Awards & Editorial Reviews
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Gold Medal Winner in Category 3: Books for 9-12 year olds.
2025 Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction
Currently a finalist. First place winners announced soon.
2025 Readers' Favorite
Bronze Medal Award in Children's Mystery & 5-Star Review
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Review
GOODREADS REVIEW
Star Rating: 5
‘A thrill-a-page, supernatural adventure, perfect for any and all reluctant middle grade readers. A Wishing Shelf ‘highly recommended’ book!’ The Wishing Shelf
I very much enjoyed this supernatural adventure from the pen of talented writer, Diana Davis. Written for 9 – 12 year olds, it’s the story of Liv and her best pal (and only pal), Di. But they are very, VERY different – Di is alive, Liv is, as the author puts it - A corpse. A flesh-eater. A zombie. What follows is a super fun adventure with lots of thrills, spills and laughs along the way.
There were a HUGE number of things I enjoyed about this story. Here’s three of them. Firstly, I loved the energy in the writing. It’s all go from the first chapter, and there’s never a dull moment all the way till the exciting end. Secondly, there’s a lot of humour in the story, and, you know what? It’s funny! I had a good giggle reading this. Thirdly, I loved Liv and Di and the chemistry between them. They work well together, offering plenty of laughs and angst along the way.
So, if you happen to be on the hunt for a fast paced, accessibly written, highly amusing chapter book for a restless middle grader, I’m happy to recommend this. I think most young readers will enjoy the unpredictability of the plot, and they’ll be rooting for Liv and Di to escape the jaws (literally) of Necropolis, the dead’s most dangerous city!
Readers' Favorite Review
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
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Liv Forever: Never Say Zombie by Diana Davis is a humorous kids' mystery story. Liv Creep is dead and it’s no fun at all. Her diet stinks, bits of her keep falling off, and she’s so tired of keeping quiet about her “condition” – her best friend Di is the only one who knows. Liv has an even worse problem; she’s got a serious crush on Ryan but he’s never going to fall for a dead girl. When the school bully, Kaitlyn, threatens to tell all her social media followers – she’s an influencer, by the way – about Liv’s crush, she needs to do something. Down into the depths of the dead city she and Di go in a bid to stop Kaitlyn. Will they succeed? And just how dangerous is it down there, not just for a dead girl but her human best friend?
Liv Forever: Never Say Zombie by Diana Davis is a hilarious mixture of thriller, horror, and kid-friendly mystery. This book is so well-written, filled with funny one-liners and a fantastically unique plot. It’s action all the way, and from the minute you start reading, you’re hooked on this very cleverly written and imaginative yarn. It’s a twisty story that leads you down some pretty dark alleyways filled with zombies, and the characters are superb – relatable and likable, dead or otherwise. However, aside from being a humorous story, this is also about friendship and unconditional support, demonstrating the lengths good friends and family will go to for someone in need. This book may be aimed at middle-school readers, but, as an adult reader, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn’t matter your age; we all need a bit of light humor in our lives, and this is the perfect book to help you put life in perspective. After all, no matter how bad things seem, they could be worse – you could be a dead girl at school! I really hope there’s a sequel in the offing.