The Last Kids on Earth

Perhaps a commentary on the diets of teenagers, or perhaps a reflection of how our world is held together by an undying conglomerate of corporations who supply us with unhealthy beverages and tempting cheese puffs—even during the apocalypse—the constant appearance of junk food is a motif that begins to make this post-zombie world feel more regular, more comfortable, more believable for a group of young teenagers. The casual appearance of a “Pringles can” (40) during a monster battle, or the excited mention of “Mountain Dew” (73) between friends, reassures readers that despite a crumbling infrastructure and devastated human population, teens will be teens. In some ways it is the fuel that keeps them going, and in some cases, it is what inspires them to fight for their lives. In one of the more comical moments of junk food, Jack uses “Little Hug Monster-Stopping Juice Grenades” (212) to attack at Blarg. What are they, exactly? “Little Hugs—they’re the best. If you’ve never had ‘em, get ‘em. They’re sweet and delicious and taste like sugary chemicals—and when they’re empty, they make for perfect monster-stopping juice grenades” (211). So, Little Hugs are the artificially-flavored beverages many children grew up drinking, and now they’ve been turned into acid bombs in the apocalypse.