Book+Reviews+-+Review+of+Elsewhere+by+Zevin


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I chose to look up reviews on a book I recently finished entitled //Elsewhere// by Zevin. The reason I chose this is because, although I liked it, I could see many flaws, too. Most reviews that I found began with a summary, very similar in nature (although I liked Booklist’s the best). In a couple of sentences, the novel is about a girl who dies and wakes up in a cruise ship which docks at Elsewhere, a new “heaven” of sorts. The town (with malls, driver’s licenses, jobs, and talking dogs), we find out, is where the dead go to live out their afterlives. The catch? They grow younger until, as a baby, they return to Earth to be reborn. The reviews were all //very// similar in nature. Almost all thought it made the reader think about death and life, and most believed it was humorous with a captivating (but not too gimmicky) premise. The only negative I found of this book was from Ms. Yingling’s blog—and even she had great things to say (such as her daughter, who usually only finishes three chapters, finished this novel in two days). Her negative was that it was “sad and complicated.” She said it was fantasy but too “real life” for fantasy; it had romance but was too sad; it was too happy for those who //wanted// sad. Although her young daughter liked it, it was really mature. In other words, she didn’t know “to whom [she’d] recommend it.” What I liked most about this reflection is that I think I got more combining reviews than just reading just one. Having that personal reaction on a blog is extremely useful in choosing novels. Still, the others gave me more of an insight in how this novel could be used, what patrons can learn from it, and how it could fit into my library—not to mention the consensus of the others would prove that this novel might just have some value. Just because the professionals all agree, it is a great compliment to take a look at what the individuals think!

Below are excerpts of the reviews I looked at; like I mentioned above, I liked Booklist the best!

__**HORN BOOK: **__ The often wry, always absorbing narrative sensitively portrays Lizzie’s grief and anger at the loss of her old life and her slow and painful acceptance of her existence in Elsewhere. With an intriguing and well-developed premise, thoughtful characterization, and refreshing style, Zevin’s poignant novel rewards readers with a view of death that celebrates the rich complexities of being alive.

__**VOYA: **__ “A fun and thought-provoking page-turner. Readers. . . will relish Zevin’s lively imagination and her fast-moving plot. Buy this book for them.”

===__Ms. Yingling Reads  [|Zevin's Elsewhere] : __=== After reading Shusterman's Everlost, my son picked this up, continuing on our "Views of Heaven" tour. When he finished, my younger daughter picked it up, laughed at some parts, and told me some was very sad. The impressive part there is that she finished it. In two days. She usually only reads the first three chapters of books … Then it just gets sad and complicated. I don't want to wreck it (my older daughter is now reading it!) by saying too much. It was good. No question. But I can' t for the life of me think to whom I would recommend it. It's a girl book, and a fantasy. But it is too real life for people who want fantasy. Too sad for people who want romance; too happy for people who want sad. All in all, it's very deep and philosophical, and really, very mature.

__**School LIBRARY JOURNAL: **__ Zevin's third-person narrative calmly, but surely guides readers through the bumpy landscape of strongly delineated characters dealing with the most difficult issue that faces all of us. A quiet book that provides much to think about and discuss.//–Sharon Grover//

__**BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS **__ <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">“Funny and pensive, happy and heartbreaking. Readers from a broad range of beliefs will find this a quirky and touching exploration of the Great Beyond.”

__**<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">BOOKLIST **__ <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Narration from beyond the grave has been cropping up with some frequency in YA novels this year, including Chris Crutcher's //The Sledding Hill// and Adele Griffin's //Where I Want to Be// (both 2005). But this example, Zevin's second novel and her first for the YA audience, is a work of powerful beauty that merits judgment independent of any larger trend…. [INCLUDES SUMMARY] <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">…Although the book may prove too philosophical for some, Zevin offers readers more than a gimmick-driven novel of ideas: the world of Elsewhere is too tangible for that… Although Zevin's conception of the afterlife will inevitably ruffle many theological feathers, the comfort it offers readers grieving for lost loved ones, as well as the simple, thrilling satisfaction derived from its bold engagement with basic, provocative questions of human existence, will far outweigh any offense its metaphysical perspective might give. Far more than just a vehicle for a cosmology, this inventive novel slices right to the bone of human yearning, offering up an indelible vision of life and death as equally rich sides of the same coin. //Jennifer Mattson//