SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

October 1, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Book Review: Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi

October 1, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

“It might be kind of funny, if the cows weren’t trying to eat you . . . “

It’s easy to dismiss zombie books, and I see it happen often.  Yes, zombie books have – by definition – some type of zombie in them.  But zombie books are most often a layered reading experience, there is subtext and nuance.  And Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi is no different.

The apocalypse begins on a day like any other day.  Rabi, Miguel and Joe are having baseball practice when a horrible smell, much worse than normal, explodes out of the town’s meatpacking plant.  Soon, a zombie is trying to eat them.  They are trying to let the town know but there are a lot of forces working against them, because some people want to keep the secret hidden, people with money and power.  And if there is anything worse than a zombie, it is a person with money and power who will go to any length to protect their secrets.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Zombie Baseball Beatdown has zombies and baseball, that is true (and fun).  But it is also a book about bullying, racism, corporate power, and factory farming.  Bacigalupi manages to weave all these themes into the books without bogging it down and still entertaining readers.  When I closed this book I was both entertained and so very grateful that an author had managed to present these important topics to younger readers in a way that may plant a seed and get them thinking about very relevant issues.

Diversity

Rabi is Indian (real Indian, not Native American he informs his friends) and Miguel is Mexican-American.  So our main cast of characters manages to embrace diversity and talk realistically about the issues facing them.  Miguel has already lost some family members to deportation and it is a very realistic threat that hangs over him throughout the book.  Bacigalupi manages to get kids thinking about diversity and racism without hitting them over the head with the issue.  In comparison, I felt that Darren Shan was trying to accomplish the same things with Zom-B but he had a much more heavy-handed approach that often derailed the narrative.  It helps that Rabi and Miguel are both characters that you end up routing for, they make some real sacrifices and difficult choices to help others, even those that have hurt them in the past.

Corporate Power and Corruption

In a time when we are seeing the effects of lobbyists and the full ramifications of corporations are people while our government is threatening to shut down because certain individuals are trying to force their will on others, it was very interesting to see the subtle discussion of corporate power and greed in ZBB.  This is an important topic to introduce to young readers and get them thinking about if we want to make sure we are raising a new generation of critical thinkers who will stand up for Democracy and the least of these.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not an anvil over the head type of discussion.  There is simply a very well depicted character that is slick and slimy; he is able to use his powers of persuasion effectively for a while on our heroes until they begin to see the seedy underside of who he is and what he is doing.  And then the gloves come off.  This was a very fascinating and well written part of the story.

Factory Farming

From GMOs to factory farming, there is a lot of discussion happening in our culture regarding how we produce, market and distribute our food.  It’s not a topic that many young readers are thinking about, but it should be if we want to raise informed consumers.  Gacigalupi manages to take the issues to an extreme – it is the factory farming practices that this plant uses that creates the zombies – in order to get you thinking about the issue.  Infects by Sean Beaudoin does the same thing, but it is definitely for a more mature audience.

Zombie Baseball Beatdown is a fantastic read.  It is entertaining for zombie fans, but manages to get to the meat of some current cultural issues in the subtext.  See what I did there – meat.  Get it? Oh, never mind.  You can read it for fun or use it as a sounding board to start fleshing out some relevant and timely issues.  Flesh out.  Hehe.  See, I did it again.  As a bonus, there are zombie cows! This is a great book for all types of readers, including reluctant ones: There is sports, zombies, tense life or death situations (the zombie attack at the baseball game is epic). Sometimes funny, often icky, always fun, Zombie Baseball Beatdown manages to be two books in one without failing at either level.  Definitely recommended.

Themes: Bullying, Activism, Racism, Corporate Power and Corruption, Food Industry.  Published September 2013 by Little, Brown.  ISBN: 978-0-316-22974-6.

Filed under: Book Reviews, Paolo Bacigalupi, Zombie Baseball Beatdown, Zombies

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

October 2013

Book Review: Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick

by Karen Jensen, MLS

July 2013

Book Review: Contaiminated by Em Garner

by Karen Jensen, MLS

March 2013

Book Review: The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

by Karen Jensen, MLS

February 2013

Down the Zombie Hole: Book Review: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

by Karen Jensen, MLS

November 2012

Book Review: The Curiositites: a collection of stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Shark Week and Earl Grey Tea: Bob Shea and Brian Won on The Yarn Podcast

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Have You Seen the Darkness? A Richard Fairgray, Black Sand Beach Interview

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Review | Red and Rover: Fun’s Never Over

by Mike Pawuk

Heavy Medal

Mock Newbery Update – Our List of First Half Suggestions

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Book Review: The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Shark Week, Vanilla Ice Cream, and the Honda CRV: Bob Shea and Brian Won Team Up for ADURABLE

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

YA Authors Recast Their Problematic Faves

Writing for Change: Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner Kekla Magoon in Conversation with Ibi Zoboi

Resistance, Radical Empathy, and the Responsibilities of Privilege: An Interview with Tehlor Kay Mejia on “We Set the Dark on Fire”

Hilary Beard and Tim Madigan in Conversation on “The Burning” and the Tulsa Race Massacre

World-Building as Resistance: YA Author Junauda Petrus Discusses the Importance of Speculative Fiction and the Limits of the White Imagination

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. www.terrycosta.com says

    October 7, 2013 at 11:24 am

    I am a huge fan of Mr. Bacigalupi and I can't blame him for going for more commercial success of the young reader market. But this is a far cry from something like “The Windup Girl”.

  2. Bethany Jones says

    November 27, 2013 at 1:28 am

    Looks like a great read! Thanks for the thorough review.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022