Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (2010), 400 pages
Description
Karen, a zombie teenager, attempts to pass as human and prove her zombie friends' innocence when they are accused of murder.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stephmo
Welcome to Generation Dead: The Spinoff Edition. I'm not entirely sure where Waters is going with the story at this point. While the first book was focused on many of the zombies and living kids at once and the numerous issues at once, the second veered into 90210-territory but still left the path
Not all is lost with this volume. Pete is given more of an expanded role and a chance to explain his motivations (no matter how misguided). Even Tak and Popeye get some back story and a little dark humor. In the end, though, this is nearly 400 pages of what really should have been a sub-plot to the main story while Phoebe and Adam merely play supporting characters, Margi is relegated to a mere guest spot and Tommy is the long-lost character who is merely spoken of in passing. Of course, this always means there's room for another installment. It's just not necessarily one I'll be eager to run out and read right away.
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fairly clear in that we were going to follow our characters through with the reality of what zombie rights were both in day-to-day life and as we followed young activists. So why is it in the third volume we really end up following Karen around exclusively while she's a one-girl-zombie mystery solving crew trying to pass as a traditional girl while hiding deeper secrets of her own? I'm won't be shocked when a line of graphic novels called Dead Gurl Detective Agentz! starring Karen comes out next.Not all is lost with this volume. Pete is given more of an expanded role and a chance to explain his motivations (no matter how misguided). Even Tak and Popeye get some back story and a little dark humor. In the end, though, this is nearly 400 pages of what really should have been a sub-plot to the main story while Phoebe and Adam merely play supporting characters, Margi is relegated to a mere guest spot and Tommy is the long-lost character who is merely spoken of in passing. Of course, this always means there's room for another installment. It's just not necessarily one I'll be eager to run out and read right away.
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LibraryThing member callmecayce
The third in the Generation Dead series. We get yet another view of what it means to be a zombie and, personally, I thought this was the best of the three. It's both sweet and terrifying and the ending contains enough closure for Karen that this could be the end of the series. The only drawback is
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that Pete (a defining character from the first book) becomes integral to the story and his plot is left a bit open. Hopefully Waters will give us a fourth novel and wrap Pete's tale up. Show Less
LibraryThing member smat92
Passing Strange tells the story of Karen DeSonne. She was a normal teenager until one day, she kills herself. But her plan didn't go quiet as planned. She dies... but then comes back as a zombie.
And now more than ever, Karen is in serious trouble. After being accused of murder, her "living
Unfortunately that cost is having to date Peter Martinsburg, a radical zombie hater, whom she suspects is behind the whole plan to incriminate her friends.
Will Karen be able to keep up all her lies or will the whole zombie community suffer the consequences?
“I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again.”
This is the first line of the book and it managed to capture me so that I almost couldn't stop reading. Waters presents creatures that we normally see as revolting monsters, but manages to do so in a way that allows readers to sympathize with their feelings and the situation they are going through.
Karen's struggle, not only with the zombies place in the society, but with her family and her own inner battle, make of her a full, tridimensional character and give fluency to the story in general. The more I read, the more anxious I was to know the outcome of the story.
I found that all the secondary characters were very likeable in their own way. Even Pete, the “bad guy”, even though he did have a psycho side to him, he offered what he thought were very good reasons for his actions. Especially towards the end I found myself feeling sorry for him for all the things he shares when we get to read from his POV.
What I liked the most about the book was how unpredictable it was. With several unexpected twists, the author keeps you guessing and turning the pages.
In general, I really enjoyed the book, both because of the character’s voices and the author’s writing style. I will surely be on the lookout for more D. Water’s books.
And now more than ever, Karen is in serious trouble. After being accused of murder, her "living
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impaired" friends make a protest that quickly turns into a shootout. Karen manages to escape but all her other friends are forced into hiding. Then she makes the dangerous decision of passing... as a living person. And not only that, she takes on the task of clearing the names of her friends, whatever the cost.Unfortunately that cost is having to date Peter Martinsburg, a radical zombie hater, whom she suspects is behind the whole plan to incriminate her friends.
Will Karen be able to keep up all her lies or will the whole zombie community suffer the consequences?
“I don’t want to die, I thought. Not again.”
This is the first line of the book and it managed to capture me so that I almost couldn't stop reading. Waters presents creatures that we normally see as revolting monsters, but manages to do so in a way that allows readers to sympathize with their feelings and the situation they are going through.
Karen's struggle, not only with the zombies place in the society, but with her family and her own inner battle, make of her a full, tridimensional character and give fluency to the story in general. The more I read, the more anxious I was to know the outcome of the story.
