FlumeAward – The Forest of Hands and Teeth Discussion page for The Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Donna/Colebrook Public – I read this book as soon as it came in — couldn’t put it down. Although parts of the book seem "gruesome" and may be "uncomfortable" to read/think about, it does hold one’s interest (what happens next?). The teens in our library have enjoyed it very much, primarily girls — but I think if they would take the chance, boys would like it, too. We have few books that deal with "zombies" (other than short story collections); however, this book deals well with the subject. Although there is a sequel, this book can stand alone. I would definitely recommend it for the final 13 nominees list.
Gail Zachariah has read this and will write a review later.
Exceptional, engaging – fans of teen dystopian novels will be delighted with this amazingly deep novel. Just began reading, but am completely hooked… Well, I’ve now finished, and the book definitely kept my attention to the bitter (and disappointing) end. I thought the plot dragged a bit, and the characters could have been more developed, but the concept of combining zombies with the creepy religious governance of the village was unique. I could see our young adult readers really enjoying this one, so I’d vote to put it on the list. Oh, one thing that Carrie Ryan does well – I could feel the zombies wearing me down as they did the villagers – constantly there, constantly moaning and grabbing and breaking their fingers, and ripping their faces apart to get in the fence. You can’t help but "feel" that when you stopped reading – made me look around the dark house at night for a few nights I’ll tell ya!
Lisa Houde Rye Public Library
Susan- Seabrook – I absolutely loved this book, a zombie novel where the zombies are not center stage but represent ills of a society.
Danielle/Chesley Memorial, Northwood – I read this with my tween book group, and they absolutely loved it. It spawned a wonderful discussion and we touched on a ton of topics, from marriage, to love, to cultures. The ending definitely has a cliffhanger for the second book (Dead Tossed Waves), and many of them found this annoying. I have both boys and girls in my group and both sets loved the book. This is their review from our Goodreads account: "The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an excellent zombie novel with a twist of romance, filled with morbidity and gore along with desperate and sorrowful murder. The book is torturing yet beautiful in many ways and was impossible to put down. Although the ending was not exactly satisfying, we rate this book 4 stars for its interesting and melancholy tale. Great book!"
About 1/3 through and I’m hooked! Zombies, romance, mystery, and religion all mixed togther. Dark and creepy with enough action to keep the plot moving nicely. If Flume doesn’t want it….I might think about stealing this for Isinglass 🙂 -Amy Inglis
A GREAT book that should be on the list. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
– Kelly Budd, KHS
A more interesting and original take on zombies than PP&Z, which I recently read. Somehow, even though it’s zombies, I can see our world getting to that point, where we can’t fight against nature anymore. I enjoyed Mary’s journey, discovering who she really was, and what she needed to do to be fulfilled, happy. Great for both girls and boys, even though the main character is a girl. -Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, NH