Rebecca, is real, Declan finds himself falling for her. She shows him visions of places and people he has never seen—places he feels compelled to find in hopes of meeting her.

His quest takes him to County Sligo, Ireland, and its “thin places,” spots where the earth and the spirit world seem almost to touch. His slightly crazy Uncle Seamus takes him in, as Declan’s search has him wondering which world he belongs to—his or the one belonging to a girl who might not even be real.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Fantasy | Contemporary 

Review: 🌟🌟

A novel in verse telling the tale of a lonely boy trying to fit in and a maiden who just wants to return home.

Declan Lynch is our main character in "Thin Places." He's always had an active imagination, but when he starts to hear a girl talk to him in his head, he begins to question himself. She relays that her name is Rebecca and that she desperately needs his help for some reason. This leads to him taking an impromptu trip to Ireland to find this dream girl in hopes that she is real.

The prose in this book was good and it read like a modern day fairy tale, but overall, it wasn't anything special. I have read other books starring the same magical creatures that have been much better, so this one lacked originality for me. I also didn't appreciate the "love at first sight" romance element or the flatness of the relationships.

Overall, this book has a decent enough premise, is told in poetry, and is a short read. Therefore, the book wasn't ever painful to read, but I still felt that I got nothing out of reading this book. It does feature Irish folklore and has a fairy tale vibe going, so if those are your things you may enjoy this one.

Back of Book: 

   Blood is really warm,

                                         like drinking hot chocolate

                                              but with more screaming.

Poetry is dead. "Zombie Haiku" is the touching story of a zombie's gradual decay told through the intimate poetry of haiku. From infection to demise, readers will accompany the narrator through deserted streets and barracaded doors for every eye-popping, gut-wrenching, flesh-eating moment. The book is illustrated with over 50 photos from the zombie's point of view and designed with extra blood, pus, gore, and guts!

                                                  Biting into heads

                                           is much harder than it looks.

                                                  The skull is feisty.

Book Number: Stand Alone 

Genre: Young Adult | Poetry | Horror  

Review: 🌟 

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked this up, but I think it was. . .funny? Yeah, I though it was going to be humorous. But this book is anything but funny. It showcases a man who loves to write haiku as he gradually turns into a zombie (hence the title). If you want to read about a man eating his wife, dogs, and babies, this book may just be for you. But it's not for me. I was super grossed out the whole time, and the story felt both stereotypical (with the zombies only having one thought—brains) and unrealistic (I mean, what zombie that had such little brainwaves would still possess the ability to write poetry?). Also, the fake dirt, grime, and blood smeared on the pages was an interesting touch, but still seemed a tad unrealistic (I don't think dried blood stays such a potent shade of red).

Overall, I think the concept of this book is neat and if you love the mindless zombies who only want to eat brains and rip people apart, than this book is right up your alley. For me though, this book was a tad bit nasty for me to truly take anything away from it.