The Last Kids on Earth is a post-apocalyptic tale tame enough for kids yet witty enough to entertain adults. The story centers around Jack, who is alone in a world filled with monsters and zombies until he finds some other kids to share the peril-filled adventurous challenge of survival. The author deftly morphs what could be tense and scary danger into comic challenge that only the creativity and cleverness of youth could possibly conquer while staying sane. The action is excellently illustrated by Douglas Holgate, and the pictures are an integral part of the overall mood.  This book contains laugh-out-loud moments for readers of all ages, and it fills a useful niche by allowing younger readers to enjoy the zombie-apocalypse trend without being inundated with the usual gore that inevitably accompanies the genre. This is the first in a series of books following the adventures of Jack and his friends, and it leaves the reader looking forward to the next one.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Comic violence scenes in which kids fight with or are chased by monsters; many (27) comic illustrations depicting monsters or zombies; reference to zombies eating brains (humorous); kids threatens to harm each other (2); character contemplates being eaten by monsters (2); report of people being killed in the past (a few); a fight results in a broken bone; monsters are killed; a tense scene where kids must make their way through a group of monsters; monsters are attacked with arrows and other medieval weapons; one monster eats another; characters break into an abandoned car.

Sex/Nudity:  A character has a crush on another; mention of a girl’s “legs that just won’t quit”; characters flirt in a corny way; characters hold hands; mention of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue; the term “make out” is used as a play on words in a joke.

Mature Subject Matter:

Worldwide destruction, abandonment of children, bullying, foster child.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None