Killer Pizza

Taylor, Greg. (2009). New York: Feiwel and Friends. 978-0-312-37379-5

PLOT SUMMARY

Three 14 year old kids get a job at Killer Pizza for the summer. Little do they know that they were hand picked by the leader of an organization dedicated to eradicating the various monsters of the world. Their current enemy is the guttata, a large frightening creature that infects humans through their bites. They must kill the alpha male in order to restore safety and order to their town, but first they have to learn about the creature, fighting skills, and how to work together for them to be successful.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The book is long, over 300 pages, so is definitely an investment in time. Fortunately, the subject of monster killing makes it an interesting read. The characters are the typical type of crew, smart Asian girl, tough guy, and the one who doesn't quite fit in, but is dedicated and loyal. The friendship they develop is formulaic and predictable, but predictability does not detract from the action of the story. Rather, it makes it less scary for the tweens than something like Twilight would be.

Characters are well developed, albeit stereotypical as was already mentioned. The story goes very little into their home lives because all of the action revolves around their jobs at Killer Pizza.

READER'S ANNOTATION

A summer job making pizzas might be fun for some kids, but at Killer Pizza, 3 teenagers are in for more than just slinging pepperoni. They have just been recruited into an elite squad dedicated to fighting monsters around the world, protecting citizens, and all in the name of pizza--Killer Pizza that is. These are 3 unlikely friends, but they learn to trust and work together, even risking their lives to save on of their own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Greg Taylor is a screenwriter and producer of many movies, most notable is Jumanji. Killer Pizza is his first book.

GENRE

Action/adventure

CURRICULUM TIES

none

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

How would you like to be drafted into an elite team that vows to protect society by killing monsters? If they trained you in defensive measures and martial arts, would you feel ready to tackle 8 foot tall monsters with super strength? And how could you possibly keep all this activity a secret from your parents?

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

14 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES

Violence. Killing.

CHALLENGE DEFENSE IDEAS

Be familiar with library policy. Encourage parents to be aware of their children's activities/reading materials. Be familiar with the story and able to discuss the issues dealing with it.

WHY INCLUDE THIS BOOK?

This book has appeal to both boy and girl tweens. It includes the universal theme of friendship and has characters that readers can admire.