Pirates vs. ninjas? Meh. Zombies vs. unicorns? That's more like it!Justine Larbalestier (Team Zombie) and Holly Black (Team Unicorn) have rounded up 12 awesome YA authors to give you the gift that keeps on giving - 12 stories filled with gruesome zombie gore and sparkly rainbow unicorns. Oh yeah, and there's also super swoony zombie (um, sorry, reanimated) boys - it's only a minor problem that they want to eat your brains, right? - and killer unicorns too. What, you thought that horn was just for looks?
On Team Zombie, there's Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments series, who gives Clary and Jace a run for their money with her story of love and revenge in a town where the dead are cursed to always return. Carrie Ryan returns to the world of the Mudo with her story of pirates in the Caribbean, zombie-style. And Maureen Johnson will make you laugh out loud with her tale of Sofie, who gets a summer job as a nanny for a famous actress's adopted brood of odd, shambling children.
On Team Unicorn, my favorite has got to be Meg Cabot's Princess Prettypants. Liz Freelander didn't believe in unicorns - until her crazy aunt gave her one for her 17th birthday, complete with blue muzzle, purple fetlocks, lavender horn, and the name Princess Prettypants - it looks like unicorns are making a comeback! There's also Diana Peterfreund's story of Wen's rescue of a baby unicorn from a carnival freak show - and her efforts to hide it in the garage and raise it in secret. Margo Lanagan spins possibly the creepiest tale of a princess and a unicorn's love that I've ever read, and Kathleen Duey's eerie tale of the healing powers of a unicorn will haunt your dreams.
But, possibly the best part about Zombies vs. Unicorns is the hilarious commentary from Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier at the beginning of each story. This one's for anyone who's ever wondered which it would be - zombies? Or unicorns? You decide!
Because nothing says winter break like zombies and unicorns - Happy Holidays, West Allis teens!
Megan
(now reading Pegasus by Robin McKinley - you thought you wanted a dragon after watching How To Train Your Dragon? I want my own pegasus!)