Everlost (The Skinjacker Trilogy)

This was a very interesting and captivating read. I actually listened to this on audio book and it was very well done.

Nick and Allie are two passengers in different cars that collide in a head-on collision. When they wake they find that they are in the forest beside where the car accident happened. Watching over them is a boy named Leaf. Leaf informs them that they have been sleeping for 6 months and are in Everlost and are now Afterlights. Afterlights are kids who didn't quite make it to where they were going when they died. Afterlights can only dwell in places of the world that have been lost or places that have died in the living world; if they try to stay still in the living world they sink to the center of the Earth. Just like the living world, there are powers that be in Everlost. They stumble upon one Mary Hightower who takes lost Afterlights under her wing. Nick is content to stay with Mary but Allie is not so sure. Allie thinks there is more to life after death than eternal repetition and is determine to find a way either back to life or to true death.

This was a very creative and engaging read. The two characters have very believable reactions to finding out they are not quite dead. The world of Everlost is interesting; especially the theory surrounding how inanimate objects can end up in Everlost. The plot moves along at a good clip and I was never bored or struggling to stay interested. Everlost is an amazing world and the characters are constantly finding new things about it as time progresses. The book also has a pretty good sense of humor, and there were a number of places where I chortled a bit at the coincidence of everything. It was interesting that Shusterman included the Twin Towers as a place in Everlost; I guess it was his way of commemorating the significant loss of both that landmark and the lives associated with it.

All of the characters are believable and easy to relate to. The characters are also very well balanced out. There were some aspects of our heroes that were less than endearing and some aspects of the villains that made you sympathize with them.

The only thing that struck me as a bit odd was how Shusterman incorporated current day legends or haunting into the book. For example at one point Allie ends up at the Amityville house. I am still trying to decided if these scenes were clever or just plain odd.

Overall I liked this book and the premise. This in one of those books that I will think back to quite often. The way it deals with life after death and moving on from a state of half-death is as interesting and this book is engaging; which is to say very. I think young adults or older would enjoy this book. It could also be read to younger children but the heavy topic of death might be a bit scary for them.

I picked up Everlost because it sounded really interesting. Two kids, Allie and Nick, are in a car accident each in a separate car. Instead of going to the great beyond, they wake up 9 months later in "Everlost" a land of "Afterlights" who are all children and somewhat like ghosts. There are rules in Everlost:

* You are stuck in the clothes you died in, no matter what you are wearing, even if you died wearing a costume and makeup on Halloween.
* You can only stand safely on dead spots; buildings, forests, lots of land, boats, etc. Anything that has crossed over and was loved. There are buildings that held a lot of meaning to people, forests that families loved to be in, and other spots that human beings held in high regard or were beloved to them. Otherwise the Afterlights will sink into the ground, and eventually end up in the middle of the earth.
* You can never go home.

In Everlost the children all follow the teachings of "Mary Hightower" or "Mary Queen of Snots" to her critics. She lives in the World Trade Towers and is like a mother to all the Afterlights who find themselves without parents anymore. They are all frightened of the "McGill" a monster in Everlost who is rumored to eat children! Nick and Allie befriend another Afterlight whom they name Leif because they find him in a dead forest; he doesn't remember his real name. You see the longer you are in Everlost the more you forget who you are, and even what you look like, causing your features to even change. Allie and Nick are determined to not forget, to find out what exactly Everlost is made up of, what the McGill really is, if Mary Hightower is the expert she claims to be, and if you really can go home.

I haven't read a book that I couldn't put down like this in a long time; I haven't been this entranced by a story in a long time, or connected to its characters the way I was with this book. I literally embraced them all good and bad. Neal Shusterman has made a world that on one hand makes total sense and on the other is so very foreign. I found it to be so bittersweet, because of all that is really lost, and endearing for all that is found. It made me laugh, and cry, and it surprised me, which is so very hard to do after reading as many book as I have. It's a young adult book, but it is full of so much life that anyone any age can read it. It will be a cherished book in my collection forever.

As a big fan of pretty much anything Neal Schusterman, I was psyched when Everlost first came out. It looked like yet another fabulous installment in the Shusterman library. In Everlost, young Nick and Allie die in a car accident. But instead of going on the afterlife, they wake up in a strange world known as Everlost. Everlost is a universe somewhere between worlds where the living world is a blur and children wander aimlessly looking for guidance, leadership and an answer to their questions.

After digging into the world of Everlost, Nick and Allie soon find that it's a more hazardous place than they originally thought. A mysterious monster known as the McGill is lurking in the dark Everlost forests and an intriguing young woman known as Mary Hightower is gathering young Afterlights into her ranks, but it isn't long until Mary's seemingly perfect world collapses.

