Zombie Zoo: Adventures in Tub By Melanie Abed – Hosted By The Children’s Book Review

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Zombie Zoo: Adventures in Tub (Felix & Ninja, Book 1)

Written by Melanie Abed | Illustrated by Hisham Abed

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ages: 9–13 | 244 Pages | Publisher: Oculus Print (2026) | ISBN: 979-8-9952813-0-6

Thirteen-year-old Felix Fizzystyxx is an aspiring naturalist who observes the world from his hidden tree fort at Wayward Amok Orphanage. When he witnesses glowing green goo and strange behavior in the orphanage, his life as a quiet observer ends. He partners with Ninja, an intense, shadow-dwelling orphan who trusts her instincts and operates alone, to investigate. Together they discover that the orphans — and soon the entire town of Spinachi on the island of Tub — are turning into wood-eating zombies controlled by a hive mind.

With the help of their eccentric mentor Doc Brunne, Felix and Ninja trace the cause to Noctiluna, rare bioluminescent organisms deliberately introduced into the town’s water supply, and race to find a cure before the whole town — including Doc himself — is lost to the transformation. Zombie Zoo kicks off the Adventures in Tub series with a debut story guaranteed to keep readers turning the pages.

FTC DISCLOSURE

“This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by The Children’s Book Review. I received a copy of the book to facilitate a promotional giveaway item. All opinions expressed are my own.”

Why I Wanted This Book to Work as a Read-Aloud Too

Guest Post By The Author

The Cover Sets the Stage Before a Word Is Spoken

Before anyone reads a single sentence, the cover has already done half the work. That wonderful, eerie green glow. The hint of something not quite right lurking just beyond the cover. Whoever picks it up—a parent at bedtime, a teacher in a classroom, a librarian holding it up during story hour—is already primed.

Their voice will drop a little. Their pacing will slow. The kids listening will lean in before the first page turns.

That was intentional. From the very beginning, I wanted ZOMBIE ZOO to work just as well when read aloud as it does silently on the page.

Prose With Room to Breathe

Some of the most powerful reading experiences of my life happened when someone I loved read to me. So when I was drafting, I read every chapter aloud at my desk—testing where my own voice wanted to pause, drop, or speed up. That process pushed me to make deliberate choices about rhythm.

Ninja’s voice doesn’t just characterize her—it gives the reader room to breathe. Short. Sharp. Deliberate. Every fragment is an invitation for a dramatic pause. Felix’s focus on journaling does the same thing. He’s analytical to a fault — and that’s exactly the point. When he files a smell as “unfamiliar,” those clipped observations let a reader land on each beat with weight.

Long, flowing sentences are beautiful. But when you’re reading to a room full of squirmy eight-year-olds, punchy is powerful. Punchy lets you perform.

Pauses Are a Storytelling Tool

There’s a moment in the pantry scene where Felix hears something outside the door. The rhythm tightens. Sentences shrink. Silence stretches.

The rattling stopped.

That kind of line, read aloud, gets a pause whether you plan one or not. The reader can’t help it. The sentence demands it. And in that pause, kids are doing something extraordinary: they’re predicting. Their brains are filling in what might happen next. They’re practicing the habits strong readers build—prediction, curiosity, and anticipation.

I wanted every scary beat, every funny reveal, every quiet character moment to give the reader that kind of tool: a place to slow down, a place to speed up, a place to make the listener gasp, giggle, or whisper, “Wait—what was that?”

A Secret Door for Educators

Here’s the part I’m especially excited about.

When a story is built to be read aloud, it becomes a natural teaching tool. Not because it’s preachy or overtly educational—ZOMBIE ZOO absolutely isn’t—but because the pauses and pacing create space for conversation.

A teacher can stop after Felix’s observation of the glowing goo and ask, “What would a scientist do next?” A homeschool parent can pause on Ninja’s line about trusting her feelings and ask, “When have you trusted your instincts?” A librarian can hold on a chapter cliffhanger and let kids predict what happens next.

I didn’t put those pauses there specifically for educators. But I did leave the door unlocked.

And because real STEAM content is quietly woven into the story—bioluminescence, cartography, the scientific method, even a little chemistry—those pauses can pull double duty. A giggle at Felix’s bendy-straw name can become a discussion about how names shape identity.

