Zombified! Outbreak by C.M. Gray

Zombified series bk. 3. ABC Books, 2016. ISBN 9780733334238
(Age: 7-9) C. M. Grey's Zombified is a funny and slightly spooky series featuring young Benjamin Roy half-zombie who has learnt to manage his special skills - infra-red vision and super strength. At home, his annoying brother Michael is obsessed by the computer game Princess Sparkle and her Magic Glitter, and he even collects the figurines and leaves trails of glitter around the house. When Michael is captured on the last day of school, Ben and his best friend Sophie set out to investigate.
Mr. Knight, Sophie's dad, is a mysterious person whose office is in a big old bus parked in their yard. When Ben opens his school locker, he is greeted by a shower of glitter and a note from Michael, payback for Ben's trick with the princess figurines at home. The mystery begins when Ben notices the track of glitter leading away from the classrooms.
Creepy teacher Mr Slender sneaks through the school pouncing on students who are not in class. He hunts down and finds Ben and Sophie as they search for Michael. Just as he is sending them off to detention, an unlikely pair comes to their assistance, old Mr Bill the headmaster and Nurse Nellie. Ben and Sophie's punishment is cleaning up the sickbay.
There is an escape, a twist in the tale, who can Ben and Sophie really trust? This is closely followed by an imprisonment where Ben's super strength comes in handy and a very tricky situation in which Sophie drives a bus. C.M. Grey's lively pen and ink sketches capture the exciting situations, quirky characters and swift action. Ben is a likeable half-zombie and his loyalty to his friend Sophie makes this an enjoyable story for readers from 7-9 years.
Rhyllis Bignell