I personally have a passion for reading, and tend to get a lot of reading in during the summer. I might read on the way to the movies, or when I can't go to sleep. I also read while I'm on the computer. So I pretty much adore reading, and of course, especially reading books that are good, like a book called "Everlost", by Neal Shusterman.
"Everlost" takes place in, in fact, Everlost. It is the exact same place as Earth. What this means, is that the children of Everlost walk among us, we just don't see them. They see us. They also see buildings and trees and such that have crossed over (non human objects cross over when they get burned down, broken down, etc). This includes the World Trade Center, home to Mary Hightower, age 15, and her many children that she looks after.
Everlost is also a place that only kids can wind up ending in. This is because its said when you die that you reach the end of the tunnel. Children may bump into each other or wander off, for children don't always know where they are headed. Adults on the other hand do. Also, they pay much more attention to where they are going, so they don't bump.
Allie and Nick bump into each other after they both get in a car crash. Allie was fixing her blouse, with her seatbelt on. In another car was Nick, who was on his way to his cousin's wedding. The car was meant for four people, and since it now held five, Nick had no seatbelt. Both Allie and Nick were doomed when the two cars hit.
Allie and Nick then became Afterlights in the world of Everlost. They were the Newbies. A boy named Lief helps them learn the ways of Everlost. This includes the fact that it takes nine months for life, so it takes nine months for death. He invites them to stay with him. They both wish to go home, though. But is home truly where they would want to go?
They meet many people and/or things on their journey. This includes Mary Hightower (to some, known as the "Queen of the Snots"), Johnnie-O and his crew, and of course, the infamous McGill. Each character plays a very important roll in the book. You never know until the end who is really bad and who is actually good (then again some are neither).
When they meet Johnnie-O and his crew the first time, they aren't extremely pleased. The Crew won't let Allie and Nick through to where they want to go. They have a fee, and Nick and Allie have nothing to offer, at least nothing that satisfies them. But when a noise that sounds what they expect the evil McGill to sound like showers over them, the crew flees. The noise was in fact Lief to the rescue.
Next up is meeting with Mary. Nick and Mary very quickly click, while Allie and Mary very quickly hate each other. Mary wants Allie gone. Soon someone convinces Allie that there is someone who can reach into the living world. Allie immediately sets out to find this person; little does she know that this person isn't exactly a kid guy.
That's when everything goes down hill. The troubles start. The dangerous adventures start. Things start getting weird. That's only the half of it.
Here are the book covers.
As you see, there are two very similar book covers. The only difference I see is that the girl is running to the guy's side, but in the other one the girl is clearly already there. I found this a bit odd that they would make a whole new cover for such a little difference. What do you think?
I'll give this book 4.5/5. It almost always held my attention, very rarely was I not fully interested. The ending was something that you only realized was going to happen when it happened. I was thinking, "Oh, that makes sense . . ." I thought the book was overall very well written, though I'm not picky when it comes to books.
Does it sound like a book you would want to read? Let me know.
-That one girl
