The Last Kids on Earth

As part of our homeschool day I require my 8-year-old to read to me 1 - 3 chapters a day from a book of his choice. After he read one chapter of The Last Kids On Earth, he decided he wanted to read another. And after that one, he decided he wanted to read another. This went on for a couple more chap......more

As part of our homeschool day I require my 8-year-old to read to me 1 - 3 chapters a day from a book of his choice. After he read one chapter of The Last Kids On Earth, he decided he wanted to read another. And after that one, he decided he wanted to read another. This went on for a couple more chapters until he decided he wanted to read the whole book today. I was given a lunch break and a few potty breaks, however, my son gleefully read the whole 225 pages of this book to me in one sitting. This was a first for him. And when he was done he wanted to know when he could get The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade. So I am gladly giving this book 5 stars because my 8-year-old son for the first time could not put down a book and had to read it in its entirety in one sitting. And if that's not a good enough review then I will add that The Last Kids on Earth is a very creative, funny and sometimes sweet read for older elementary/middle grade readers who enjoy zombies, monsters and lots of action. Also, the fun black-and-white illustrations on at least every other page are a perfect complement to the story. Perfect for comic book and graphic novel readers. My kid loved it!(less)

I love monsters...zombies, giants, mutants....doesn't matter what kind. If a story has a monster in it....I'm gonna read it. Even when the book (technically) is written with children in mind, and not 50 year old grandmas. My teenager doesn't even get embarrassed anymore when I leave the library with......more

I love monsters...zombies, giants, mutants....doesn't matter what kind. If a story has a monster in it....I'm gonna read it. Even when the book (technically) is written with children in mind, and not 50 year old grandmas. My teenager doesn't even get embarrassed anymore when I leave the library with stuff like "The Goo that Ate My Teacher.'' I can always say I'm checking it out for my grand kids (The closest one lives several states away....but shhhhh...don't tell). In all actuality, there are many, many adults who also enjoy children's books. For me, the stories are wonderful because I can get a favorite genre fix without the heavy themes and more adult situations. I review a lot of adult horror, thriller and suspense novels....and after a really gruesome tale, I just need something more....fun. Something that doesn't weigh me down. That's when I turn to books like this. I call it palate cleansing. Sometimes I just really, really need a fun story about middle school students surviving monsterpocalypse in their tree house. All the trauma of screwed up killer gone.....some nice laughs and smiles. Perfect.

This book is awesome! Seriously. I listened to the audio book version...but I also had the hardback on my TBR shelf. The physical book is full of fun illustrations and caricatures of the characters...it really adds to the humor. But the audio book is a fun experience too. Narrator Robbie Daymond gives a great performance! His voice is PERFECT!! This book would be great in a class room setting to coax reluctant readers or for supplemental reading. Kids who are more visual would love the illustrations in the physical book, and those who respond to a story teller would really enjoy the audio. Lots of action. Funny situations. Plus zombies and monsters. Although the kids are fighting the monsters, the emphasis is on their relationships, problem solving, and the humor. The book is not scary. Even the faint of heart where zombies are concerned could read this book with no nightmares.

The basics: The monsters took over 42 days ago. Jack Sullivan has been hiding out in his tree house ever since. Most people were zombified or evacuated to the west. Slowly Jack builds a group of the Last Kids left....and they hold out against the monsters at their fortified tree house.

Fun book! I will definitely be reading the rest of this series! There are 4 books in the series, with a 5th book -- The Last Kids and the Midnight Blade -- coming out in September 2019. I have also heard that Netflix is going to do an original series based on the books (Publishers: could you maybe STOP putting huge white and red stickers on the front covers of books about upcoming film versions? It really messes up the cover art -- stick in a postcard ad, or wrap the book in plastic wrap with the sticker attached, or use a REMOVABLE sticker if you really must plonk it right in the middle of the artwork! Glad you are venturing forth into Netflix/other film versions.....but I hate stickers on my books....sticky spots were they were removed....or torn/damaged covers from trying to remove a permanent huge white and red sticker from the front of my book!) I will definitely watch the Netflix series! :) The first season of the animated show will premiere on Netflix September 17th, 2019!!

I highly recommend this book. The story is FUN! It made me smile and even laugh out loud, totally erasing the dark fog in my brain following a review of a pretty heavy adult thriller. On to the next book in the series -- The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade.(less)

Sexist

I was put off by how sexist this book is. I understand it is from the point of view of a 12 year old boy, but really, come on. We need to do a better job of teaching boys what girls are like if this is how they really think.

