Peter Green And The Unliving Academy is a young adult adventure/fantasy set in the world of the undead. The fantastical elements are imaginative and exciting and the concept is set up well with great descriptions of the school and its teachers and pupils.

From the start, it has you thinking about how the story will play out. Peter has just died – is this going to be a story about overcoming grief and loss? Or is it a story about what adventures await in the afterlife?

With it being explained straight away that the students of The Unliving Academy aren’t allowed their memories until they reach the age of 18, it is quickly made apparent that this first instalment in The Unliving Chronicle is a more light-hearted adventure. With Pete being unable to remember his past, there is no need for him to feel sad about what he has left behind and, instead, can look forward at what exciting things he has to look forward to.

For younger readers, this is a great set up and as it helps to set the tone of the story early. The subplot of Pete feeling like he has left something/someone behind is only briefly mentioned until it is properly explored in the final few chapters. For younger readers, this means that the story can focus on the more fun side of Pete learning undead abilities and joining a number of different school clubs.

As a parent, however, I wanted the focus to be on Pete trying to remember his past, as this would have allowed the author to explore some deeper and more complex themes. What we are left with are a group of characters without any conflicts or regrets. That’s fine for younger readers who just want to read about monsters and to have an adventure, but teenagers are growing up much faster these days.

The main character, Pete, is 14 years older, but the characters feel like they are much younger than this. Readers of this age want to read about more serious themes nowadays, whereas the book doesn’t really explore any emotions, relationships, or coming-of-age issues. Because of this, it would be much more suitable for readers a few years younger.

Aside from this, my only other problem with the story is that there’s so much going on that the focus is constantly taken away from, what I felt, were the more important topics. I wanted to know about Pete’s past, about what happened to him before he died, but the concept restricts this from happening. With the constant adventures and new experiences that Pete faces at his new school, it’s not until the very end that we get any of these answers.

The book could have better worked as two books, with the first explaining more about the new world that Pete has entered and focusing on his lack of memories/the need to help his sister, and a second book focusing on Pete’s secret missions as he begins to settle into his new life and make friends. That way, I could have enjoyed the secret missions, the prom, and the sneaking around at night without thinking “But what about Pete’s sister?!”

The book may not explore any darker themes that a premise like this would normally open up, but the friendships formed in the book are strong and there are some very heartwarming scenes towards the end. Again, it would have been much better if these emotions had been focussed on more beforehand as this would have allowed the readers to engage with the characters more. Instead, it feels a little too late when we finally get to know these characters better because we may not get to see them again.

For younger readers, Peter Green And The Unliving Academy is a lot of fun and the story, albeit somewhat simple in issues and morals, is brilliantly detailed and imaginative. There are a number of proofreading errors throughout the book but, as a proofreader, I spot more of these than most would and they certainly wouldn’t get in the way for younger readers. Other than that, the characters are definitely a fun group who you are left wanting to spend more time with.