In "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland, the story is set in an alternate America during the Civil War, where the dead rise as zombies. To combat this threat, the government establishes special schools for Black and Native American children, training them to fight the undead. The protagonist, Jane McKeene, is one such student, fiercely independent and skilled in combat. As she navigates the complexities of race, class, and survival, Jane uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens her life and the lives of those around her. The novel blends historical fiction with horror, exploring themes of identity and resistance. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 9th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 14 years.

There are 52 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2018 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen .

Other contributing authors include Suzanne Young, Marieke Nijkamp, Robin Talley, Stephanie Kuehn, E. C. Myers, Tim Floreen, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, and Brandy Colbert.