Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to go either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.
When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.
In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.
Nick Podehl provides a strong narration for this tale of adolescence, life after death, and monsters. He must balance a range of quirky and normal characters without overdoing the eccentricities to the point of losing adult interest in the story. His more colorful character voices prove quite amusing while his narrative voice keeps the story engaging. Instead of passing into the afterlife, Nick and Allie find themselves in a netherworld where only children live. Together, they must find a way to defeat the dreaded McGill and find the answers to their questions about this mysterious and strange world. Well-crafted and unique at times, EVERLOST plays like a pastiche of PETER PAN and other childhood fantasy stories. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Neal Shusterman was born and raised in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age as a creative alternative to stickball. His family moved to Mexico City during his high school years, and after graduation from the American School of Mexico City, Neal attended the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of many novels for young adults, including Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards and was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.
