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Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!

by Gahan Wilson

Subject
Humorous Stories
Age
9-12 years
Format
Hardcover
Pages
96
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
Size
14.7 cm × 21.8 cm
ISBN
9781596436299

Goofy, gross, demented, and delicious! K.A. Holt has created a classic tale of middle-school angst...the difference being that this illustrated novel is written entirely in Haiku.

Middle school is tough enough, but it's even worse when your classmates include lifers (regular humans), nasty blood-sucking creatures called chupacabras, and zombies. Loeb (pun fully intended) falls into the last category and, unfortunately for him, he has a huge crush on a human girl (major no-no). Can he push past the stereotypes and the different cliques to win his school's haiku competition and impress the girl?

In scenes set around a lunch table (the menu: brains) and around the school, eyes roll and jaws drop (literally). Also featured in the cast of characters is Carl, a chupacabra (bloodsucking critter) and Mrs. Fincher, a sympathetic and seductive librarian.

Data provided by BiblioShare.

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What reviewers said

“A funny, irreverent, and unconventional verse offering that's sure to find wide curricular appeal.”
Booklist
“Gross-out humor and romantic tension enmesh in this clever novel told in haiku…a standout choice for reluctant readers.”
Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Middle school poetry geeks will enjoy this funny, irreverent novel in verse.”
Library Media Connection
“This intriguing book definitely has an audience–one that appreciates, quite literally, tongue-in-cheek humor.”
School Library Journal
“The shuffle-and-stop rhythm of haiku is amusingly appropriate for the zombie narrator, and Holt's use of language is consistently clever and playful.”
SLJ Teen
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.