When it comes to children’s literature, more often than not it leans toward pure fantasy or straightforward action / adventure stories, but the emerging comedy horror genre offers a thrilling middle ground for junior readers. It blends light scares with laugh-out-loud moments, inviting young readers into stories that challenge their bravado while reassuring them that everything will turn out all right in the end. This playful and fun combination helps children to build resilience while encouraging empathy through its humorous take on danger and keeps the pages turning with unpredictable twists. Children’s comedy horror is a recipe that combines heart-racing fun with the comfort of knowing even the spookiest scenario comes with a punchline. Welcome to Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom by Colin Mulhern that delivers chills, thrills and scares in a bundle of fun.
Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom is the first instalment in Colin Mulhern’s Buttercup Sunshine & Briar’s Cove comedy horror series, aimed primarily at readers aged 7 to 9 and above. Originally planned as a four-book series, it only has two books to date.
Welcome to the safe, sweet and tranquil town of Briar’s Cove, a town where nothing ever happens that you could say that its boring, with a capital B, O, R, I, N and G! That is until a shooting star crashes out of the sky and into a neglected cemetery in the forest, creating an army of the undead – zombies!
This undead army, now awakened and free, have one mission and one mission only – to eat the brains of the residents of Briar’s Cove!
When one of the undead begins chasing Buttercup Sunshine down the road, readers are propelled into the action. Buttercup bolts to safety, finding it in her Granny Fondant’s perfectly quaint cottage, where the duo must combine unusual weaponry – chainsaw, super-powered vacuum cleaner and a mountain of wool – to keep their brains intact.
The characters:
- Buttercup Sunshine: Part detective, part action hero, she’s equal parts politeness and chainsaw-wielding gumption.
- Granny Fondant: Picture straight-laced knitting grandma meets fearless survivor, frantically stitching scarves that double as zombie deterrents.
- Barry the Toad: Buttercup’s amphibious sidekick, whose croaks translate into snarky one-liners thanks to a special gift for language decoding.
- The Zombies: Lovably inept yet tenacious, they lumber with single-minded hunger for brains – more comical menace than horrifying threat.
Overall, I found this to be a fun horror story that children will love. While it might be a bit on the scary side for some young readers, I think that children will love it (especially around Halloween time). I thought that is was great fun.
With Buttercup’s cool and commanding confidence and Granny Fondant’s panicked resourcefulness, the interaction between the two is delightful, adding warmth and humour to the story – they complement each other very well. Young readers will just love how a simple knitting needle can become a key tool in a high-stakes showdown with a zombie, and how even the most conventional characters can rise to heroic heights.
Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom is a great introduction to comedy horror for children. While it does feature the undead and some comic violence, it is not graphic violence. Colin Mulhern states that he writes “horrible books for horrible children”, but this book is far for horrible and leaves fun-loving readers wanting more. It has far more comedy and humour than horror, but does have just enough age-appropriate scares to keep the tension.
Throughout the story, readers with find bold, black-and-white line drawings that will captivate young imaginations. These witty illustrations bring the story to the forefront of children’s imaginations, bringing the scenes to life in a fun way.
Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom delivers child-friendly chills blended with some excellent humour. With its engaging characters, comedy and balanced scares it is the perfect gateway into comedy horror for young readers. A frightfully fun comedy horror, perfect for children that like a bit of a scare as well as a laugh.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (paperback)
For more information, visit www.colinmulhern.co.uk. Available to buy from Amazon here.
