Bob vs The Selfie Zombies

Wr. Andy Jones

Ill. Robin Boyden

Pub. Piccadilly

Age Range - 8-12 years

Bob doesn't know why he can time travel. He does know that it always happens at the worst possible moments. Like when he's in the bath. Awkward! But when Bob comes face to face with his future self in the middle of a disastrous alternative reality, he has to do something!

"part time travel story, part zombie apocalypse, which by anyone's standards is a winning combination"

Something in Bob's predicament of involuntary time travel reminded me of Eric in Allan Ahlberg's Woof!, probably my favourite book when I was a kid. Whereas Eric would get an itchy nose and then turn into a half-Tibetan Terrier half-Bearded Collie, Bob gets the tingles and is then catapulted into the future. In a break from the usual time travel tropes, Bob is drawn inexorably to his future self, a variation on a theme that I found refreshing and thought-provoking (particularly the scene with the urn).

I can't say much about the plot for fear of spoiling surprises, suffice to say it's part time travel story, part zombie apocalypse, which by anyone's standards is a winning combination. Bob makes for an engaging and sympathetic narrator, and readers of all ages will quickly be drawn into his outlandish tale! There is a wonderful understated comedy to Andy Jones's writing, nowhere better demonstrated than in the offhand way in which Future Bob reveals the news to Young Bob that the world is now beset by zombies.

In short, it's a blast, and Robin Boyden's illustrations add an extra layer of energy. If anything, I'd have liked more of them (not least because this would adapt so well into a graphic novel!). The story [Quantum] leaps between present and future, which keeps things moving along nicely, and with such strong characters and pace, this one is a surefire hit. In fact, I'm confident this is the first of many adventures with Bob. Oh, and on a side note, the Tentacles of Time is an awesome name for a band!

Now that you've rested here awhile, why not check out the other stops on Bob's blog tour!