Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King Blog Tour

Today, I am so excited to be apart of THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE NIGHTMARE KING Blog Tour!!  When I got the invite to be on this tour, I jumped at the chance-- and you know why??  Because this is my 9-year-old son's FAVORITE series.  We've read the first 2 books together and had been anxiously awaiting this 3rd one's release.

So for those of you not familiar with this funny, adorable, and well-written series, I'm about to give you the full-series review.

Note: I was provided with a copy of The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King by Penguin Young Readers to read and spotlight this book.  It didn't affect my opinion in any way.

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

The Last Kids on Earth

(Book 1)

Jack is your average, everyday nerdy 13-year-old kid living in his treehouse alone amid a monster-apocalypse.  He's used to being alone because before the world ended, he was an orphan in foster care with 1 friend.

But soon Jack assembles what's left of their town-- Quint, Jack's 1 and only friend from before the monsters, Dirk, the middle school bully, and June, Jack's crush.  Together they (okay, mostly Quint) build post-apocalyptic gadgets, weapons, rides, and majorly upgrade Jack's treehouse.  They also go to battle with Blarg-- a monster that won't leave Jack and his friends alone.

This intro book was fabulous.  It hooked me and my son right from the start.  Jack's voice is relatable-- he's not afraid to make fun of himself, and you can't help but love the fact that he gets to be a kick-ass action hero in the apocalypse, where in the real world all he got to be was an awkward, unwanted 13-year-old.

The drawings in this book are awesome.  They're a mix of action shots, extensions of the conversations, and labelled maps and structures.

The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade 

(Book 2)

Jack and his friends are back, and they find out that not all the monsters are bad.  They meet a group of friendly monsters, currently residing in Joe's Pizza, who want to join forces in fighting an ancient evil.

When the kids realize that the zombies disappearing is actually a bad thing-- and that a door to the bad dimension is about to be opened, they have to use all their training to defeat a new kind of evil.

I thought this book was a fun adventure.  Where the first book was an intro to getting to know the characters, this book was getting to know the world they're living in now.  Each kid has a set of skills that they use to support each other.  They've basically become a family.

The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King

(Book 3)

Jack and his friends have evaded catastrophe by not allowing the super evil monster leader access to their dimension, but now Jack faces something completely different-- life as he knows it changing.

Jack, June, Dirk, and Quint have established a little family in which they've created fun and games in a world of terror.  They play The Streets are Lava, real-life Mario-Kart, and have junk yard sleep-overs.  But all that is about to change when Quint and June find a radio that, once repaired, might connect them with other humans-- maybe even relatives and friends!

Jack, an orphan in the real-world, can't help but feel saddened at the prospect of his found-family coming to an end-- and he gives himself the challenge of showing his friends why they don't need anyone else.

This book was the deepest of the 3 books.  It was Jack's fear of losing the only family he's ever known that drove the book.  He was keeping this secret from his friends, hoping if he made every day "the best day EVER", they would realize that they don't need to leave.  For a fun monster-apocalypse adventure book, it was quite emotional.

• Great for the reluctant-reader
• Combines drawings and writing seamlessly
• Is genuinely funny--in an all ages kind of way
• Has characters you can't help but love
• A post-apocalyptic dog companion (named Rover)-- how cute is that?
• Tons of epic gadgets made by a kid genius
• Found-Family Feels
• No shortage of monsters or adventures
• Chapter book AND Graphic Novel all-in-one
• Writing that can suck in any aged reader
• A series kids and parents can read and enjoy together

So basically-- I totally recommend this series.  If you have a kid ages 7-13, they need this!!  If you like reading Middle Grade, you need this!!  We're now eagerly awaiting book 4!!

Week One:

October 3 – Teachers Who Read – Teacher Review

October 4 – The Play Connection: Kids Creative Chaos – Review

October 5 – Pink Polka Dot Books – Full series Review

October 6 – Mundie Moms Book Reviews – Author Interview & Review

Week Two:

October 23 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – Review

October 24 – Artsy Momma– Featured Review in Book List

October 25 – Teachers Who Read – Students Review

October 26 – Gravity Bread – Review

Max Brallier (www.maxbrallier.com) is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books and games, including the first two books in The Last Kids on Earth series. He is the creator and writer of Galactic Hot Dogs, an ongoing middle-grade web serial and book series with Aladdin. He writes for licensed properties including Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Uncle Grandpa. Under the pen name Jack Chabert, he is the creator and author of the Eerie Elementary series for Scholastic Books. In the olden days, he worked in the marketing department at St. Martin's Press. Max lives in New York City with his wife.