Synopsis

“Something really BAD has happened.”

Granny Fondant is waking up to another perfect day in Briar’s Cove – the nicest, safest, sweetest town there ever was, where nothing bad ever happens. She spots Buttercup Sunshine running down the lane, the friendliest, most angelic girl… But wait! How odd. Why would Buttercup be holding a chainsaw?

Details

• Title: Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Doooom
• Series: Briar’s Cove Series, Book 1
• Author/Illustrator: Colin Mulhern
• Cover Artist: Colin Mulhern
• Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing
• ISBN: 9781848863309
• Publication Date: September 28, 2018
• For Ages: 7-9
• Category: Chapter Book
• Spooky-Scary or Spooky-Fun? 🎃 Fun.

Review

Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Doooom was genetically engineered in a lab just for me. It has zombies, silly British humor, chainsaws, a sugary sweet little girl with a wild imagination and a nose for detective work, creepy graveyards, and the world’s most hardcore knitter. It’s the first book in the Briar’s Cove series — where nothing bad ever happens…until now, dun dun dun — and despite what I said about it being made just for me, this should be a huge hit. Children of all ages will love this book, with its silly humor, kid-friendly gore, and breathless action. It is uproarious, clever, original, thrilling, and incredibly fun.

I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited about this book. When I first heard about it a few months ago, I ordered it from the publisher in England immediately, not even stopping to consider that I could order it here in the States. (That’s why the publication date is listed as tomorrow but I don’t have an ARC acknowledgment listed — I always list the U.S. pub date, and I was too eager to get my grubby little hands on this book to wait that long, so I bought it myself from England.) I knew I would love it, but I was not prepared for the massive “I must sing the song of my people” amount of love I would feel for this book.

The story opens with Buttercup Sunshine running down the street screaming and wielding a chainsaw, so right off the bat it’s already won Book of the Year. Through a hilarious turn of events (you can just mentally add that to the beginning of every sentence for the rest of this synopsis), Granny Fondant gets Buttercup to slow down and tell her what’s happening, and we learn all about the Zombies of Dooooom. (If Book of the Year weren’t already nailed down by the opening, it would be by the 5 o’s in “Doooom.”) Buttercup and Granny proceed to fight off the zombie horde as it descends upon Granny’s cottage, using their wits and their enviable knitting skills to battle the undead. (Seriously. I’m a knitter, and my mouth dropped open when I saw what Granny had accomplished. Can I be your friend on Ravelry, Granny?)

There’s a wonderful freewheeling sense of absurdity to the book that fans of British comedy will appreciate. Author-illustrator Colin Mulhern’s hilarious drawings and the expressive use of varied fonts add to the fun, and the final result is a laugh-out-loud funny story with plenty of gentle scares. If you can’t tell by how much I’m tripping over myself in this review, I give this book my highest recommendation. Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Doooom is a pitch-perfect horror-comedy that kids will absolutely love. I’m dying for the next book in the series. Just don’t tell Buttercup…she’s pretty handy with that chainsaw.

Rating

ZOMBIES OF DOOOOOM! I give this book 5 out of 5 coffins.