Thursday, February 14, 2013

Love at First Bite





It's Valentine's Day, and many people are still searching for their SOULmate.  There are many different ways people try to find love: some will meet at church, some will look online, and some will put ads in the newspaper.  Would you respond to this ad?

TALL, DEAD, & HANDSOME


If you like taking walks in the graveyard
And falling down in the rain.
If you're not into cooking,
If you have half a brain.
If you like waking up at midnight,
horror films, and voodoo,
Then I'm the guy who you've looked for
And I'm dying to meet you!

Saturday, Cupid's Ball
Punch Bowl


I guess you figured out by now that whoever wrote this ad is not your average guy. And you've probably guessed that no one answered his ad.  That's sad because he is lonely, and he cannot help the fact that he wants to be a.......

   ZOMBIE IN LOVE!!!!

     This fictional book, by Kelly DiPucchio, tells the story of Mortimer.  Mortimer is a zombie.  He has very few teeth, tattered clothes, removable limbs, and eats brains for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, this zombie is not scary at all.  In fact, he is a very likable zombie.  He gives the mail carrier a shiny red heart (real and beating, of course) and the lady at the diner gets a stunning diamond ring (complete with finger still attached), but the girls are still not interested. The setting of most of the book takes place in the graveyard where Mortimer lives. His house is very much what you would expect from a zombie's house; it has a casket for a bed, the computer monitor is a tombstone, the keyboard has bones as keys, and a real mouse serves as the computer mouse!

      The plot of the book is very relevant to today's love affair with zombies.  It is recommended for ages four and up, and it is very age-appropriate. This book allows young kids to get in on the zombie craze without getting scared.  In fact, my five-year old loves this book, and I must admit that I do, too.  The story unfolds naturally, with Mortimer trying several different ways to meet girls until he finally finds his true love. He walks his dog in the park, he reads self-help books for advice on finding love, he takes ballroom dancing lessons, but he still cannot seem to meet girls! The ending is predictable, but done in a way that keeps readers interested. In fact, the happy couple rides away in a hearse marked, of course, His and Hearse, with cans of dead bull,  baked brains, and cranbrainy juice strung to the bumper.

     It is written in limited third-person with the narrator telling the reader only what Mortimer is thinking or doing.  We do not know what other characters say or feel.  The style of the book is simple with words that many young readers will know.  Lines are filled with humor and sarcasm; for example, "Suddenly it was clear that nobody was dying to meet him". There are only one or two sentences per page and vivid illustrations accompany the sentences that will give young readers visual clues if needed. The pictures are also hilarious! There are pictures of Mortimer and his girlfriend holding hands (not their own) and Mortimer going to the funeral home (to shop for a new suit)!   
 
     The conflict in this story revolves around person versus society.  Mortimer is having to battle the typical stereotypes of zombies. The theme of the book is about getting along with others: friendships and accepting differences.  You see, even though Mortimer is a zombie, he just wants to be loved for the wonderful person, er zombie, that he is!   After all, isn't love and acceptance what we are all looking for?

      Macy introduced me to this book, and I must say that I am glad she did.  This book is cute, sad, funny, and mind boggling all in one.  Not only are the pictures in the book remarkable but the story within itself, made me fall in love all over again.  Zombie in Love is a fantasy book that is filled with elements that are not considered possible in our world.  A man that is dead looking for love, a woman with half a brain, and a dog that walks around with one eye hanging out  is not something that I expect to see anytime soon in this lifetime.  The main character Mortimer is looking for love, but it seems as though all of the ladies he meets are mortified of him.  Maybe it’s because he’s tall, dead, and handsome.  I just don’t see why any ghoul wouldn’t want a guy who likes taking long walks in the graveyard.  Me personally I’m not up to taking long or short walk’s in the graveyard, but if I was then Mortimer might just be my guy.  If any ladies out heir are interested in meeting Mortimer just go to stalemate.com and he’ll be waiting that is if he hasn’t found his true love. 


   

9 comments:

  1. I want to read this book so much now!! I love that you included the struggle between the main character versus society. I could also see how this could be person vs. person because he does get rejected by many of the girls around town. This book looks like it would interest a lot of students because of the fascination of zombies in our society today. This may be a great book to add to a classroom library! Thanks for sharing your wonderful book!
    -Cara

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  2. This seems like such a cute book, and it would definitely be fun to read around Valentine's Day! I love how you started the blog off with relating the book to how our society views dating and finding love. That kept it interesting for us to read. I would love to read this in my classroom when Valentine's Day rolls around. Good Job! -Karli

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  3. I LOVEEEE this book! You guys did a fantastic job going over each of the elements from this booking explaining how it made this story fiction! I also love how you incorporated this with the valentines connection too!

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  4. The comment above this one is from Kelly! I forgot to put my name=]

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  5. This book sounds adorable! I, too, would love to read this to my class around Valentine's Day. I think it would be a great book for boys and girls to enjoy and get into the "love" spirit! I really like how both of you incorporated the elements of fantasy fiction - characters, point of view, theme, and the conflict that Mortimer faces between himself and the girls that will not accept his love. I am glad you introduced this book to us, and I will certainly read it one day! -Lindsay

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  6. This book would be so fun to use during Valentine's day because it is aout love, but the zombies make it not so boring! It has all the elements needed to be classified as a fiction book. I would love to read this book to my class one day! -Kaitlyn Morefield

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  7. This would be a great book to use in the classroom, not only because it's fun at Valentine's day but because it includes so many elements of fiction. The conflict in this story is something we all can relate to and even younger children can connect with. You have me really wanting to read this book now! -Lauryn

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  8. I have never heard of this story. This book has all of the elements to classify it as fiction book. The zombies in the book are going to keep the students from being bored. The conflict of the stroy is one that we can relate to. I like how you can use this book durning Valentine's. - Tracy

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  9. I loved reading this blog! The way you could tie this in with Valentines day is perfect!Zombies have been really popular lately and would keep the students engaged in the story! I also think this story would be great to teach the elements of fiction because so many are present and you can incorporate fun learning activities like we did in class to teach the students.

    Mallory

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