Filled with plenty of unexpected twists, fully-developed characters and a unique and engaging plot, Everlost is a phenomenal novel. Schusterman's writing is spot on -not too many details, but enough to set an eerie, unsettling tone that fits the world of Everlost perfectly. I was a little surprised that this is meant to be a YA novel since it can be incredibly dark at points, but these moments are what enhance the characters and help give them a life of their own.

I read this entire book in two days -I just couldn't stop. Schusterman hooked me from the very first page until the very last and wrapped the novel up with an enjoyable enough ending to bring me back for the sequel.

What happens when you die? There's that famous tunnel and the bright light at the end of it, of course. Most people follow that tunnel to the light and "get where they're going." But for some kids, knocked out of the tunnel by accident, there is an entirely unexpected destination: Everlost. This is what happens to Nick and Allie after the car crash which claimed their lives and should have ended in their deaths. Waking after the accident, they find themselves unable to touch or interact with the world. They are ghosts - or, as the inhabitants of Everlost prefer - "Afterlights." At first, Allie and Nick have many questions and one major goal: get home and find out what happened to the other members of their families involved in the crash. But soon they are overwhelmed with the process of learning the rules of Everlost. And there are many rules: Don't stand in one place or you'll sink to the center of the earth. Practice remembering your name, if it's important to you, or you just may forget everything about yourself, including what you looked like. (Some Afterlights end up looking freakish if they forget the proper proportion of their head to their body, for example.) The only places which feel solid to an Afterlight are "dead spots," places where somebody has died. The only objects they can touch are those which were greatly beloved in the living world and have passed into Everlost. And everyone needs to beware the one true monster of Everlost - the hideous and violent McGill.

Soon Nick and Allie and their new friend Lief (he's forgotten his name so they give him a new one) find a home with Mary Hightower, a self-proclaimed expert on Everlost who lives in the ghostly after-image of one of the World Trade Center towers. Nick, who practically falls in love at the first sight of Mary, thinks he can adapt to this new anti-life, but Allie is rebellious from the start. She has too many unanswered questions to rest in peace: Why is it that no one over the age of sixteen ever ends up in Everlost? Is there a way to communicate with her living family? Is there a way to get back to life - or to "get where she was going" before she was knocked off course? Is there really a McGill? And what does Mary know that she's not telling?

Everlost is full of surprises and delightful reversals. The hero who sets out to rescue friends might well need rescuing by the very people you thought needed help. And the true monster might not be who you think it is. Full of grim humor and set in a most unique world, Everlost is perfect as a stand alone novel. But I wouldn't be disappointed if Mr. Shusterman followed it up with another ...

I'll confess something to you: after reading Unwind and being thoroughly disturbed by a scene I was hesitant to immediately pick up Everlost (and its sequel, Everwild). Unwind was an amazing book, with powerful writing and incredibly thought-provoking themes and scenes... and so when it came to Everlost I spent so much time psyching myself up for another round to my gut that I ended up psyching myself out of it all. So I found myself putting reading Everlost off for far too long.

That was a huge mistake on my part, as Everlost is an amazing book on all accounts. But it is the realm of Everlost and the world-building that accompanies it that is the most incredible. Every aspect is thought out carefully, and each piece fits together so well it comes across very real and whole. With some books revelations do not quite fit with what has previously been established, but not in Everlost. Each new aspect adds something - something powerful, something heart-breaking or something terrifying - to what has gone before, and in a way that enhances and sheds new light on it all.

The most powerful scene of this type is the revelation of the main setting, the place that Mary Hightower (sort of) takes her name from. Not only does it serve to introduce a facet of Everlost - how certain things cross over - but for me it was a powerful tug at the emotions to realise what it was before it was outright stated. It is one of those scenes which changes everything, and yet nothing... because you realise that it was part of everything, that it was there already, and you just needed to be directed towards knowing it. That feeling is one of the best things about Shusterman's writing, and it is a mark of his skill that he manages to do it so well.

The other thing Shusterman does amazingly is characters. Each are complex and layered, neither flawless or nothing but flaws. Allie is strong and intelligent, but sometimes her impulsiveness and determination keep her from using her skills in ways that would be far more beneficial. Nick is a bit more easily led, but his heart good and knows the difference between what is right and what is easy. And Mary... she is easily one of the most complicated teen characters I have read in a while, able to evoke both scorn and pity from me, the reader. She is a fascinating character, and like the rest of Everlost she is written with intelligence and care.

