The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan
 
Equal parts zombie thriller and teenage romance, this book is set in a tense post apocalyptic world infected decades earlier by a mysterious virus. Now life contains two absolutes: the women of the Sisterhood dictate the rules of society and the Guardians provide protection from the undead.

Mary has lived all of her young life in a village surrounded by fences built to keep out the Unconsecrated, half-dead creatures that roam the forest craving human flesh. Generations ago villagers lost faith that any part of the world remains beyond their rigid society. A single photo keeps that faith alive in Mary; a photo of a young girl standing in the ocean.

Mary has reached the age to marry, but can she marry out of duty rather than love? Can anything make her forget the stories her mother told her of a vast ocean that may still exist beyond the forest? The appearance of a mysterious girl and the chaos that follows motivates Mary to seek out her answers.

This book was chosen as one of YALSAs Best Books for Young Adults in 2010.
Grades 9 and up

-Catherine