Zombies Come In All Shapes And Sizes

By Julie Johnson

One year, many years ago, while teaching a grade 7-8 class, I wanted to address the power of narratives through short stories rather than novels. 

 

Unfortunately, short stories for this age group were few and far between and, worse: the examples that I did find were boring. I couldn't find any material that I thought would appeal to this Netflix-loving group of 12-13 year olds.

 

So I asked my class: what would make a good short story? And I was told: ZOMBIES!

 

So I started a story on the spot, writing it on the class laptop, projecting my creation on the front board, showing my students that any idea can be a starting point for a story. You just need to hop to it and give it a try.

 

This draft became the start of the enclosed short story 'Date Night'. 

 

I have used these stories in my classroom many times since then, as samples for narrative writing. They have been through a few edits, thanks to student suggestions and feedback. (And to those that have contributed feedback over the years, thank you so much for your invaluable insights!)

 

All of the stories have zombies. Some of the stories (Date Night, Posted on YouTube) have zombies who are the traditional adversary. Others are from the Zombie's point of view (Point of View and The Great Escape).  

 

At the end of this collection, there are reflection questions that can be applied to the stories. There are also a few suggestions for creative works of your own, if you feel inspired.

(Cover art by J. Johnson using Canva 2020)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie Johnson
• Release date: Oct 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393363415

Julie Johnson

Julie Johnson has been writing all through elementary school, middle school, high school, university, motherhood, career as an educator...and is still writing. She prefers warm-hearted comedy. Several comedic short stories exploring the interactions between climate action activists and climate deniers  have been published on the Commuter Lit site. She has been blogging about the writing life since 2010 at busywriting.net. You can find her on Twitter @julieejohnsonn. She lives with her family in Ontario, Canada. Over the years she has been involved in numerous environmental and social justice groups. Her activism continues. 

Book preview

Introduction

For over 17 years, I was an elementary educator.

One year, many years ago, while teaching a grade 7-8 class, I wanted to address the power of narratives through short stories rather than novels.

Unfortunately, short stories for this age group were few and far between and, worse: the examples that I did find were boring. I couldn't find any material that I thought would appeal to this Netflix-loving group of 12-13 year olds.

So I asked my class: what would make a good short story? And I was told: ZOMBIES!

So I started a story on the spot, writing it on the class laptop, projecting my creation on the front board, showing my students that any idea can be a starting point for a story. You just need to hop to it and give it a try.

This draft became the start of the enclosed short story 'Date Night'.

I have used these stories in my classroom many times since then, as samples for narrative writing. They have been through a few edits, thanks to student suggestions and feedback. (And to those that have contributed feedback over the years, thank you so much for your invaluable insights!)

All of the stories have zombies. Some of the stories (Date Night, Posted on YouTube) have zombies who are the traditional adversary. Others are from the Zombie’s point of view (Point of View and The Great Escape). 

At the end of this collection, there are reflection questions that can be applied to the stories. There are also a few suggestions for creative works of your own if you feel inspired.

Regards,

Julie Johnson, August 2020

Point of View

You don't know what it's like until you’ve been there. Walk a mile in my shoes, that’s what I say. Don’t judge me until you know me.

I’m not like what they say on TV.

I’m shorter, for one thing. And I wear glasses. How many zombies do you know wear glasses? None, I tell you. And my glasses are well cared for, not broken, like so many things are broken these days, with thick dark frames that stay firmly on my head. And I keep them polished; sparkling.

I care about my appearance, such as it is.

How many zombies comb their hair in the morning? Very few, I tell you. Because it is not an easy thing to do.

But I am motivated. I comb it smooth and even pull it into a ponytail.

How many zombies comb and pull their hair into a sleek ponytail every morning?

See? I am unique.

People think we are all the same but I’m here to say that we’re not. I’m short and I wear glasses and I style my hair in the mornings. I can’t do much about the state of my skin—it’s decomposing, I’m sad to say—and make up is so hard to come by, these days.

I do try to choose clothes that lessen the greenish tinge. That is why I am wearing a blue dress. I think I look quite well, all things considered.

I look dashing. Ready for anything.

But mostly, I