Zombie in Love meets Gustavo, the Shy Ghost in this story about a young zombie who must decide: are brains friends ... or food?

Zeb comes from a family of farmers-zombie farmers. Each week they pickle, bake, fry, and sell their grain-fed, free-range brains to be enjoyed by the masses. Zeb understands that brains are food, not pets…until one day he comes across the tiniest, pinkest, squishiest brain he ever did see! Can he convince his parents that his brainy bestie is better off as a member of the family than family dinner?

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“[I]rresistably cute...its quirky charm will readily appeal to young monster lovers ... A cuddly ‘Can I keep it?’ tale with a silly, flesh-eating twist.” -Kirkus Reviews

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"Lucianovic peppers her variation on the “Can I keep it?” genre with sly humor . . . while Cham’s depictions of offbeat locavore culture are sweetly ghoulish." —Publishers Weekly

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""Laan Cham's images of a cherubic rosy-cheeked zombie child romping with his fluffy pink cloudlike companion make potentially grisly fare seem downright sweet, while Lucianovic's archly funny narrative serves up food for thought for the often blurry line between food and friend: youngsters considering vegetarianism will find a true pal in Zeb." —Kirkus Reviews Magazine "Adventures in Eating" round-up

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• An instant New York Times bestseller

• A Kids' Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association, September/October

• #1 on Barnes & Noble's Best Books of September 2025 list

• #1 on Barnes & Noble's Most Anticipated Kids Books

• A Washington Post Best New Kids Books for Fall pick

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Picture Book

Coming September 2, 2025

Bloomsbury Children's

Cover art by Laan Cham

Book and cover design by Yelena Safronova