Here's an excerpt from chapter 1 of my Middle Grade book, How NOT to Train a Zombie!!!
“That’s
not only the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard, but it’ll get us in all sorts of
trouble.” Chad’s nasally baritone voice blasted its way through the crowded
hallway. Only the clanks of locker doors slamming shut were louder, but not by
much.
Up
and down the hallway, students turned and stared at Chad and Max. Some pointed
and laughed, but most just ignored them as if they didn’t exist.
“Sheesh!
Can you talk a little louder? I don’t think they heard you in the band hall.”
Max’s face turned several shades redder than the lockers lining the wall. This
wasn’t exactly the kind of attention he wanted, especially not after
yesterday’s Career Fair. How his mom found out about it, was beyond him. He had
thrown away the first flyer asking for volunteers to speak to his class about
their careers over a month ago, and he made sure to throw away every flyer he
had gotten since then.
But
somehow she found out.
And
yesterday, she showed up in a bright pink flower shirt and her overalls and
talked to the class about the joys of being a gardener. Max wanted to die.
Gardening wasn’t even her career. It was her hobby! And everyone knew it. And
then his mom singled him out when she left. Shaking hands would have been okay,
but is that what his mom did?
Oh
no!
She
hugged him in front of the whole class. Even having Eddy Pratt’s dad talk about
being a zombie exterminator couldn’t erase the embarrassment and humiliation
Max endured the rest of the day.