I found that all the secondary characters were very likeable in their own way. Even Pete, the “bad guy”, even though he did have a psycho side to him, he offered what he thought were very good reasons for his actions. Especially towards the end I found myself feeling sorry for him for all the things he shares when we get to read from his POV.
What I liked the most about the book was how unpredictable it was. With several unexpected twists, the author keeps you guessing and turning the pages.
In general, I really enjoyed the book, both because of the character’s voices and the author’s writing style. I will surely be on the lookout for more D. Water’s books.
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LibraryThing member titania86
Karen DeSonne passed as a normal, happy teenager when she was alive. In actuality, she was suffering from depression and ended up committing suicide. After she reanimated and became differently biotic, she is still passing, but this time, as a regular living, breathing teenager. She works at a
I have read all of the Generation Dead series and I have to say that this is the best in the series so far. The first two mostly focused on Phoebe Kendall and her relationship with two differently biotic boys. Now we get to see what it’s like on the other side, from the point of view of the zombies. Karen was my favorite of the minor zombie characters in the last books and I’m so glad that there’s a whole book almost exclusively in her point of view. Karen is an undeniably unique and compelling character, being the only zombie known to come back after suicide and have the ability to heal. Her motivations and thought processes are equally as compelling as her physical abilities. When she died, she killed herself out of depression that still plagues her in her present condition. It stems from denying a part of herself that I won’t divulge, but it was definitely a surprise. She’s also not afraid to take risks and put herself in harm’s way to help the people she loves. She dates Pete Martinsburg, a truly unhinged individual with a hatred for the differently biotic, in order to gather enough evidence to prove her friends’ innocence. At the beginning of the book, I felt that she was wary to reveal too much information about herself, but warmed and revealed more and more about herself along the way. I grew to like Karen more and more through her honest, unfiltered narrative.
Although this is a novel that focuses on love and typical young adult themes, it also deals with the very real issue of human rights and the way people treat those not protected under the law. These zombies could be murdered in the street and nothing could be done about it. It reminds me of the way women were treated in Ancient Greece: as property and not as people. The main message of the novel is that everyone, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, or beliefs, is entitled to the same human rights. It’s mind boggling that this message needs to be reinforced in our modern society, but there are still those who want to take rights away from people that have a different lifestyles or belief systems.
I really enjoyed Passing Strange. Karen’s transformation from a cryptic, mysterious girl to a free and honest one made her an engaging and realistic character to read. I love that this book deals with real issues that people of all ages are effected by. I would recommend this to fans of the rest of the Generation Dead series and to those looking for a great, insightful, well written young adult novel.
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store in the mall and no one suspects that she is anything but normal. The reason why she is passing is because of all the anti-zombie regulations passed in Oakvale making it illegal for zombies to be in public without a parent or guardian. They aren’t considered citizens or even people under the law and it’s completely legal to reterminate them on sight. This legislation was passed because some of her friends who are also zombies were framed for a murder, causing everyone to assume that all the differently biotic are violent and dangerous. As she passes as human, Karen is approached by Pete Martinsburg, the boy who killed Adam Layman and got away with it, and pretends to date him to uncover the plot to frame the zombies for a murder that may have not even been committed. After a while, Pete starts to trust her and reveals that he wants to kill Phoebe and frame Adam to create more and more fear and hatred towards zombies. Can Karen keep her cover and gather enough proof to allow the zombies to live freely or will she be caught and reterminated?I have read all of the Generation Dead series and I have to say that this is the best in the series so far. The first two mostly focused on Phoebe Kendall and her relationship with two differently biotic boys. Now we get to see what it’s like on the other side, from the point of view of the zombies. Karen was my favorite of the minor zombie characters in the last books and I’m so glad that there’s a whole book almost exclusively in her point of view. Karen is an undeniably unique and compelling character, being the only zombie known to come back after suicide and have the ability to heal. Her motivations and thought processes are equally as compelling as her physical abilities. When she died, she killed herself out of depression that still plagues her in her present condition. It stems from denying a part of herself that I won’t divulge, but it was definitely a surprise. She’s also not afraid to take risks and put herself in harm’s way to help the people she loves. She dates Pete Martinsburg, a truly unhinged individual with a hatred for the differently biotic, in order to gather enough evidence to prove her friends’ innocence. At the beginning of the book, I felt that she was wary to reveal too much information about herself, but warmed and revealed more and more about herself along the way. I grew to like Karen more and more through her honest, unfiltered narrative.
