Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - ESSENTIAL

Ryan, Carrie Forest of Hands and Teeth, 310 p. Delacorte (Random), 2009.

Violence: PG-13

HS - ESSENTIAL

Mary's village is surrounded by a deep forest and sturdy fences - fences to keep out the hordes of Unconsecrated whose only desire is to feast upon the flesh of the humans. ecause no one has spoken for her hand, Mary is sent to live with the village's Sisters, who are the repository of memory and spiritual teachings. There she stumbles upon a secret that sets dire circumstances in motion, sending the entire village running for their lives.

At first I thought this was a take on M. Night Shamalan's The Village, but instead it became a look at the world after the long discussed (at least by horror lovers) zombie uprising! This will be very popular with the horror crowd, but the violence is not for younger students.

CINDY