The Knights Before Christmas by Joan Holub and Scott Magoon

Three inept knights blunder through this holiday tale: a twisted parody on the classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas” poem by Clement Clark.

The story begins, “Twas December 24th…” but it quickly takes a satirical turn when the “Knights of the Iron Underwear”: Brave Knight, Polite Knight and Silent Knight all mistakenly assume their castle is under attack by the Jolly St. Nick. Called to arms to defend their castle by this unknown attacker and his cavalry of horned beasts, the three knights quickly rush to their specified battle stations. In their defense, they apply all their tactical skills in a literal sense, like that of Amelia Bedelia or the three stooges. But alas, Ol’ Kris Kringle cannot be deterred because these knights are not naughty, but nice!

Check the PPLC Catalog for The Knights Before Christmas.

Dead City by James Ponti

Molly Bigelow thinks of herself as just your average teenager, stressing about homework, boys and fitting in at school. However, Molly is anything but average. Her mornings are spent rushing through the prestigious halls of Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) and her afternoons; well… they’re spent fighting zombies with a flat iron. But hey, what else is she supposed to do when she belongs to the secret OMEGA society established to maintain peace between the dead and the living?

James Ponti writes a refreshing, action packed read in this selection targeting the tween audience. By taking a fresh approach to the overloaded young adult genre of zombie literature, Ponti blends historical fiction with modern geekdom to produce an exhilarating read, which has landed this title on the Sunshine State Book List for grades 6-8. The quick pace of events has the reader flying over the page and engaged to the very end! I can’t wait to see what Molly and the ZEKE squad encounter next. I’ve already put the second installment, Dead City: Blue Moon, on hold!

Check the PPLC Catalog for Dead City.