Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Authors: Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith
Illustrator: Cliff Richards
Publisher: Quirk Publishing
Genre: Teen fiction
Age level: 11+
Themes: Fearlessness, zombies, protecting a lifestyle
Synopsis: It is known as “the strange plague,” and its unfortunate victims are referred to only as “unmentionables” or “dreadful.” All over England, the dead are rising again, and now even the daughters of Britain’s best families must devote their lives to mastering the deadly arts. Elizabeth Bennet is a fearsome warrior whose ability with a sword is matched only by her quick wit and even sharper tongue. But she faces her most formidable foe yet in the haughty, conceited, and somehow strangely attractive Mr. Darcy. As the two lovers meet in the ballroom and on the battlefield, they’ll soon learn that nothing- not even the bands of ninjas, hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or disapproving aunts- can stop true love.
Synopsis: It is known as “the strange plague,” and its unfortunate victims are referred to only as “unmentionables” or “dreadful.” All over England, the dead are rising again, and now even the daughters of Britain’s best families must devote their lives to mastering the deadly arts. Elizabeth Bennet is a fearsome warrior whose ability with a sword is matched only by her quick wit and even sharper tongue. But she faces her most formidable foe yet in the haughty, conceited, and somehow strangely attractive Mr. Darcy. As the two lovers meet in the ballroom and on the battlefield, they’ll soon learn that nothing- not even the bands of ninjas, hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or disapproving aunts- can stop true love.
About the author: Jane Austen's delightful, carefully wrought novels of manners remain surprisingly relevant, nearly 200 years after they were first published. Her novels -- Pride and Prejudice and Emma among them -- are those rare books that offer us a glimpse at the mores of a specific period while addressing the complexities of love, honor, and responsibility that still intrigue us today.
Pre-reading activities: Write the words “pride,” “prejudice,” and “zombies” on the board. The students will come up with their own definitions of the words and predict what the book is about based on their definitions.
Post-reading activities: The students will pair up or have groups of 3 and write their own alternative ending, illustrating and using the same structure as the book. After doing their project, each student will write their own paragraph explaining their thoughts behind the alternative ending.
Reflection: Though the pictures in this book are full of detail, I found the black and white kind of boring, like it took away from the detail. There were some difficult words that even I didn’t know, so the students would have to write down the words and look them up in the dictionary. This book would probably appeal more to boys than girls because of the zombies and some of the pictures.
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