Module 5: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Book Summary

The world has been destroyed by zombies, and only one group of healthy people remain, living in a primitive village surrounded by fences that keep the infected out. Life is dominated by the church and the sisters who act as all facets of government: they write the rules in the form of the village bible, provide for all the needs of the people, and exact punishment for those who do not follow the edicts. Those who rebel or don’t fit in with the sisterhood’s plan are ejected into the forest to become zombies. The night before Mary, the heroine of the story, is forced on pain of death to marry the brother of her true love, the zombies attack and destroy the village. Mary, her intended, her true love, her best friend who is betrothed to her true love, her brother who abandoned her, his wife, and an orphaned boy escape. In the end, we only know that Mary survives through her determination to find the ocean. We do not know what happened to all of the characters, and there are two more books in the series.

APA Reference of Book

Ryan, C. (2009). The forest of hands and teeth. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Impressions

This fantasy/horror story is written for grades nine and up, with more difficult vocabulary and detailed sentences. The gruesomeness of the details as zombies are destroyed and humans are attacked, along with the harsh treatment of the characters, are reasons that this book is perhaps better suited to older, more mature students. Complex characters are torn with conflicting emotions of love and survival. Even the more evil of the characters are shown from different perspectives and are viewed with compassion. The plot is tense with a suspense that propels the reader through to the end, where readers are bathed with relief alongside Mary as she stands in the ocean’s waves.

Professional Review

In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel.      excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre

Banna, D. (2009, May). The forest of hands and teeth. [Review of the book The forest of 

     hands and teeth, by C. Ryan.] School Library Journal, 55(5), 117. Retrieved 
     from www.slj.com

   

Library Uses

Some high school students need encouragement to discuss literature. Science fiction and horror would captivate some of these students and get them talking, and could be their key to understanding literature. Begin with a book talk, reading excerpts, to entice them to read a particular genre. Then a follow up with discussion along the way.

For those kids who arrive in 9^th grade unable to read, pair the book with a CD. If you can get them hooked with an exciting story such as this, then you may uncover the will to read – and that is the secret that will cause them to improve in leaps and bounds.