The first in the Skinjacker Trilogy, Everlost is another incredible book by Neal Shusterman. A great concept made brilliant through great writing and the addition of a well-rounded cast of characters, Everlost poses a number of heavy questions and (rather than dumbing everything down) trusts in the intelligence of the teens to understand the content that is between its covers.

At sometime or another all people get to where they are going, right? Well in Everlost it doesn't seem that way... There is a fatal car crash. Two teens, Nick and Allie, do not survive, but they don't die. They go to Everlost, a world between worlds. They aren't dead but they aren't alive. Nick and Allie awake confused. They remember the crash but where are they? They just want to go home to their families. But they can't. Allie and Nick are stuck in Everlost among many other children. Everlost is filled with tricks and traps that will send misled children into the unknown. Allie and Nick are determined to find a way out, but after battles of character and bravery to find a way to the place they should be, they begin to wonder if there is a way out at all... Do they ever get to where they're going?- that's a good question. You'll just have to read the book : )

I just finished reading this and I have called up some middle school students and their parents so they can all read this book for summer reading! Very interesting premise and some unique characters. In America, we don't talk about dying or our reactions to death so this book would be good to bring to the dicussion. Allie and Nick were victims of a car accident and now they are in flux. They meet many others on their journeys and find that even in flux between life and death, the one thing that will numb one's brain is repetitive routines that are done without thinking and without wanting change. How many of us don't want change or look at change as a terrible thing....almost worse than death. Some characters are absorbed by the numbing routine and no longer have memories of their own names. Other characters seek to appear to be kind, generous, and loving but really want characters to need them because that need generates power. Everlost is a terrible place for bullies...they can't physically injure anyone and they can't kill anyone. However, one monster of a character does exist and how our interpid Allie and Nick each deal with him depends on their goals/missions. The notion that there are dead buildings and dead roads, and dead spots where people died, and dead train tracks made me look around my town when driving home from work. When giving directions, we often tell people that the police station is across the street from the Federal Building. Well, the Federal Building has been gone for some 15 years! Was interesting to see how the Twin Towers, post 911, figured into one of the settings. Later middle schoolers and early high school students should enjoy this book. I read that it is coming out as a movie in 2009. I will definitely want to see it. I would teach this book with: Gods of Manhattan,The Afterlife,Elsewhere

A quick synopsis: main characters Nick and Allie are dead. But they got seriously lost on their way to the afterlife and have no idea how to move on to wherever they're supposed to go. Instead, they're stuck in a limbo known as Everlost. It's a terrifying place, where you must keep moving or be sucked to the center of the earth, where the chocolate on your face can take over your body, and where habits can be worse than dying in the first place.
Oh my God, do I love this book! Let's do negatives first.
1) Kept me up past midnight on a school night. Grr!
And now to the positives.
1) Does the author ever know how to create a world! Every part of the Everlost realm was well thought out and meticulously described.
2) The author is not sexist! Both Nick and Allie are strong characters, able to take care of themselves and survive in the afterlife. Both of them have unique abilities and traits that keep them from getting trite or boring.
3) This book scared me. And there aren't many books that can claim to be able to do that. Let's just say I hope I die when I'm an adult.
I can't stress enough how much I love this book. The rest of the trilogy awaits me - I think I'll go read it.

Though not as political as Unwind, Everlost makes for another great story set in another amazing world created by Neal Shusterman. I was a little wary going into this, I am not a fan of death stories, but Shusterman dealt with the idea tactly but also in a very straightforward way. He's not out to offend anyone. The story involves a lot of moving around, very much like Deathly Hallows' infamous camping scenes, where nothing much seems to happen, and the story is not being developed. I was waiting a good long while for one of those amazing plot twists that Neal Shusterman is so good at doing. Thankfully, although it came a little late, I wasn't disappointed. The ending is filled with amazing plot twists and, as the rest of the book, creative storytelling that is worth the read.

Rating: 4.5/5

The book Everlost is writen by Neal Shusterman and is a very adventours story. Everlost takes place in the ghost town of New York in the present. There are two main characters Nick and Allie. Nick has brown hair and brown eyes and is very out going and follows everyone because he can't make his own choices. Allie is very stubborn and is very good at tricking people. The problem in Everlost is that Allie and Nick are trapped in a world between life and death and they have to battle Everlost's one and only monster the Mcgill.

