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Dead Boy
Author:
Gale, Laurel
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 8-12
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.1
Grade: 3-7
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ISBN-13: 9780553510089
LCCN: 2014034081
Imprint: Crown Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Crown
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Pub Date: 09/29/2015
Availability: Out of Print Confirmed
List: $16.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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247 pages ; 22 cm
H 8.52",
W 5.74",
D 0.87",
0.8125 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Friendship
Social Issues
Occult Fiction
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BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship
JUVENILE FICTION / Horror
JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Bullying
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LC Subjects:
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Dead, Fiction
Friendship, Fiction
Magic, Fiction
Shapeshifting, Fiction
Supernatural, Fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Dead, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
4.3
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Points: 7.0
Lexile Level:
600
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 12/01/2015 |
| Life after death has been difficult for Crow Darlingson, whose body parts have been randomly falling off since the day he died. His love of drawing and air hockey make him happy, but he still has to do homework, and he's filled with smelly maggots. Crow finds hope when he teams with his new next-door neighbor, Melody Plympton, to pass a series of tests and reclaim his life from the wish-granting creature in the park. 256pp. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 01/15/2016 |
| Grades 4-7. More than anything, Crow want to be a live boy. He used to be, but he died, and now he is something not quite alive or dead. He does not remember anything about his death, only that his parents told him that he died and then came back because they wished for it. All he wants is to have a friend, and when a new girl moves in next door and shortly guesses that he is dead, he thinks things are improving, but his mother becomes more of a jailer than an overprotective parent. Questioning his father about how he came back, he finds that his parents made a wish from a Meera. He thinks that perhaps he can ask the Meera to make him fully alive again. Events on Halloween night bring him and his friend, Melody, into the creature's lair, but he realizes that selfish wishes always backfire. Recommend to readers who like their stories about courage and friendship, with a side of the supernatural. Roush, Suanne. 256p. Booklist Online. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2016. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 11/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 4-6. In this odd, haunting book, Crow is a dead kid whose very small existence isn't enough for him anymore. His mother is a whiz with sewing parts back on and challenging him educationally, but late-night encounters with a new neighbor, Melody, remind him how much he misses eating, sleeping, playing, and just generally being alive. When Crow realizes that magic may have caused his situation, he determines that it might also be reversible; with Melody as his ally, he's ready to try undoing the process and he's hopeful of success. Melody's underlying melancholy is carefully addressed, as she clings to Crow's existence as proof that magic exists (which would mean her mother surely got spirited away rather than just leaving her), even while genuinely coming to appreciate him. The book may provide maggots in abundance, but this really isn't the expected zombie fare, as Crow is much more interested in understanding how he became the way he is and how it can be undone than in eating brains. Indeed, the likeliest audience for this book would be those who like stories about parent/kid struggles, friendships, and kid to teen transitions; they'll just have to get over Crow's body parts' occasional falling off. AS. 256p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 05/01/2016 |
| 3. Since he mysteriously became undead, Crow has been homeschooled, stuck inside and friendless. He secretly befriends new neighbor Melody, whose curiosity leads the pair to investigate Crow's reanimation, then confront the chimera-like creature that brought him back. This novel is Goosebumps-esque; gross but not gory horror-lite balanced by some humor and a series of puzzles the characters must use their complementary skills to solve. klb. 247pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2016. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 07/01/2015 |
| Crow can't sleep and won't eat. But he's not dead-tired, he's dead--and his taste buds rotted off a long time ago. Eleven-year-old Crow Darlingson doesn't remember dying and certainly doesn't know how or why he was resurrected. What he does remember is what it was like to have friends, a joy amputated from his life by his zealously overprotective single mother. When outgoing new neighbor Melody moves in, Crow breaks all the rules of house arrest and strikes up a sneak-out-at-night friendship with her. His secret and stench of decay don't bother Melody--they thrill and comfort her. To Melody, Crow is magic, and the existence of magic means there's a more palatable reason for her mother's disappearance than just abandonment. When Crow realizes there may be a way back to life, he must reckon with the possible cost. This isn't your typical zombie tale, so readers hankering for brain buffets should look elsewhere. This is all about that sticky transition from childhood to adolescence and the realization that adults don't have all the answers. Rotting guts and decaying limbs are pretty icky, but they are really just a vehicle for recognizing how awkward it can be in one's own skin. Tanaka contributes grayscale chapter-head illustrations for extra, maggoty mood-setting. A stinky, creepy tale for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. (Fiction. 8-11). 256pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 07/01/2015 |
| Gr 4-7--Crow Darlingson died in the fourth grade, but thanks to a special wish, he is able to live on, albeit in a rather unconventional way. Though his mind and spirit are willing, his flesh is weak and decomposing. Gale takes readers on a dark and surprisingly funny journey. Learning about Crow's loneliness at being homeschooled while maggots crawl out of his ears and nose is actually touching, and the gross-out details of his decaying body will only invite middle grade readers to pull this book off the shelf. Crow faces many challenges, besides body parts suddenly falling off, that will resonate with readers, such as dealing with his parent's divorce and trying to make friends. When he sneaks out at night to befriend the girl next door, Crow finds himself investigating a mystery that could turn deadly for him and his newfound friend. VERDICT A great recommendation to middle grade fans of dark humor. April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL. 256p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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