Rot and Ruin

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
468 pages
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers (2010)
ISBN:  1442402326
Reading Level/Lexile:  8th grade and up/780L
Genre:  Fantasy

Annotation/Teaser:  Benny Imura has no choice but to apprentice his zombie hunting brother Tom.  At the age of 15, he must find a job or risk having rations cut in half.  In this zombie-infested America, Benny learns more than just a way to make a living by killing zombies.  He learns about life.

Plot summary:  Living in a zombie-infested America, Benny Imura must find a job or risk having his rations cut in half.  After several attempts at what he thought would be simple jobs, he is forced to become his brother, Tom's apprentice.  Tom is a zombie hunter.  Benny has always looked up to several of the hunters and thought Tom was a coward.  But after seeing what lies beyond the fence and how the other hunters are very immoral in the way they deal with the zombies, Benny starts to see that his brother might not be as cowardly as he once thought. 
In the story, Benny finds a card with a picture of The Lost Girl, a girl who is thought to be living and surviving in the Rot and Ruin beyond the fence.  Tom begins to tell Benny more about the Lost Girl and how she is connected to Gameland, a place where children are thrown in a pit with zombies for fun.  On Benny's journey to find a job, he finds love and respect for his brother as well as learning valuable life lessons.

About the Author:  Jonathan Maberry  Jonathan Maberry was born on May 18, 1958 in Pennsylvania.  He describes his childhood as abusive.  While he has written many novels, works of non-fiction, and short stories, he has also been a professional writing teacher since 1978.   Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and freelancer for Marvel Comics. His novels include EXTINCTION MACHINE, FIRE & ASH, PATIENT ZERO and many others. His award-winning teen novel, ROT & RUIN, is now in development for film. He is the editor of V-WARS, an award-winning vampire anthology. Since 1978 he’s sold more than 1200 magazine feature articles, 3000 columns, plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, and poetry. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and co-founder of The Liars Club. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife, Sara Jo. 

Fun Facts:

• Jonathan is a Contributing Editor for The Big Thrill (the newsletter of the International Thriller Writers), and is a member of SFWA, MWA and HWA. He is a frequent guest at genre cons and writers conferences.
• Jonathan is a founding member of The Liars Club, a group of networking publishing professionals that includes bestsellers Sara Shepard, Solomon Jones, L. A. Banks, Merry Jones, Gregory Frost, Jon McGoran, Ed Pettit, Dennis Tafoya, Keith Strunk, Don Lafferty, Kelly Simmons, and Marie Lamba.
• On the last Sunday of every month Jonathan hosts the Writers Coffeehouse, a free three-hour networking session for writers of all genres and levels of skill. The event is held at Barnes and Noble, on Park Ave in Willow Grove PA, Pennsylvania.
• In 2004 Jonathan was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame largely because of his extensive writings in that field. 

 
    Jonathan Maberry (n.d.)  Retrieved from www.famousbirthdays.com and www.thehorrorlibrarian.blogspot.com

Critical Evaluation:  Rot and ruin is not your average zombie book.  It's plot is unique in that it isn't about surviving the zombie apocalypse or killing the zombies.  This story is what happens after the humans have lost and how the ones who are left will survive.  From the beginning, the book sets up a world where teenagers are struggling to grow and learn how to live in this new post-apocalyptic life. I found that the first chapters of this book were the most important in developing the plot because it set up what life was like in the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic world. Maberry is creative and imaginative with his descriptions of this not so normal life. 
While the plot in this book keeps the reader interested, the strongest element of this book is the characters.   Benny Imura is the main character.  His mom and step dad were killed in the zombie apocalyse and he just can't seem to get past this.  He hates zombies and wants to kill them all.  Benny's character is flawed but this is what makes the reader relate to him.  His brother, Tom is another strong character in the book.  Tom is a positive male role model.  He is humble and tries to do the right thing, even when it is not the popular choice.  Lastly, Benny's friends, Nix, Morgie, and Chong are a depiction of normal teenagers doing normal things in an abnormal world.  This is a zombie book like no other and I would recommend it as a great read.  Because of the developing romance between Nix and Benny, girls will love this book as much as boys.     

Curriculum Ties:  N/A

Book Talk Ideas:  Benny can get revenge on the disease that killed his family but what will he learn about men and zombies and life and death that will change the way he thinks about a lot of things.

Controversial Issues:  Death, Language

Defense:

*I will keep the library's selection policy on hand and memorized with a good understanding  of the standards and policies to show that the selection meets the standards. 

*I will keep good and bad reviews (both electronic and print) and make sure they are from reliable and respected sources such as School of Library Journal, Booklist, and YALSA. I will have copies of these reviews to give away. 

*I will confirm the library's position to provide intellectual freedom as stated in the Library Bill of Rights and keep a copy of this.

*I will keep a written rationale to justify the reasons this material is included in the collection, such as educational significance and curriculum ties.

*I will be respectful and calm and practice "active listening".

*I will make sure I read the material and are very familiar with it.

   

* I will keep a reconsideration form on file in the event that my other strategies don't work. 

Why I Chose This Book?  I chose this book because of the popularity of zombies with young adults but also it has a great story that would appeal to teens who might not be zombie fans.