Everlost: A Book Review - By Patrick Hayes

Everlost is a book one of a supernatural trilogy. The book begins introducing two main characters of the story. A boy named Nick and a girl named Allie who are killed in a car crash. As they are travelling to heaven, Nick bumps into Allie, knocking them back to earth. They lose consciousness for nine months, and then wake to find a young boy with them. He can't remember his name, so they agree to call him Leif. Nick and Allie don't realize that they are dead. Allie first finds out when she walks out onto the road, then sinking like in quicksand. A Greyhound bus runs right through her, afterwards she knew she is a ghost.
Allie instinctively wants to get home and convinces Nick and Leif to come with her back to New York. When they arrive, they somehow see the twin towers (This is after 911), and find more ghost children there. This is where they find Mary Hightower, a girl that knows much about this place. She tells them they're in Everlost, a place between the living world and the afterlife. Mary lets the stay in the towers that she converted into an apartment-like home for the children.
After a couple days Allie hears there is a way that you can communicate with the living, so of course, she's all ears. She convinces Nick and Leif to come with them too. They soon arrive at an old pickle factory that had somehow crossed into Everlost and find a young kid named The Haunter. Here, they try to take lessons. The Haunter throws them a rock from the living world and tells them to pick it up. First, Nick tries to pick it up, but fails. The Haunter orders some guards out of nowhere and to his surprise throw Nick into a pickle barrel and nail it up. Then Leif tries, but fails. He also ends up in a pickle barrel. Finally Allie tries and picks it up. She orders him to let his friends go, but he kicks her out of the building. She comes back after getting some help, but someone beat her to it! The door was wide open and all the barrels were gone, except one. The Haunter was trapped inside it. He said the McGill took the others.
Allie soon learns that the McGill is a monster that terrorizes the residents of Everlost. He sails the sea on an old ship that transported sulfur that crossed into Everlost. She soon finds the McGill's ship as it leaves port. She climbs aboard and is caught by the McGill, a repulsive, disgusting monster. He later finds that she can skin-jack, or posses people so he uses her to teach him how. She tries stalling him by leading him through a 12 step program, which she makes up along the way. After a while, the McGill finds out the truth, and locks her up with all the other people and finds Nick and Leif. Nick escapes and runs off to get help from Mary Hightower.
The McGill comes to a place where a prophet told him to go to claim his reward, to become alive again. There he finds Mary and Nick waiting for him. It turns out that the McGill was Mary's brother that had died with her. Mary shows him a picture of him and her, and to surprise, the McGill turns back into human form again. The kids he captured come and chase after him. The McGill after Allie, who just ran off. He almost catches her but Allie skin-jacked a jogger and she loses him. The jogger fights back while she's driving and she loses control of the car and flies out of it, into a lake. When she is about to sink into the Earth, the McGill rescues her. Then she goes with him to help him start a new life to make up for his evil years in Everlost.
Nick on the other hand, manages to send all the children where the need to go (heaven). Mary had wanted to keep the kids in Everlost and when she finds out what he did, she becomes enraged and becomes his foe. The story continues in part two.

Everlost was interesting, to say the least. There are aspects of this book that surprised me and other aspects of it that did not surprise me at all yet I still found them enjoyable. I think there are several details in Shusterman's Everlost world that people would find interesting to read. It's also one of those books that is fantastic for all ages. The writing is great, the pacing is even better, and there was just the slightest amount of romance, which is great for me because I dislike it when romances take attention away from the actual plot. I would definitely recommend this to sci-fi lovers.

I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel.

Everlost begins with a car crash and a monumental change for New Jersey native Allie and Maryland native Nick. On a road in upstate New York, Allie and Nick’s lives collide literally with their early death, linking them together for their journey into the afterlife. Shusterman throws readers into the realm Everlost, an in-between world for children who were knocked out of their light tunnel on their clear path to heaven. Readers go along with Allie and Nick on their quest to either rejoin the land of the living or “get where they need to go” in the afterlife. Due to the two main characters’ young age, Allie and Nick embark on a journey of self-discovery and maturity in addition to finding their place in the realm of Everlost. Shusterman’s novel leads adolescent children to question how they would handle the ins and outs of death in a place like Everlost, as well as stretching the imagination. With a clear story line, Everlost appeals to a range of adolescents and teenagers, but may probe the implications of death too deeply for an elementary school audience.

Nick and Allie never would have met had their parents' cars not collided on a hairpin turn one day. If only Nick's parents had not hit a piece of steel lying in the road which caused them to blow a tire and head into the oncoming lane of traffic directly in the path of Allie's father. The accident happened so fast neither felt any pain. The only recollection they have is landing on the ground in the woods and feeling very tired.

What happens to children when they get knocked off track on their "way to where they are going?" Neal Shusterman has created the Everlost. A place where children end up if they get thrown off track on their way through the tunnel of light. When Nick and Allie landed in Everlost they slept for nine months before waking up. They were greeted by an eleven-year-old boy named Lief. Lief had been in the forest for a very long time; so long, in fact, he didn't actually remember his name. He made one up when the two asked him what it was.

