Scholastic is looking to get kids hooked on its latest book release by driving them to Roblox first.

The New York-based publisher is launching Justin Weinberger’s tween novel Zombie Season on September 5, and teasing the book with its first-ever Roblox game in August.

In the book, a group of kids has to contend with a seasonal zombie invasion that happens every summer. One year, the zombies seem faster, stronger and smarter than they’ve been in the past, and it’s up to the kids to figure out what’s changed and who’s behind it. In the same-name Roblox game (pictured), players will build defenses and fight off waves of zombies.

Scholastic is putting a QR code on the book’s cover for access to the game and a short audio story. Kids can play by themselves or with friends, as well as earning wearable items for their avatars and keeping tabs on their leaderboard status.

Media.Monks created the game with Scholastic, and has already helped move a number of brands into the metaverse, with projects such as a Duolingo Roblox experience and Minecraft content for Sportsnet.

For its part, Scholastic has a solid track record with multi-platform rollout strategies. One of its biggest success stories to date is a 2008 online game for The 39 Clues book series, which currently has 17.5 million copies in print, says SVP of trade marketing and publicity Erin Berger.

As one of the first book publishers to launch a game in Roblox, Scholastic is viewing Zombie Season as a test case to promote the launch of the book and extend the experience kids can have with it. The company is already planning to release a second Zombie Season novel next summer, along with more Roblox games for future titles in the series.

In other Scholastic news, fresh licensing deals have just been signed for Clifford the Big Red Dog with Jack & Pup (pet toys), Little Bird Bamboo (apparel), Aurora World (plush) and MasterPieces (puzzles). And the publisher is also looking for licensees for its Apple TV+ series Eva the Owlet and Stillwater—both based on popular book series—in product categories for kids ages three to eight. The focus for Eva is on plush and toys, while Stillwater is a good fit for yoga and décor products, according to Scholastic.