Although this is a novel that focuses on love and typical young adult themes, it also deals with the very real issue of human rights and the way people treat those not protected under the law. These zombies could be murdered in the street and nothing could be done about it. It reminds me of the way women were treated in Ancient Greece: as property and not as people. The main message of the novel is that everyone, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, or beliefs, is entitled to the same human rights. It’s mind boggling that this message needs to be reinforced in our modern society, but there are still those who want to take rights away from people that have a different lifestyles or belief systems.
I really enjoyed Passing Strange. Karen’s transformation from a cryptic, mysterious girl to a free and honest one made her an engaging and realistic character to read. I love that this book deals with real issues that people of all ages are effected by. I would recommend this to fans of the rest of the Generation Dead series and to those looking for a great, insightful, well written young adult novel.
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LibraryThing member katiedoll
Passing Strange, the third novel in the Generation Dead series, manages to continue the story of “differently biotic” teenagers (zombies) who try to live and survive in a world full of people who want them gone, from three completely new perspectives. While overwhelming and kind of falling
I loved Karen’s story. Her sneaking around and plotting to expose Pete and his anti-zombie shenanigans were something new and refreshing and very entertaining. As far as protagonists go, I prefer Phoebe, but she wasn’t as exciting as Karen is. With Karen, we’re really jumping into the life as a “differently biotic” teen; one that has more issues and emotions than we were led to believe in the previous books. And throwing hardcore zombie-killer-extraordinaire Pete Martinsburg into the mix? It was kind of funny and intense and heartbreaking all at the same time.
But besides Karen’s involvement with Pete and her quest to reveal the zombie imposters from Kiss Of Life, nothing really connected this to the rest of the series. I think the constant switching of perspectives made this book more of a filler than one that actually contributes to the rest of the plot. We read about Karen’s feelings, Pete’s feelings, Tak’s feelings. But beyond what I’ve already established, it’s really anticlimactic.
Overall, I very much appreciated the eccentric Karen and psychotic Pete’s sides of the story, but this book felt out of touch from the rest. I’m not positive if there will be more to the series or not, but if there is, I’m rooting for Phoebe to take the reign again.
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flat, I think this book was very beneficial to the series. How can you write a series about racism against zombies from just the eyes of a human?I loved Karen’s story. Her sneaking around and plotting to expose Pete and his anti-zombie shenanigans were something new and refreshing and very entertaining. As far as protagonists go, I prefer Phoebe, but she wasn’t as exciting as Karen is. With Karen, we’re really jumping into the life as a “differently biotic” teen; one that has more issues and emotions than we were led to believe in the previous books. And throwing hardcore zombie-killer-extraordinaire Pete Martinsburg into the mix? It was kind of funny and intense and heartbreaking all at the same time.
But besides Karen’s involvement with Pete and her quest to reveal the zombie imposters from Kiss Of Life, nothing really connected this to the rest of the series. I think the constant switching of perspectives made this book more of a filler than one that actually contributes to the rest of the plot. We read about Karen’s feelings, Pete’s feelings, Tak’s feelings. But beyond what I’ve already established, it’s really anticlimactic.
Overall, I very much appreciated the eccentric Karen and psychotic Pete’s sides of the story, but this book felt out of touch from the rest. I’m not positive if there will be more to the series or not, but if there is, I’m rooting for Phoebe to take the reign again.
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LibraryThing member Ani36ol
I started this book as the third part of the Generation Dead series and finished it right up. It is definitely the best of the series so far. It shows a wonderful author when they can write from so many different character's view points and keep the series flowing nicely. A great young adult....or
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old adult like me....novel! Show Less
LibraryThing member snaprebelx
Best book of the series. I love how even though we are reading a "zombie" book, everything is still relevant, and you learn from it. And OH what a cliffhanger!!
LibraryThing member LisMB
Though a bit young for me, this book was a good read. I was drawn in by the idea of the young dead. It kept me interested through the entire book. Well paced. I need to read the other two in the series.
LibraryThing member kat32969
Ok, this book was a little different than the other 2. This one was told by "Zombie" Karen. She set out on a quest to expose Pete for the true piece of you-know-what that he is. She had to do some pretty outrageous stuff and make some people mad, but in the end she succeeded. Or did she? She also
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made some pretty incredible discoveries about herself. The ending of this book was not what I was expecting. It doesn't end in a cliff-hanger but it doesn't exactly end end. It leaves the door wide open for more to tell. Hint hint Daniel!! Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-06-01
Physical description
400 p.; 5.12 inches
ISBN
1847389600 / 9781847389602