First of all, the (only) girl character in the......more

Sexist

I was put off by how sexist this book is. I understand it is from the point of view of a 12 year old boy, but really, come on. We need to do a better job of teaching boys what girls are like if this is how they really think.

First of all, the (only) girl character in the book doesn't even make her entrance until page 156 of a 225 page book. Good grief.

Secondly, the main character, Jack, spends the entire time questing for her. His ultimate feat is to rescue June, because in his mind she is a damsel in distress and if he saves her she will instantly fall for his heroic charms. As damsels do right. Doesn't matter that she barely knew him before the monster apocalypse, or that all interactions with him, she made it known how annoying she found him. All that does not matter because he is the hero and she is damsel.

Thirdly, when she finally does come into the picture, she tells him that she doesn't want saving and he should go away. His response is "this does not jibe. I need more time to convince her." His tactic is to ignore her wishes, and (figuratively) twist her arm until she agrees to go with him.

Oh and lets not forget, he also gets into a fight with his best friend and ends up calling dibs on her. When his friend protests and says "That is not how girls work" Jack's response is "That is how dibs work". His best friend agrees that she is Jack's girl and is not trying to steal her. So now she is reduced to an object that you can call dibs on. Not a person with feelings, thoughts, and opinions that matter. What the deuce?

Lastly, when all of them, Jack, June, and two other boys, get into a big monster battle at the end, they all must fight for their lives. I say all of them, because all of the kids were involved in some way. After all was said and done, Jack thinks to himself "the most important thing is... I did it." He is not referring to killing the monster, he is referring to saving June, the damsel. He says "she wasn't a damsel, and didn't need rescuing, but I managed kinda do it anyway and that is cool". So in his mind, the only really really important thing is that he rescued his crush from a situation he himself created so now he is the hero who deserves the affections of said girl.

This is so wrong.

I can see many boys enjoying this book because of the monsters, guts, action, and adventure. However, if your boys are reading this book, make sure to talk to them about how to treat, respect, and think about girls as people not objects. Please.(less)

Meet Jack Sullivan. Zombie hunter, monster slayer, late-blooming, slow-developing 13-year-old. He’s riding out the monster apocalypse from his tree house, and is doing his best to keep busy.

He’s set himself achievements, like:

And, most importantly:

Of course, he ne......more

Meet Jack Sullivan. Zombie hunter, monster slayer, late-blooming, slow-developing 13-year-old. He’s riding out the monster apocalypse from his tree house, and is doing his best to keep busy.

He’s set himself achievements, like:

And, most importantly:

Of course, he needs to get back in touch with his best (only) friend Quint, and avoid being eaten by Blarg – the giant, intelligent monster that is hunting him down – but those are just details.

He’s Jack Sullivan, Post-Apocalyptic Action Hero. He’s got this.(less)

A sort of

similar to

in format, featuring

, and a hilarious protagonist.

After a monster attack destroys the town of Wakefield and transforms most of its citizens into zombies, one of the last survivors is 13-year-old, Jack Sullivan, self-proclaimed ......more

A sort of

similar to

in format, featuring

, and a hilarious protagonist.

After a monster attack destroys the town of Wakefield and transforms most of its citizens into zombies, one of the last survivors is 13-year-old, Jack Sullivan, self-proclaimed



During one of his daily fights for survival, which includes hand-to-hand combat with a

(yes, you read that right rolling. ball. of. zombie.) Jack manages to locate two of his fellow classmates. His scientist best friend…...and the School Bully. Yipes. Given this is the apocalypse and all, school tensions are thrown aside and the three join forces to rescue a fourth classmate who’s trapped in their decimated school. Problem is: it’s surrounded by a

I’m not kidding when I say this book is funny.

This installment is the first in a series. The follow-up,

has been released and a third book is headed our way in September. I book-talked it when I visited six local elementary schools in June and it’s been FLYING off our shelves. Kids LOVE it.(less)

Yikes-Town! I was really enjoying this until the protagonist called "dibs" on a girl as if she was an object he could claim ownership over and not an actual human being with agency over her own feelings.

Did his friend tell him that's not how "girls work?" Sure. But this was not a strong......more

Yikes-Town! I was really enjoying this until the protagonist called "dibs" on a girl as if she was an object he could claim ownership over and not an actual human being with agency over her own feelings.

Did his friend tell him that's not how "girls work?" Sure. But this was not a strong reaction and the protagonist did not back down from this bullshit stance until his friend proved to him that he was not trying to steal "his girl." GROSS.

