Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker) weaves into this absurdist horror-comedy some hard-hitting explorations of political and ethical issues. Characters encounter racism, live in terror of the department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and seek to expose the shady practices of the meat industry.
Best friends Rabi (who narrates), Miguel and Joe live in a small town that is home to Milrow Meat Solutions, a giant meatpacking plant. Its horrendous stink invades the boys' batting practice (Rabi describes it as "Ashy-barfy-rotten-meat-dead-cow-manure-sewer nasty"). Before long, the friends are fighting zombie humans, followed by zombie cows. Those who run Milrow have pumped so many chemicals into their livestock that the cows can no longer die. Ever since Miguel's father (a former plant employee) posted some footage from inside the factory on YouTube, they've targeted his undocumented family for deportation. Rabi is embarrassed by a mother who cheers at his baseball games wearing "a bright yellow sari... and a red bindi in the middle of her brown forehead." Blond, all-American Joe's presence in the novel raises a striking contrast: while Rabi and Miguel are highly attuned to how the world perceives them, Joe has the luxury of not having to think about it.
Readers will hope this is a first in a new genre mashup. Who expects a book in which the author devotes page after page to describing the behavior of zombie cows to introduce such rich fodder for discussion? Kids will devour this like a zombie would a plate of fresh brains. --Allie Jane Bruce, children's librarian, Bank Street College of Education