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The relationship dramas at play might feel like a 1990s indie film, but then here come the glowing-eyed zombie squirrels. A literal sign of Earth’s slow-slide, disturbingly easy-to-ignore ecosystem failure, the squirrels are also a metaphor for the way our personal worlds can change beyond our control. Both should be relevant to late teen and early adult readers, who will easily identify with four friends who wind up on a road trip in search of the legendary Fink, who might be dead or may have just gone way off the grid, but whose discovery promises a reward that can fund the documentary film two of these movie-obsessed hopefuls have been trying to make. Moving from clue to clue, their relationships face crucial, irrevocable moments that readers will connect with. Arnold and Pimienta display joyfully experimental creativity with the form, crosscutting cinematically between critical developments in one scene, imbuing an emotionally shattering moment with shocking visual force in another, and applying comics’ unique sequential space to poetry in one more. While the humorous repartee in the dialogue can feel strained or artificial, that is perhaps not inauthentic to an age and time in life that struggles for some levity amid the weighty choices and circumstances. At any rate, it all culminates quite effectively in some uncommonly profound questions about life, destiny, relationships, and the world.

School Library Journal
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Gr 9 Up—Would-be filmmakers and childhood best friends Ty and Burger have big plans to make names for themselves as creative superstars—if they can get funding to develop their documentary that shows the human side of the current global catastrophe. They want to tell the stories of the thousands of victims ravaged by the menace known as Squizzies, who were once gentle beings, until a rampant virus turned them into rabid, murderous zombies; also, Squizzies are squirrels. When they get a lead on their former coffee shop supervisor who went missing and is presumably dead, the duo and their friends set off on a perilous adventure to find him. Their Scooby-Doo gang shenanigans are further complicated by Ty's secret that she has been accepted into a college and plans to break up their partnership but is afraid to reveal that to her best friend. The entire story takes place over the course of one day, and the panels in this graphic novel are colored in shades of lush purple, neon magenta, and hazy pink, as the day turns from sunrise to sunset. The ease of their tête-à-tête and ribbing shows the unbreakable bond between the pair, whose friendship is tested yet withstands the challenge of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Coarse language, references to drugs and drinking, mild romance, and violence that is stylized and ridiculous make this a believable YA story. VERDICT This graphic novel is sure to be a hit for fans of Paper Girls, Stranger Things, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.—Rebecca Jung

Publishers Weekly
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Almost a year ago, best friends Ty and Burger made a pact to take a gap year and then apply to film school together—but that was before the appearance of zombie squirrels. Now, the budding artists scrap together documentary footage of their dystopian present using their phones, work at Cousteau’s Coffee with their friend Miles, and puzzle over the disappearance of the café’s former owner, Stuart Fink. After the crew, plus Miles’s partner Fib, uncover an unsent email from Fink that implies he’s still alive, they decide to track him down to earn the $20,000 reward his parents are offering. The ensuing all-nighter leads the teens to Club Quarantine, a millionaire’s castle, and the middle of the woods, and leaves them with a deeper appreciation for their friendship—and some excellent footage for their film. Quotes from Longfellow, Yoda, and Jack White alongside abundant early-aughts, 1990s, and 1980s music references imbue this bizarre and fun graphic novel debut by Arnold (I Loved You in Another Life) with plentiful nostalgia. Detailed art by Pimienta (Twin Cities) likewise builds out the teen’s spaces while inky black lingering shadows highlight the novel’s apocalyptic bent. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Literary. (Sept.)