Official Review: Ice Zombies by Linda Jakubowski

[ElizaBeth Adams]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ice Zombies" by Linda Jakubowski.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Ice Zombies, by Linda Jakubowski, is about a boy named Duncan who is desperate to lead his Wolves hockey team to victory in their championship game. He is equally desperate to find out why his father disappeared several years before. The Wolves have the talent and the drive to succeed, but something or someone is sabotaging the team captain’s sanity.

The Zombies team has a creepy player who targets Duncan during their semi-final game. When the player with the number six on his jersey appears, he emits a foul smell. From a distance, Duncan notices number six’s face is curiously distorted. Is he hallucinating or does the Zombie team have a zombie for a player? Duncan, Paisley, the coach’s daughter, and Kevin, Duncan’s best friend, set out to put an end to the shenanigans, all while preparing for the final game.

Part mystery and horror with some tween romance thrown in for good measure, this chapter book scores big for the home team. The pacing is excellent and the editing is superb. This quick read explores themes of hard work, feelings of abandonment, forgiveness, and friendship. My favorite part of this book is the excellent pacing. I didn’t want to put the book down.

I had a hard time buying into the supernatural events of this story. A player’s face melding into an odd shape in front of a public audience was hard to swallow. However, I think that was due to my adult perspective. I think younger readers would find this book to be in the just-right-exhilaratingly-spooky zone. The simple plot makes it easy for the reader to keep track of events. The lack of depth in the plot, a minor drawback, was my least favorite part of the book.

I give this book four out of four stars. The plot was straightforward and engaging. It was also well-edited. This book won't make the literary classics' must-read list, but it effectively tells an engaging story. I recommend this book for tweens who delight in having their spines tickled.

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Ice Zombies
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