When you are in Everlost, you are considered an Afterlight. You have a slight glow about you all the time and you have to be very careful where you walk. You are only safe on things or places that have crossed over to Everlost. Otherwise the Afterlight will sink into the ground and go straight to the middle of the Earth and wait there until the end of time. Nick and Allie had to learn the tricks to living in Everlost pretty quickly if they wanted to stay aboveground. They had to get used to walking amongst the living and the feeling of things passing through them.

Not knowing what else to do, Allie and Nick decided to go home and Lief decided to go with them since he hadn't left the forest in about a hundred years. They fashioned "snow shoes" to make it easier to walk on the ground so they wouldn't sink. When they got as far as New York, they found quite a surprise. Standing in the distance, glowing with the radiance of an Afterlight, stood the Twin Towers. They would forever stand in the Everlost because of the terrible tragedy that took place on 9-11-2001. There they met a large group of children living there and being cared for by a young lady named Mary Hightower.

Mary Hightower considered herself the authority of all things in Everlost. She authored many books on different subjects in order to assist new Afterlights in making the transition from the living world. Nick and Allie had different opinions of Mary. Nick almost immediately fell in love with her; Allie considered most of the things she said malarkey. Eventually, Allie decided to go her own way and convinced Nick and Lief to come with her. It didn't turn out to be a very good idea. While they were searching for someone they thought might be able to teach them new skills to use, they met with some mean people. Nick and Lief were sealed in old pickle barrels that were still filled with the brine and then taken prisoner by the monster of Everlost, the McGill.

After some clever thinking on Allie's part and Mary showing up in the Hindenburg, the McGill is overthrown and many Afterlights are rescued. Everyone plans to go back to the Twin Towers until Nick makes a very important discovery. He thinks he knows how to "get people to where they are going." This doesn't sit well with Mary. She likes her role as caretaker of the lost souls and doesn't want them leaving. This puts Nick and Mary on the opposite ends of the issue. Meanwhile, Allie is content and the McGill receives redemption.

Neal Shusterman has created a never-before-seen world that includes adventure and fantasy. The reader won't want the story to end. EVERLOST wraps up nicely, yet there could easily be a sequel.

Reviewed by: Karin Perry

This book was just plain FUN to read! The characters are well developed, and the story was so much fun to read I immediately went to the 2nd book "Everwild" and was soo bummed to find I have to wait for the last book...but I am sure it will be as good as the 1st two. It really doesn't matter what your own religious beliefs are, the author does not step on any toes in that regard - at least I didn't think so. Which is nice too - reading a book like this that isn't trying to preach. I agree with others who say any age can enjoy this. My 9 year old is an advanced reader and she will love this story as much as I did, and any adult, young or old would.

You could be fiddling with the radio or driving to a wedding, but suddenly your car smashes into another. You couldn't feel the impact but you know it's there. When you wake up your in a place that's unfamiliar to you with two people you don't know. Don't freak out but your dead.

That is the predicament the author Neal Shusterman puts his characters in, in his novel Everlost.

Allie and Nick are only fourteen when they die in the same car crash. They wake up in a place called Everlost where some souls end up after they die, but only the ones that get lost on the way to their real afterlife. Allie and Nick soon find out that there might be more to this place then they first thought. They both battle to keep from sinking to the center of the earth and are always trying to get to their old home.

The whole book was filled with twists and turns, but one exciting moment in the book was when Allie is getting pushed down towards the center of the earth and is trying and failing time after time to pull herself up, but just can't seem to catch a grip on anything. Those kinds of things are what made the book exciting and the fact that you couldn't tell what would happen next.

I think the most appropriate theme for the novel Everlost is friends and family. I think this because nearly the whole book was based around Nick and Allie trying to get to their families even though they were dead and no one living can see them. I thought friendship because Allie was always desperately trying to save her friends no matter what she had to do.

I thought this book was very interesting and made you want to keep on reading. What made the book great is that it had many lessons that I learned without even realizing it for example: "A brave mans life is worth more than a thousand cowardly souls" a lesson we should all learn.

If I were to recommend this novel to someone I would say that if you like science fiction, modern times, and the afterlife then you'd like this book. I would also recommend Everlost to mostly any age. So come and learn lessons, be entertained, and unlock surprising secrets.