The story stays fun. The learning stays sneaky. That’s the whole idea.

Read-Aloud Isn’t Just for Little Kids

There’s a myth that once kids can read independently, they should only read independently—that being read to is somehow babyish. I disagree.

In elementary school, my teacher read to us every day. I remember the radiator clunking and hissing, somebody’s stomach growling, and the way the whole room would groan when she closed the book.

Being read to is a shared experience at any age. And for reluctant readers especially, hearing a story aloud can be an on-ramp to wanting to read it themselves. That’s why I wrote ZOMBIE ZOO for both. A confident reader can devour it under a blanket with a flashlight. A younger sibling can enjoy it from across the couch. A whole classroom can experience it together, chapter by chapter, with the teacher pausing at all the right places.

The Story Doesn’t Stop at the Last Page

When I was in grade school, I lived for the Scholastic book order. That thin newsprint catalog with the tiny book covers and the tear-off order form—I’d circle everything. Twice. And then wait. And wait. Because those catalogs didn’t come often enough.

So I thought: what if I made something like that for the kids? A newsletter for the ones who finish my book and immediately ask, “But what happens next?”

That’s exactly what I built. Every issue has new stories from the world of the book—where Ms. Potboiler is filing her next report from, what Doc Brunne was up to long before he ever met Felix and Ninja, and all the odd stuff going on in Tub—plus activities, secret intel, and updates from my desk. It goes to a parent’s inbox first, so grown-ups can peek before passing it along—or better yet, reading it aloud. Because when a story can be read aloud, it isn’t just a story. It’s a shared moment. And those are the moments kids come back for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melanie Abed is a behavioral expert turned story weaver. She believes dragons are real but hiding, and finds thunderstorms equally delightful and terrifying. A tea-loving bookworm, she champions young minds and writes to help kids discover their superpowers are real.

Website: www.melanieabed.com | Instagram: @bymelanieabed

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Emmy-winning director Hisham Abed has established himself as a visionary creative force in television, directing commercially successful shows including Netflix’s Queer Eye and Disney’s High School Musical, and shaping the visual aesthetic of MTV’s Laguna Beach and The Hills. Beyond his directorial achievements, Hisham Abed is an accomplished illustrator whose detailed artwork brings imagination and style to every project he touches.

Website: www.hishamabed.com

TOUR SCHEDULE

DateHostContent
Friday, August 14, 2026The Children’s Book ReviewBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Monday, August 17, 2026@tamiscrippsInstagram Reel about Zombie Zoo
Tuesday, August 18, 2026@nissa_the.bookwormInstagram Post about Zombie Zoo
Thursday, August 20, 2026The Children’s Book ReviewBook List featuring Zombie Zoo
Friday, August 21, 2026icefairy’s Treasure ChestBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Monday, August 24, 2026Lisa’s ReadingGuest Post about Zombie Zoo
Tuesday, August 25, 2026Deliciously SavvyBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Thursday, August 27, 2026Country Mamas With KidsBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Friday, August 28, 2026Mary Lanni ReadsBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Monday, August 31, 2026@KidsLittleFreeLibraryIsLoriBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Tuesday, September 1, 2026Sybrina’s Book BlogGuest Post about Zombie Zoo
Thursday, September 3, 2026@ABlueBoxFullofBooksBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Friday, September 4, 2026Life is What It’s CalledAuthor Interview with Melanie Abed
Monday, September 7, 2026Writer with WanderlustBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Tuesday, September 8, 2026Q&As with Deborah KalbAuthor Interview with Melanie Abed
Thursday, September 10, 2026Cover Lover Book ReviewBook Review of Zombie Zoo
Friday, September 11, 2026One More ExclamationBook Review of Zombie Zoo

GIVEAWAY

Ten lucky readers will each win a signed paperback copy of Zombie Zoo. One grand prize winner will receive an epic swag haul: a signed hardcover copy, bookmark, postcard, sticker sheet, Tub Explorer Pin, a sample of Tub’s Green Goo, and a Make Your Own Glow-in-the-Dark Green Goo Kit. Click the Pic below to enter.

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