Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

When Willie’s dad splits and leaves his gambling debts behind, the shady hunters he dealt with give Willie two choices: she can find the money he owes them or find her good-for-nothing dad. The former’s not an option, as she’s barely feeding her siblings as it is; she’s a good shot, though, and tough as nails, so she’s pretty sure she can track Pa down, even if it means heading out into the barren deserts that surround her town and possibly encountering the flesh-eating zombies known as shakes. Despite the help of two guides (one young and handsome), she barely dodges death as they navigate the rough terrain, only to realize she too is infected with the zombie virus and will likely die before finding her father. Berquist’s alternate history has a zombie virus spreading in the wake of the Civil War (the issues of which are oddly absent from the book), leaving the South and unsettled West particularly devastated by the epidemic. All the hallmarks of classic Western are here from the greasy bad guys to the stoic gunslinger on a quest to a dusty Texas setting that is a character unto itself. The grotesque shakes provides a horror element, but really it’s Willie’s descent into the fever and her pain at failing her family that make for the most drama. A girl with a gun and a slew of shambling zombies make for quick entertainment, and Willie’s desert trek will have readers riveted.