Will Allie, Nick, and Leif ever get out of Everlost? Everlost tells the story of the three children; Allie, Nick, and Leif adventuring through Everlost. Nick and Allie died of a head on collision on the way to a wedding. They did not even know each other. They woke up in a forest and saw this kid. They asked him what his name was and he did not remember his name because he had been by his self for so many years. So Nick and Allie named him Leif because he lived in a lush green forest. Leif explains that people in the living world have no effect on us Afterlights, and we are ghosts. Nick Allie and Leif adventure through Everlost to find out more about this second world. They go through Manhattan, New York and see the Twin Towers that had crossed into Everlost when they were attacked. They meet Mary a leader of a group of Afterlights. They get caught by the McGill, a monster that captures children to try to get his life in the living world back. They escape from the McGill and defeat him with Mary and the kids that she keeps track of. The McGill was defeated and there were no more threats in Everlost. Although Nick, Leif, and Allie could never get out of Everlost, They were happy.

Simon and Schuster's favorite Shusterman is back and he's cooked up a doozy of a new title for general consumption. Proving to the world that he likes a little gritty with his nitty, Shusterman takes a dark turn with a tale of death, life, and an entire world that exists in-between. It's an elegy to the historical New York region and a fun new way of looking at the nature of ghosts. Because essentially, "Everlost" is a ghost story at its heart. Kids and teens alike will enjoy the story's arc, and though there are a few loose ends waving about here and there, it's an enjoyable read just the same. A book with a chance at being remembered as Mr. Neal Shusterman's best.

Two complete strangers collide in a car accident on a treacherous bit of road. Neither person (both children) was wearing their seatbelt at the time. They die, but that's just on the second page. It seems that Nick and Allie have knocked one another off-course when they were traveling towards "the light" and the two of them find themselves stuck in the middle of a beautiful leafy green forest. They are in the Everlost now, a land somewhere between life and death. No one who ends up in the Everlost is ever much older than fifteen or sixteen, and now our heroes find that the rules they used to live by no longer apply. There is no pain here, but as Afterlights (or ghosts) the kids can only stay in ghostly areas or they'll sink to the center of the earth. They also have to avoid monsters, roving gangs, forgetting who they are, and falling into comfortable eternal ruts. To get some answers, Nick and Allie join up with the long dead Leif and head towards the Everlost version of New York City to get some answers. How do they leave this impermanent world? Where would they end up if they left? And what is their purpose after all?

Engaging? Entirely. If Shusterman wanted to write a book on how to create first chapters with a bit of bite, this might not be a bad title to reference. Right from sentence one the book gets the reader in a throttle-hold and never lets go. This book has plenty of magic, escapes, villains, mystery, and more to entice a couple reluctant readers here and there. I suspect that reading a chapter a day to a class of kids would work especially well.

The author does an excellent job of thinking up his perfect little world. In fact it's too meticulous in some ways. He has rules for everything to the point where little details that didn't quite fit would nag at me. For example, once in a while food crosses over to Everlost and children can eat it. As such, Nick at one point gets trapped in a pickle barrel full of Everlost brine. It can't hurt him, but it's significantly unpleasant and he stays there for quite some time. Now one would think that Nick would figure that the best way to help his situation would be to drink the pickle brine and keep it from surrounding him if it's so nasty. Silly? Oh my, yes. But creative kids readers may find lots of situations like this where the heroes don't act in quite the manner you'd prefer. I also found it interesting that though Allie uses her smarts in various ways, getting herself out of a couple difficulties (though she seems to need rescuing just as often), she never actually saves anyone. Nick, at one point, is captured in quick succession by two wholly different villains. And though Allie works tirelessly to try to save him, in the end he rescues himself alone. Perhaps as a result, Nick ends up with a heroic job to do by the story's finish while Allie's fate is left unclear.

Of course Shusterman's language is always a treat. For example, at one point a bad guy has chained a bunch of kids upside down since the only way he can think to torture them is to bore them to death. They just hang there, but Shusterman is quick to remind us that there was always, "the occasional fight, and group sing-along", which I found rather charming. This is the same evildoer, by the way, who when he finds out that his captives are having a rather nice time says to his best henchman, "Do we have something vile to pour on them?" Shusterman also creates what may be this year's cleverest villain. You won't know this person even is a villain for most of the book (though I'm sure that some canny souls will figure it out fairly early in). At the end, however, the real baddie is unveiled and the book ends on a wry note. I don't know if the author has envisioned sequels to "Everlost" as of yet, he could certainly set himself up for a series here, if he wanted one.

Now there is one little aspect to this book that had me scratching my head and kvetching softly under my breath. The only places an Everlight can remain safely are places that have, like people, met their demise but were well-loved just the same. Old Penn Station, for example, is alive and well in the Everlost. Ditto the Steeplechase Pier and the Steel Pier. However, the Twin Towers appear in this book, and their very inclusion can only be called a calculated risk on Shusterman's part. How comfortable will readers be seeing the Towers up again and housing hundreds of child ghosts? Is that cool? Is it too soon? As someone who wasn't a New Yorker on 9/11/01, it doesn't bother me. I just wonder how people who were in NYC will feel. There is also a mention of the as-of-yet nonexistent Freedom Tower that throws the book for a loop. Perhaps that part of the story will make more sense when and if the tower ever is built.

