During her junior year in high school, Margot realizes that her life has not lived up to expectations. She is not popular nor does she have a boyfriend. All of this changes the night that her classmates mysteriously turn into zombies. Margot and her best friend, Sybil, manage to escape and are put in charge of everything at Salesian High until an antidote can be found. Margot puts her popularity plan into action and becomes the it girl on campus, with the most popular zombie boyfriend. The friends discover others who escaped and join forces to thwart the zombie master (the principal) and return their classmates to normal. Once Margot gets a taste of popularity, she turns out to be a terrible friend to Sybil, and readers will likely wish Sybil was the heroine. If readers can stretch their imagination to swallow a couple of difficult premises, including the fact that no adult noticed the students were zombies, and that the zombies would still be going to school, they will find this an entertaining read.--Yusko, Shauna Copyright 2009 Booklist

Gr 8-10-Even though Margot Jean Johnson, 16, wrote a manifesto detailing her plans for success after middle school, none of her goals has come to fruition. All she has is the scorn of Amanda, head cheerleader at Salesian high; the love of Baron, total geek; and the loyalty of Sybil, her best friend. She has her eye on popular Dirk, but everyone knows that he'd never go out with her. But when almost everyone at school suddenly becomes a zombie, Margot gets her chance, and, with the blessing of the principal, she takes over. She becomes head of the yearbook and prom committees and head cheerleader. She even tries to train Dirk to be the perfect zombie boyfriend, using raw meat to keep him satiated. However, it soon becomes clear that someone at school has an ulterior motive and is responsible for the zombie infestation. Now that Margot has everything she's always wanted, will she give it all up to solve this mystery? Loyalties are tested and new relationships are formed as the truth is uncovered. This tale has some major flaws. Margot's insistence on running the school no matter what makes her unlikable and the principal's demand to proceed as if nothing were wrong strains belief. The moral of the story is hammered home as well, leading to a tedious read.-Laura Amos, Newport News Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.