Date Published: 09-15-2026
Publisher: Oculus Print
ZOMBIE ZOO is Book 1 in a five-book middle grade adventure series for readers ages 8-13, blending paranormal mystery, zombies, unlikely friendship, and STEAM-powered problem-solving.
To find a cure, Felix must team up with Ninja, a shadow-dwelling orphan who trusts her instincts and never backs down. Intense and razor-sharp, she notices what others overlook and lives up to her name as the island's most mysterious sleuth. With their eccentric mentor Doc Brunne compromised and the town's water supply contaminated by a glowing bioluminescent substance, the two mismatched investigators must combine scientific observation with sharp intuition to stop the outbreak before their island home is devoured.
Featuring diverse protagonists, quirky humor, spooky-but-fun scares, and strong female and male leads. ZOMBIE ZOO is ideal for reluctant readers and fans of Max Brallier's The Last Kids on Earth, B.B. Alston's Amari and the Night Brothers, and Goosebumps. Comprehensive educator resources-including discussion guides, vocabulary lists, STEAM extension activities, and printable maps-support classroom use, library programming, book clubs, and make this title ideal for cross-curricular lessons bridging ELA, STEAM, and SEL.
Excerpt:
The green substance pulsed three feet from Felix Fizzystyxx’s face, defying every natural law he’d documented in four years of fieldwork.
He crouched low in the orphanage hallway, his field notepad balanced on his knee, pencil hovering over the page. The goo glowed—an unnatural, phosphorescent color that reminded him of the lightning bugs he’d cataloged last summer, only much more intense. Felix leaned closer. Was that a shimmer at the edge? Yes. The substance expanded slightly, almost like a water droplet responding to surface tension.
Unprecedented. Undocumented. Unknown.
His pulse quickened. If he could document this properly, maybe he’d finally prove he was a real Naturalist. The kind worthy of creating maps that mattered. Like the one in Spinachi’s town hall. Detailed. Beautiful. Important.
“Fizzysquirt! Where’d that freak go?”
Felix’s hand froze mid-notation. Gilly’s voice. Close. Too close.
His heart rate spiked—sixty-eight beats per minute, he estimated. Unusual for him. His eyes darted down the hallway. The orphanage’s dim gas lamps cast long shadows across the floorboards. Three doors. The pantry was closest.
“Check the stairs,” another voice called. “He always hides. Check outside.”
Move.
Felix snatched his notepad and ran, his lanky frame folding into motion. His green vest flapped as he twisted the pantry knob and slipped inside, pulling the door closed with a soft click.
About the Author
Instagram: @byMelanieAbed
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