Some bits in this book work and some don't. The parts that work include the Hindenburg (minus Nazi tail fins) in a grandiose entrance and the clever usage of a diving horse from Atlantic City. Parts that don't quite gel include a bizarre reference to Roswell and another to Amityville. But in spite of these little bursts of peculiarity, the book holds together nicely. I didn't see the twist coming at the end (even with my knowledge of Greek mythology). I liked the people in the book and the ways in which Shusterman chose to break up the text. The world of Everlost has seemingly thought of everything, which is swell. And when you get right down to it, kids are gonna eat this thing up. It may well be Mr. Shusterman's best work, and it's certainly an enticing read. Fun. Nothing more. Nothing less.

To myself I kept thinking, "Wow! The author must have put a lot of time into this book. I would never be able to think up something so creative." The author really knows how to twist the story, start something to, and give it an unexpected turn. I enjoyed the book, and I had to read the next one to see what was going to happen. I can really not think of any part to argue you with about souls and how it is for them in 'EVERLOST', but that also doesn't mean I agree. I thought it was something fun to do, so I read it, and to my surprise, liked it.

It's literally alive with the dead. The story begins when two kids, Allie and Nick get into a car accident and die. Only they don't get where they were meant to go. Instead, they're stuck in between in a place called Everlost. There they meet a boy who has forgotten his name, and they go searching for their families. There's trouble with sinking through the floor, and the inability to touch anything that isn't "dead". The story gets more exciting from there.
Read it. I mean, it's a simple win-win situation.

Although the novel started out on what I thought to be an immature note and I worried it would stay that way, Neal Shusterman quickly proved me wrong. The book did have a younger feel to it from beginning to end but had enough mature elements and an original and fast-paced plot to keep older readers interested and reading. Everlost is a powerful story about the adventure everyone gets after life and begs some serious questions in the end that leave just the right amount of room for a promising sequel (which just came out! *wink wink*). Some elements in the book which could be seen as cheesy actually add to the charm of the novel and readers familiar with Shusterman will appreciate his details. The world created for the dead will draw in new readers as well as give old ones what they'd hope for. A definite read for those looking to add to their collection or for those just looking for a quick and good read!

Shusterman takes a tricky subject and creates a world of characters who will blow your mind. Not only is his world filled with marvelous quirky qualities, but he raises haunting philosophical questions that linger long after the last page. Don't stop with this first book; watch the slow trek towards damnation/salvation over three volumes.
Bottom line : this book gave me chills.

As a middle school teacher, I first started reading this novel over the summer to find new books for my students. It only took a few chapters to fall in love with this series. I couldn't put it down and it only took me a week to get through the entire series. The author has created an entire world with well developed characters that readers will easily escape into. As much as I love it the initial premise is a hard sell to parents since it is based on the death of children and an afterlife. This can be hard for some people to swallow but everyone that has picked it up has enjoyed it as much as, if not more than me! Don't be afraid to step outside the box, you won't be disappointed.

The amazing world of everlost is filled with afterlights,greensouls, and one monster named McGill. McGill travels in a ship looking for trapped greensouls. The book starts out with Allie and Nick getting in a car accident and landing in Everlost. They soon meet Lief and they travel to New York. They meet Mary Hightower and Nick grows very fondly of Mary. But Aliie still doesn't trust her and soon leaves. O.k I won't tell you the whole story but I highly recommend this book!!!5 STARS!!!!

This book left me intrigued about the afterlife, and caring greatly about the fate of the characters--well, one in particular. Talk about a heroic journey! I truly hope Shusterman feels like visiting this world again and continues Nick's saga. Fascinating read.

I couldn't put this book down. Shusterman's world was creative and cleverly designed. With characters that you cared about and villians you were trying to figure out this story had me turning pages very quickly.

This book was different. I give it 3 stars because it was so imaginative. I'm perplexed by this book. It's like I liked it but I didn't. I'm not sure yet, but I'm intrigued enough to read the next book in the series.

This book was pure amazingness, there is nothing more to say. I loved this book. This book is amazing for girls, boys,teens, and even adults. I got my mom and grandma reading and they won't stop!!! I also got all my friends reading it, it is reading fanominom at school. I really hope this book comes out as a movie, itching it has a lot of potential. Anyway, I loved this book and in courage everyone else to read this book and enjoy it too!!!

