| Bullying |
| Friendship |
| Emotions & Feelings |
| Social Themes |
| Imagination & Play |
| Juvenile Fiction |
Summary
Summary
An empowering story about how friendship and imagination can help overcome bullying.
When a classmate hurts his feelings by calling him a fairy, Brandon turns to his imagination and his two best friends, who rally to his side. Brandon informs his pals that he is now a zombie who will destroy his enemies with his tears. They respond by turning into a ghost and a vampire, ready to protect him from the mean words being thrown at him during recess.
What starts as a bullying moment ends in a creative and empathetic exchange between the boys. Brandon is able to smile again -- especially when the friends come to a decision on his new nickname: the Zombie Prince.
Luc Melanson's graphic illustrations bring humor to this sensitive story about kindness and imagination healing the hurt left by unkind words.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
Upset schoolboy Brandon claims he is now a zombie with enemy-destroying tears, and his two friends vow to have his back. Gradually, readers learn that a female classmate had just called Brandon a fairy for wearing a crown and flower. This subtle tale about gender nonconformity and bullying features gentle illustrations foregrounding an enviably loyal friendship. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young victim of name-calling empowers himself by imagining possible alter egos.Three boys sit in a vast schoolyard with a crumpled daisy and crown off to one side. Brandon, with reddish hair and white skin, imagines himself a zombie with poisonous tears. Oscar, with glasses and darker skin, imagines himself to be a ghost who can swipe away hurtful words without anyone ever noticing. The unnamed narrator, a boy with blond hair and white skin, jumps in, pretending to be a vampire that sucks bad things from the airincluding Sam's mean words. The original altercation has happened off-page, so readers must be skilled in inference to understand who Sam is. Passing references to fairies and a thought bubble showing Brandon wearing a crown with a daisy tucked behind his ear imply that Sam (a girl, never seen, but gender based on pronoun choice) taunted him, spurring those previous poisonous tears. With tears now dried, the three friends decide that not a zombie, but rather a zombie prince, is the best alter ego. Melanson's digital art is simple, rendering the children with circular heads and lean, linear bodies. Nothing clutters the gentle lesson, though at times the narrative is so obscure, it just may clutter itself.Friendship gives more strength than any alter ego ever could. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
