Thrilling Tales from the Tree House

Starred review from August 3, 2015
Thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan may be the world’s last survivor in this terrifically funny illustrated novel from Brallier (Galactic Hot Dogs) and Holgate (the Case File 13 series). When a “Monster Apocalypse” comes to the town of Wakefield, some escape, others are “zombified,” and still others—Jack hopes—are in hiding. As a foster child, Jack has had his share of hard knocks, so he tries to take his situation in stride and with wisecracking humor. With a tree house refuge “that’s better-defended than Fort Knox, Stark Tower, and the X-Mansion combined,” Jack searches for sustenance, other living people—especially his best friend Quint and his dream girl June—and weapons to fight hideous monsters and undead neighbors. Holgate’s b&w cartoons (not all seen by PW) mix splatter-and-slime-heavy action sequences with humorous character profiles (a portrait of a “winged wretch” points out the creature’s “huge, hooked talons like a freaking velociraptor”), all playing into Jack’s gamified take on post-apocalyptic life. Snarky end-of-the-world fun. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates.