Find Adventure in EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman

When Allie and Nick are killed in a head-on collision, they bump into each other on their way to the light that is literally at the end of the tunnel. They wake in a strange reality, a land dubbed Everlost. There are no adults, just kids who got sidetracked on the way to that light.

Existence in Everlost requires a crash course in survival. Although they can’t die again, they can suffer, and if they don’t avoid sinking into the ground or running into the wrong people, suffer they will. Together, with a wild child they call Lief, Allie and Nick go in search of answers to questions they could never have imagined when they were alive.

Everlost is an imaginative rendering of the afterlife. Shusterman’s work is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, perhaps deliberately so. This occurs on a far more grand scale, with no hope of outside rescue. Classic themes, such as bullies, opportunistic scheming, and the struggle between good and evil are strongly represented. Readers will sympathize with the characters’ dilemmas. Very little is straight forward, like in real life. Without adult guidance, kids are left to their own devices in this world. Shusterman handles this situation in a masterful stroke. No one character is perfect, and their actions have believable consequences.

I recommend this novel for teens and more mature preteens. Parents who like dark fantasy may enjoy this novel, too. Everlost is a novel that can be shared between parents and teens, leading to discussions about the world, the characters’ choices, and life and death in general.

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4.5 Books
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13 978-1-4169-9749-8