The book Everlost is an amazing page turner about three teenagers trying to get out of a place between life and death. Nick, Allie and Lief discover that the world they are in is full of monsters and traps. They begin to wonder if there is a way out at all.

I could not stop reading this book; it was amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books and adventure books. If you have read Unwind, you will like this one even more.

The book Everlost by Neal Shusterman is an exciting, thrilling and marvelous book. It's about a place where you go in the after life that's not Heaven or Hell. Yes, I really loved this book because it was actually interesting.

Everlost is my favorite book ever. Its got the best story ever, theres action comidy romance its even a tragedy kinda. This is the first book i read in high school all the way through without getting bored. I absolutly love this book. And when i first got finished with it and heard there wasnt a 2nd one i was crushed. But now there is and i coulnt be happier. If you have not read this book, i highly recomend it, you will love it, i promise.

It's a good read, brings up some thought-provoking ideas about life and death. But was I sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next? No. It's a little on the slow side. That said, I will probably read the whole trilogy just to see what happens :)

What. A. Tremendous. Read. So many emotions are conveyed in a single book you'll want to change your philosophies on life, death, and the hereafter. Funny in a slightly morbid way, sad in a dead kid kinda way, but awesome in a this book is totally awesome way. Just read it. You won't regret it.

From the moment the concept of the book became clear to me, i knew it would be a good one. The book started in way so that the reader wasn't confused. Also the idea was brilliant and able to be built on without making the story crumble. If i was asked to reccomend a book this would be the first one on my list.

There are very few books that deserve the title "amazing", but Neal Shusterman greatly deserves it. This book combines dark humor, romance, and fresh new characters all into one truely great book. I could not put it down, pondering questions about life and death and personal beliefs. Simply amazing...

The Skinny: It's about two teenagers who are involved in a car accident and ends up in this limbo world between the living and Heaven. They try to find answers and a way out of Everlost.

I thought there could be more character development in Nick because the focus seem to be on Allie. She's always been a strong and assertive character. She always wanted to return home and return to her old life. She's in many ways similar to The McGill and I think that's why she made the decision that she made in the end.

I'm glad Nick finally grew a backbone and challenges Mary Hightower (The Martha Stewart of the afterlife)in the end. I'd say this book's plot is pretty unique and so I never had any preconceptions or anything and just followed along. It was an interesting read and you won't get bored.

There's not much romance in this novel but there's adventure. I do have a complaint with the author's writing style though. He often falls into his own rut and repeats phrases like "things that crossed over or gone where it needs to be going" ( I can't remember exactly). But if you read it and pay attention to some of the sentences he forms, there's that pattern of phrases he tends to repeat. That gets quite annoying after a while.

Read it if you like books that are out of the norm. It gets you thinking about the routines and habits you have in life and whether those are good routines or a sure sign that you're in a rut. Just think if you've died and you're doomed to repeat the same thing everyday, would you want to do something new or stay the same? Read and see what Allie and Nick chose to do.

The main characters are Allie and Nick who get into a car crash except they don't survive.They don't go to heaven or hell, but they go to Everlost. On their journey to uncover the mysteries of Everlost they meet an afterlight (what people are called in Everlost) that died in a flood. Then they meet Mary the protector of all the afterlights and her kids (about 200) Nick feels at home, but Allie wants to be alive again so she seeks to learn the criminal arts (which is like taking over peoples bodies, haunting people and stuff like that's). She starts to steal people's bodies, then she one day she meets the McGill a monster afterlight. He makes her teach him the skill or he'll sink her into the ground. Allie has to find a way out!!!

I like this book because the story line was interesting and the plots were terrific. I have read many books by Shusterman, but this one takes number one!!! Nick died having chocolate on his face and when you become an afterlight you look like how you died and I thought that was weird in a funny way. Allie, I think, was stuck up, insulting everybody the first time they meet. Everlost is truly a fantastic read!!!

I absolutely loved Everlost. The whole idea of the story is so original and I really loved it. I liked the characters and the idea behind the McGill - the one true monster of Everlost. I also liked the captions in the book - they were fun to read after finishing a chapter. Anyhow, this book was amazing and I'm very eager to read the next one in the Skinjacker Trilogy. I highly recommend reading Everlost! :]

This book was required reading for my son this summer.
It amazes me that such a poorly written book had ever gotten any awards for anything. The characters are underdeveloped, the plot is inconsistent (my son pointed that out midway thru) and it has terrible loopholes throughout the entire book.
If you can avoid this book do so, if I could have gotten my son out of reading this garbage I would have. Unfortunately the author is visiting the school in the fall. Really too bad tripe like this is still in the reading chain, it certainly has been a waste of the summer.