The silver lining is - I read this for a tween book club and you can bet your toxic-masculinity britches that we are going to be discussing this moment at length. Men are not entitled to a girl's affections or attention, in any capacity for any reason and it's shit like this that makes them think otherwise. It is glossed over in the text and that is not good enough. Not near enough.(less)

This was a cute middle grade story and I can definitely see why so many kids love it. I would have loved it too if I read this back then! Something about seeing someone your age slaying monsters and surviving during the apocalypse is very empowering, LOL.

The reason I didn’t rate this hi......more

This was a cute middle grade story and I can definitely see why so many kids love it. I would have loved it too if I read this back then! Something about seeing someone your age slaying monsters and surviving during the apocalypse is very empowering, LOL.

The reason I didn’t rate this higher was because (1) I felt like there were a couple of comments in the narrative that objectified women/girls, which I didn’t appreciate. It got much better when the girl character, June, was actually on page—it seemed like the main character was brought to realize that Wow! Girls Are People Too! They Even Have Their Own Thoughts, Goals, and Desires! I’m not sure if that was intentional on the authors part but I hope it continues in the next books.

The other issue I had was (2) there were a few pop culture references in this book that reminded me that the author is a grown ass man and may not be as connected to ~the youth~ as he thinks. Maybe I’m not giving kids enough credit, but are the Three Stooges widely known amongst the younger end of Gen Z? Do kids know what it means to be “Liam Neeson-y”? Maybe they do and *I’m* actually the one that’s not connected to ~the youth~ anymore.

Regardless, this is overall a fun story for middle school aged kids and I’m definitely interested to see how the author expands this world and builds on the story.(less)

My youngest daughter has kind of fallen out of reading, so for this past Christmas I bought her a bunch of books in the hopes of getting her excited about reading again. Well . . . No dice. She still hasn't picked any of them up. So I thought maybe if I gave them a try she'd be a little more interes......more

My youngest daughter has kind of fallen out of reading, so for this past Christmas I bought her a bunch of books in the hopes of getting her excited about reading again. Well . . . No dice. She still hasn't picked any of them up. So I thought maybe if I gave them a try she'd be a little more interested? Not sure yet how that's going to work out overall, but I really enjoyed this one, even if she never reads it.

Jack is an orphan in foster care who has FINALLY made a friend at his most recent school when, wouldn't you know it, the end of the world comes. Pretty much all of the adults and people in positions of authority are gone. Most of the other kids are gone. Jack spends his days fixing up a treehouse into the ultimate monster fighter lair and searching for his friend, Quint, and his crush, June.

This book is so cute, with perfectly integrated artwork. This isn't what I would necessarily consider a graphic novel, but I'm pretty new to the genre -- it's primarily writing, with the artwork adding to the story.

The story is completely from a male point of view, even down to Jack's determination to "rescue" June, whom he calls a "damsel in distress". Fortunately, the author turns some of these expectations on their head, making for a much richer story.

I would definitely recommend this for kids or adults, and I think it might be a good one for reluctant readers. It says in the author bio that he has worked on shows like "Steven Universe" and "Adventure Time" -- I'm using that info in my next plan of attack to get my kid to crack open a book. I suspect that might do the trick!(less)

I bought this book for one of my little sisters this past Christmas and she didn't read it, so I was like, fine. I'll read it. Apocalypse is big right now and so are sassy male leads like Percy Jackson. Jack Sullivan is a sassy male lead and this book is about an apocalypse. The thing that makes thi......more

I bought this book for one of my little sisters this past Christmas and she didn't read it, so I was like, fine. I'll read it. Apocalypse is big right now and so are sassy male leads like Percy Jackson. Jack Sullivan is a sassy male lead and this book is about an apocalypse. The thing that makes this series different is that it is illustrated, not like most kids books where there is a picture that goes along with the text - in The Last Kids on Earth, the pictures are a part of the story, maybe a comic book/ novel crossover? I can't imagine how much planning it took to get the text and images to line up correctly so the image could be an appropriate size and fit in the right spot of the story so the words in the picture continue it.

As an adult reading this, I could predict most of what was going to happen and the plot didn't get my heart racing, but I think as a kid, I would have enjoyed this a lot more.(less)

Received a copy at BEA 2015 - now is this the kind of book I would usually pick up? No, and if it were straight text I would have skipped it but the graphics broke up the story put a clever pace on the end of the world story that I found it entertaining and engaging.

The YA crowd should ......more

Received a copy at BEA 2015 - now is this the kind of book I would usually pick up? No, and if it were straight text I would have skipped it but the graphics broke up the story put a clever pace on the end of the world story that I found it entertaining and engaging.

The YA crowd should love this rag tag bunch who manage to stay alive on their own --- barely.(less)