Everlost by Neal Shusterman

Pages: 313

Intended Audience: Tweens and Teens

Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy Adventure

Notes for parents: Some mild violence

The Back Cover

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.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in the Skinjacker series.

What’s good?

This story is chalk full of comedy, drama, adventure, horror, suspense, and even some mystery. It’s a comical yet, at times, scary romp through a ghost world where even buildings, horses and birthday cakes cross over to the other side. The villains are villainous – the haunter, the McGill, and Mary Hightower – and the others, both major and minor characters, are well-drawn and likeable.

Best part: Lief in the pickle barrel.

What’s not so good?

Through the entire book, something felt lacking. The story was a bit juvenile and moved a little slow at times. Some things were too silly while others were too serious. Occasionally actions lacked common sense and the timing was a bit too convenient. Overall, it was the small things here and there that kept this story from being extraordinary.

Worst part: No part seemed particularly bad.

Recommendations þþþoo

This was an interesting, well-written story with a little bit of everything. Visually, it was stunning, but I wasn’t moved by it enough to want to read the other books in the series.

Shusterman, Neal. Everlost. New York: Scholastic, 2006