A Good Night For Shooting Zombies (2013)

by Jaco Jacobs

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Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:Sometimes the end is just the beginning of a new adventure. Martin's life changes the day his dad is killed in a car accident. No one talks about it. His mum refuses to leave the house. His sister is only interested in her boyfriend. And Martin? He spends his afternoons alone with the family chickens �?? that's why they call him 'Clucky' �?? and at night, he solves difficult maths problems in his head to help him fall asleep. But one day Martin meets a boy called Vusi, who dreams of making a zombie movie. The two are plunged head first into a wild adventure, pulling everyone they know along with them. Shortlisted for the Found in Translation award, it has also since been made into a popular film in Afri… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This is a short, easy story aimed at younger readers. From an adult's perspective, it's not particularly compelling -- but then, we're not the target audience. (

)

baroquem | Mar 9, 2023 |

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This was an enjoyable short novel aimed at tweens or younger.

The main character is number-focused and I enjoyed watching Martin (aka Clucky) as he moves through the novel. There are tough topics here - death, illness, grief and more - and the author deals with it well while also having a lovely little story.

The pacing is good and the characters memorable. (

)

ggprof | Mar 7, 2022 |

Well, you don’t see a lot of books set in South Africa- so that’s why I accepted this ARC knowing nothing else about it.
Turns out it was a great decision as this coming of age book was short, sweet and quirky. Clucky (Martin) is a math guy and he sees the world through numbers. He meets a neighbor kid named Vusi who wants to make a zombie movie and unfortunately also has Hodgkins disease. The two boys end make making the movie working through the challenges of Vusi’s reality of treatments and staying inside.

There are some heavy themes but it is solidly MG and I think that kids in grades 4-6 will enjoy this look into life in South Africa. (

)

JennyNau10 | Dec 7, 2019 |

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This was a quick read that would be a good "in between" book for the YA crowd - by "in between" I mean that that weird time when you're between two really good books, where you want to read but feel like nothing will ever live up to the book you just read. It could also be a good summer beach read. As others have mentioned in their reviews, it is entertaining but doesn't leave a lasting impression. It does cover a number of fairly big issues, but the length of the book made it difficult to really delve into those and do them justice. Overall enjoyable, but more of a snack than a main course. (

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jennparm | Apr 26, 2019 |

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This is a lovely novel about the friendship that develops between two young boys. "Clucky" is a boy who raises chickens, something he did with his dad, up until his dad died a couple of years before. A new family moves in down the street, including a boy Clucky's age, Vusi, who is a budding movie director, who just happens to be fighting Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The boys meet under difficult circumstances, but soon they are hard at work making a movie.

I found this a quick and very engaging read. It was easy to become invested in the character, their friendships, and the success of their film. (

)

eggsnhm | Feb 27, 2019 |

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Awards

Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee – 2020)

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Canonical title

A Good Night For Shooting Zombies

Original title

Oor 'n motorfiets, 'n zombieflick en lang getalle wat deur elf gedeel kan word

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2013

People/Characters

Martin Antonio Retief ("Clucky")

Vusi

Chris

Important places

South Africa

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For my dad, who can do long division in his head

First words

Everyone thought it was because of the chicken that I gave Vusi a bloody nose, but that wasn't really true.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Afrikaans

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:Sometimes the end is just the beginning of a new adventure.
Martin's life changes the day his dad is killed in a car accident.
No one talks about it. His mum refuses to leave the house. His sister is only interested in her boyfriend. And Martin? He spends his afternoons alone with the family chickens �?? that's why they call him 'Clucky' �?? and at night, he solves difficult maths problems in his head to help him fall asleep.
But one day Martin meets a boy called Vusi, who dreams of making a zombie movie. The two are plunged head first into a wild adventure, pulling everyone they know along with them.
Shortlisted for the Found in Translation award, it has also since been made into a popular film in Afri

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