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This guide is produced in partnership with Blue Peter.

Bob and the Selfie Zombies written by Andy Jones and illustrated by Robin Boyden, is the twelfth title in the Blue Peter Book Club.

When Bob stumbles into a disastrous future where a smile-operated camera turns people into zombies and he embarks on a mission to save the world. Racing against the clock, Bob must outsmart an evil genius, navigate through hordes of selfie zombies and find a way to reverse the effects of the smile-operated camera. Can Bob change history and rescue humanity from disaster?

You can get a sneak peek of the book over on Blue Peter.

Did you spot the short summary at the start of each chapter?

Check out this example from chapter 1.

But why has a summary been used at the start of each chapter?

A summary gives you a quick overview of the important points of events that have happened or are about to happen.

Adding a summary before the chapter gets you thinking! It makes your mind wonder what is going to happen, whilst also letting you know what important things to look out for as you read.

Looking at the example on the above, you are encouraged to think about:

• Why and how has an egg been dropped?
• Why does the truth hurt?
• What is so terribly bad that it can be described as a 'wheelbarrowful of dismal'?
• How did he break his wrist?

Getting your brain working as you read means that you won't miss anything useful or important in the story, therefore, giving you a better understanding of what is happening! Ingenious eh?!

Adjectives are a fantastic tool for describing.

Did you notice how three adjectives in a row were used for descriptions throughout Bob vs The Selfie Zombies'?

Using three adjectives together for descriptions is called 'the rule of three'.

Using the rule of three when describing helps to create a clear image in your mind as your read. This makes the story more interesting and gives you a better understanding of it.

Check out these examples from the story.

• 'The banana is bruised, over-ripe and a bit squishy.' (page 134)

In the example above, it is clear that the banana is a bit old and probably only best used for banana bread!

Sometimes, the rule of three can also be expanded so that three descriptive clauses are used instead of three single adjectives.

'His thick arms are covered in tattoos, he wears a ring through the side of his nose and has the kind of beard that would make a Viking jealous.' (page 29)

Again, using the rule of three for descriptive clauses helps to create a vivid image of the characters or action in your mind.

Explore adjectives further with this Bitesize English guide.

A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is happening.

Examples of prepositions include words like:

• after
• before
• on

• under
• inside
• outside

Prepositional openers are phrases that start a sentence by telling you where or when the action in the sentence is happening.

There are lots of examples in Bob vs The Selfie Zombies.

• 'About three weeks later, I travelled again.' (page 41)

Here, the prepositional opener is 'about three weeks later'. It tells you when Bob time travelled.

• 'Above the stage, the lights are bright and Griffin's Got Talent is underway.' (page 164)

In this example, the prepositional phrase is 'Above the stage.' It tells you where the lights are bright.

Discover more about prepositions with this KS2 Bitesize English guide.

Did you spot any sound words whilst reading Bob vs The Selfie Zombies? There were lots!

When a word sounds like the noise it is describing, it is called onomatopoeia. 'Thud, crash, bang and buzz' are all examples of onomatopoeia.

Learn more about onomatopoeia with this KS2 Bitesize guide.

Onomatopoeia is used effectively throughout Bob vs The Selfie Zombies. But why?

Onomatopoeia is a writing device (tool) that helps to bring a story to life for you, the reader! These sound words make the writing more exciting to read and can also be used to emphasise something that is happening in the story.

Look at these examples.

• 'I accidentally head-butt the Schnitz between the legs. 'Yeeeeowwwwch! his brain screams.'* (page 247)

Using 'Yeeeeowwwwch!' here makes it very clear that Schnitz is in pain!

• 'My alarm clock ticks in the dark. *Tic tic tic tic tic…' (page 151)

Repeating the sound 'Tic tic tic' gives the impression that time is passing slowly as Bob tries to go to sleep.

Look at the exciting image.

Can you think of a prepositional opener about the image to go at the start of each sentence?

Remember, you can say where or when the action is happening.

1. …Malcolm swung the bat.
2. …Bob flew up on the swing.
3. …the selfie drones smashed into pieces.
4. …Future Bob balanced on the seesaw.
5. …the Schnitz destroyed the drones.