Night of the Zombie Chickens (Kate Walden Directs, 1) - Hardcover

Mata, Julie

3.81

179 ratings by Goodreads

9781423194590: Night of the Zombie Chickens (Kate Walden Directs, 1)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1423194594 ISBN 13: 9781423194590

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2014

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Night of the Zombie Chickens is supposed to be Kate Walden's breakout film. But her supporting actresses-her mother's prize organic hens-are high maintenance, to say the least. Thank goodness Kate's best friend Alyssa is the star. She's great at screaming and even better at killing zombies in creative ways.

But when Alyssa turns into a real-life soulless zombie and ditches Kate for the most popular girl in seventh grade, Kate suddenly finds herself both friendless and starless. Now, thanks to Alyssa's new crowd, Kate is the butt of every joke at school and consigned to the loser table at lunch.

If movies have taught Kate anything, it's that the good guy can always win-with the right script. And her fellow social outcasts may be the key to her own happy ending. Kate hatches the perfect revenge plot against her former best friend, but even though her screenplay is foolproof, Kate soon realizes that nothing-in filmmaking or in life-ever goes exactly as planned. Especially when there are diabolical hens out to get you.

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About the Author:

Debut author Julie Mata co-owns a film/video production business, where she works as the producer and writer. Previously she pounded out copy as a television reporter, producer, and freelance writer Julie lives with her husband and two daughters in Wisconsin, along with three dogs, two ferrets, one bearded dragon lizard, and a parrot. She's also owned chickens, although none were zombies, as far as she knows!

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–7—Seventh-grader Kate Walden is pursuing her aspirations of becoming a filmmaker. Things are going mostly well, despite the fact that her mother's prized organic hens are behaving nothing like the zombies she has cast them as in her first feature-length film. Problems arise when her friend Alyssa, who is also the star of her movie, abandons the project as well as the friendship. When Alyssa starts hanging out with the most popular girl in the school, Kate finds herself the butt of class jokes. She feels lonely, isolated, and not the least bit like a movie director. However, she manages to solve both her friendship and movie-making problems by befriending two of her school's outcasts. In the process, she realizes that popularity does not necessarily equal happiness. The tale comes to a climax as Kate devises a plot to exact revenge against her former friend. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as Kate makes the ultimate decision of whether or not to ruin Alyssa's reputation. Zombie Chickens is an original take on friendship between girls and middle-school angst. Fans of Wendy Mass, Sharon Draper, and Rebecca Stead will appreciate this clever and quirky piece of realistic fiction.—Lauren M. Sinacore, George M. Davis Elementary School, New Rochelle , NY

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