Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jun 2012
336 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
It's the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.
As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life - and death - inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
Paperback original
"Starred Review. The interpersonal dynamics and growing tension take precedence over any explanations regarding the zombies - Summers is more interested in what it's like to be a girl who doesn't want to live, stuck in a world where death isn't what it used to be. Ages 12–up." - Publishers Weekly
"Unusual and absorbing. (Paranormal suspense. 12 & up)" - Kirkus Reviews
"Zombie fans will eat this up, brains, heart, and all." - Booklist
"This book was creeptastic." - Taming the Bookshelf
This information about This Is Not a Test was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Courtney Summers is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of several novels for young adults, including Cracked Up to Be, All the Rage and Sadie. Her work has been released to multiple starred reviews, received numerous awards and honors--including the Edgar Award, John Spray Mystery Award, Cybils Award, Odyssey Award, and International Thriller Award--and has been recognized by many library 'Best Of' and Readers' Choice lists. She lives and writes in Canada.
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