Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier is an anthology of short stories about, you guessed it, Zombies and Unicorns.
Let me tell you how, I, as a non-zombie and a non-unicorn person, ended up reading this book. I was challenged to read books that are outside of my comfort zone. I was given a list of possible recommendations of awards and types of books to help me select books to read for the semester. I went through those lists early in the semester and requested books from our library. The books came in at strange times and although I knew I had requested them, I didn’t necessarily remember (or look back to check) what genre or why I had selected these particular books.
I give you this background because it may help you see the shift in my thinking about this book. When I initially started reading this book I thought the approach was unique. Black and Larbalestier both have a “side” and their views are sprinkled throughout the book in a blog format. As I began reading, I thought, these people have WAY too much time on their hands. Seriously, who talks about this stuff?
Not being a “zombie lover” from the get-go (I don’t like scary things!), I thought that I’d be a Unicorn lover. I mean they’re white and cute and sparkly, right? NOT these unicorns! Apparently, I am not well-read on unicorn lore because these unicorns actually KILL people. (Granted, they are usually bad people, but still!)
So, as I continued to question my selection of this book, I realized I had selected it as a Book Club book, so I HAD to finish it. My angst was apparent, but I decided to look back at my notes and see why I selected it (other than reading outside of my comfort zone). Ah, it is a collection of short stories (not something I would normally select), well, now it makes perfect sense! The bantering between Black and Larbalestier is the glue that holds it together. The stories are vivid and written by well-known authors. (Some of these authors I never would have expected to write about either zombies or unicorns.)
So, if you are looking for something that might be outside of your comfort zone on a current popular teen topic, check out Zombies Vs. Unicorns.
iteach20112012 
Wow, I had no idea that something like this existed. I also had no idea that unicorns could be murderous. This sounds very much like a boys teen book. Thanks for the review!
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I too was surprised with murderous unicorns…
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I was team Unicorn before and after reading this book. I absolutely loved it and when my friend finished reading her copy I basically stole it out of her hands because I was so pumped to read it. For me it was just one of those fun books that doesn’t really have to have a purpose or meaning, it just exists so we can read stories about zombies and unicorns.
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It grew on me. I definitely think there are people out there who will be really into it.
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