Everlost. An odd title, to an odd book. And I say odd in a good way. Odd as in,the award winning novelist, screenwriter, and television writer Neal Shusterman has done it again. You have most likely heard of him because he writes "Goosebumps". Now, when I heard this, I won't lie, I was reluctant to pick up the local library's copy of "Everlost". I was never a fan of the gross and cheesy t.v. show, "Goosebumps". But, a very good friend of mine had recommended the book, so I decided I would give it a shot.
Later that evening, I hesitantly flipped open the book; which had a very well designed cover might I add. I soon began reading.
Everlost had me hooked from the first chapter. After reading it, I could not stop. It was so intriguing, so crazy and dark, so innocent yet wicked. After all, it had an amazing attention getter: Two child Deaths at a Car accident. Yes. The whole premise of this book is children dying, and the world they get lost in; the world between heaven and earth, Everlost.
Nick and Allie, the deceased kids, are stuck there in Everlost; they only want to find a way home. They meet a boy, Leif, who tells them many things about this new world. The book is about their trials, and errors, finding their way home. In the end, you are left with a cliff hanger, the only bad part about the book. But luckily for me, there is a second and possibly third installment of "The Skinjacker Series".
Its pretty easy reading, but the plot is intricate.
If you like ghost stories, science fiction, historic buildings and things, a smidgen of romance, and chocolate, you would love this book. I highly recommend it for anyone, beginners, long-time fiction fans, or even the kid who is in middle school and still hasn't read a full chapter book.
If you are still not convinced to read it, here are some awards/honors Everlost has won.
2009 ALA Popular Paperback List
2009 Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Award List
2009 Garden State Teen Book Award List
2008 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year,
2008 VOYA - Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers
2008 International Reading Association Young Adult Choice List
2008/2009 Missouri Gateway Award List
2008 New York Public Library “Books for the Teenage.”
2007/2008 Georgia Peach Book Award List
2007 PEN USA Literary Award - Finalist
2007 Children’s Literature Council of Southern California “Fantastic Work of Fiction”

So, seriously, GO READ IT!