The Buttercup Sunshine and Briar’s Cove books are a new comedy horror series for kids, aged 7 to 9 years old and above, from author Colin Mulhern, published by Maverick Children’s Books. The first in the series is Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom.
“Let’s go knit some butt!”
Granny Fondant
Briar’s Cove is a sweet town, some might even go as far as saying boring. It safe and nothing ever happens there. That is until a shooting star crashes into the forest landing in a forgotten creepy cemetery and creating an undead army of zombies!
Zombies are now on the hunt in Briar’s Cove, with one mission; to eat brains. When Buttercup Sunshine is chased down the road by a zombie she runs to the home of Granny Fondant where they have to fit to keep their brains.
Overall, this is a hilarious story that children will love. While it can be a bit on the scary side for children of a timid nature, it is great fun (I would advise parents, carers and teachers to read through it first to judge the suitability for your child). A chainsaw, vacuum cleaner and lots of wool are the weapons of choice to defeat the brain eating zombies, will Granny be able to knit her way out of trouble?
Buttercup is an angelic little girl detective but can be found wielding a chainsaw to fight zombies. Granny Fondant is fantastic, especially trying to fight zombies by knitting as fast as she can. The characters have been well written and Buttercup and Granny are a great complement to each other.
Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom is a great introduction to comedy horror for children. While it does feature the undead and some comic violence, it is not graphic violence. The author Colin Mulhern states that he writes “horrible books for horrible children” but this book is far for horrible and leaves you wanting more. It has far more comedy and humour with just enough small scares to keep the readers interest.
The book is also interlaced with some great line drawings that really stand out and bring the story to life.
A fantastic, fun-filled comedy horror, perfect for children that like a bit of a scare as well as a laugh.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (paperback)
For more information, visit maverickbooks.co.uk. Available to buy from Amazon here.
