Module 5 Killer Pizza

Title of Book: Killer Pizza; Author: Greg Taylor; ISBN: 978-0312373795; Published by: Feiwel & Friends 2009


Summary:

Toby, Annabel, and Strobe were all hired to be employees of Killer Pizza. After a few weeks on the job, they are ushered into Killer Pizza’s basement and offered their real job- hunting down monsters. Guttata horridus horridus to be exact. Guttata monsters bit unsuspecting victims and turned them into more Guttata. The three accepted the assignment and had several showdowns with the monsters. Amanda is kidnapped by them and in the process of her rescue, the Alpha Male Guttata was killed. This destroyed the colony of Guttata who needed his saliva to survive. (Ewwwwwww!!!)

My Impressions:

Yeah Greg Taylor! This is his first books and I hope not the last! Killer Pizza is sort of like Men in Black without the cool uniforms. This is absolutely perfect for those children in 5th-7th grade who want to read horror stories, but aren’t ready for true terror. In one scene, Toby, a secret foodie, battles a Guttata with his $12.41 pizza slicer, chili peppers and the cord to a food processor! There is even an actual recipe for a pizza inside the back cover. FYI- Some very light (if there can be such a thing) cursing and a Guttata did feast on one kid, but nothing graphic is ever discussed.

Flashlight Reading Under the Covers Rating: 5 out of 5

Reviews:

Screenwriter Taylor's first novel seems birthed from an idle thought about pairing pizza making and zombie hunting, a weird mix that actually doesn't play off in as dissonant a manner as one might expect. Toby gets his first summer job making pies at the brand-new Killer Pizza. What he soon learns is that the chain is a front for a secret underground organization dedicated to battling the monsters hiding among the general populace (and, oh yeah, monsters hide among the general populace). A group of guttata (sort of shape-shifting zombies imbued with various ill-fitting powers and convenient weaknesses that make them perfect targets for young monster-hunters) threatens the unwitting citizens, and it's up to Toby and his fellow initiates to train relentlessly and take out the beasts. Toby's transformation from a confidence-light loser to heroic day saver is handled less smoothly than the cinematic and sometimes genuinely scary scenes of guttata bashing. Overdramatic and totally ridiculous, yes, but done in a way that perfectly complements the cheesy horror.--Chipman, Ian May 1, 2009 Booklist (Retrieved from Bowker’s Books in Print)

Suggestions for Use in a Library:
I can’t imagine anything more appropriate than a movie showing of Men in Black (part one) and snacking on pizza.

Toby’s secret desire is to be a chef and he tried out several new pizzas, so have a pizza tasting party at your library. Ask your local pizza places to donate (or sell you very cheaply) one or two different kinds of pizzas. Take them back to the library and let the kids sample away. You can even make up different silly categories to rate them on like “most likely to cause someone to pass out from sheer bliss.” Make sure to have your pizza sponsors posters and business card displayed with your pictures and voting results. Remember to send the businesses a nice letter they can frame in their shop.