Zombie Baseball Beatdown

Reach for this book when your middle schooler starts questioning social inequities or when you want to bridge the gap between silly, gross-out humor and serious real-world issues. While it looks like a typical zombie adventure on the surface, it is a Trojan horse for discussing corporate greed, the treatment of migrant workers, and environmental ethics. It follows three diverse friends who discover that a local meatpacking plant is turning people into zombies through chemical runoff. It is perfect for reluctant readers who want high-octane action but are ready for more sophisticated themes of justice and courage. It balances the 'ick factor' with a heartfelt look at what it means to protect your community when the adults in charge are looking the other way.