Zombie Apocalypse Running Club

Gr 9 Up–A dynamic celebration of sibling bonds in the midst of seemingly unending horror. Twins Eira and Soren are planning to run from their survivalist, very conservative father and the remoteness of the Washington State mountains when rumors of a new virus outbreak in Alaska begin. It quickly becomes apparent that the virus’s victims do not remain dead, but instead reanimate as very fast zombies. A central secondary character, Racer Menendez, a three-time Special Olympics running gold medalist, quickly informs Eira and Soren that the zombies will catch them unless they develop a physical fitness training regime to improve their running, and he will happily coach their new running club. Racer has been separated from his brother, Eddie the town librarian, but he is positive that Eddie is still alive and just missing or lost. While undertones of religious intolerance and gender discrimination affect most character interactions and motivations, the most overt display occurs near the beginning of the book when the author clearly delineates why the twins feel they must escape the home provided by their parents, even if it means leaving their little sister Liv behind during a zombie uprising. The majority of the book is a slow journey through the western United States as the siblings search for missing loved ones and encounter a variety of unsavory characters and situations. Main characters present as white and LGBTQIA+, with nonbinary and transgender secondary characters.