Reminded me of The Graveyard Book. Story of the narrator who makes a comment in the bathroom at a dance that he likes the guy's next to him shoes. The boy with the yellow shoes kills him. The book goes through his experience as a newly dead person and how parts of him start to fade when he is really going over to the other side. He meets Crystal, a girl who kills herself in a park even though it seems she has everything anyone could want.

School Library Journal; Sep2004, Vol. 50 Issue 9, p79-79, 1/5p

this book was about a boy who tell that what happen to him at school and with is friend, he lived happy. he hang around with them. he say when your an ordinary boy you need to take shower, smell clean and dress nice. but if you can't do that then you need to suck it up what ever people say.

well he was that kind of boy. but he was not that bat he always try to be clean. he was living his normal life at school and at home.

he did all those stuff that other people. once he saw a girl he started liking. she was in the school. he try to talk to her but he couldn't. he was to scared. finally he talk to that girl.

they both met talk to each other and be came friends. then they be came boy friend and girl friend. until in the book i red that they were dead some body killed that boy ind the end and he was telling the story. ( )

I would use the book with units involving decision making and bullying. The book is great for students looking for a short read. The book opens with excitement and mystery to lure the reluctant reader in. However, for me, it was not one of my favorite reads because the plot seemed to bog down in the middle. ( )

Anthony Gonzales
EDCI 4120

Soto, G. (2003). The Afterlife. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt.

Grade Levels: 10-12
Category: Science Fiction
Read-Alouds: pp. 1-15 (Chuy’s death), 32-37 (Chuy meets Crystal), 66-74
(Chuy’s mothers plan to Eddie for revenge), 100-104 (Chuy remembers Crystal form childhood), 116-121 (Chuy meets Robert), 145-158 (Conclusion), 159-161 (list of Spanish slang translations used in the novel)

Summary: Chuy was in a restroom at a dance club when he commented on a man’s yellow shoes. The man had taken offense and stabbed Chuy three time and killed him. Chuy rose out of his body as a ghost and started discovering his powers. He met a girl named Crystal who had committed suicide. They went around saying goodbye to all the people that they loved in life. Chuy also helped save a homeless man by cooling him off with his chill. The man later died and met Chuy. He tried to get set straight the man who killed Chuy. Chuy later fell in love with Crystal, and after they said goodbye to all they wanted to see, they flew off together disappearing.

Themes: The central theme in this novel is about not taking life for granted. I think that this novel really does a great job at showing how death can affect the people around us. I think that a teacher could use this novel to explain the seriousness of suicide. The character of Crystal committed suicide and teachers could show how her family reacted and felt, all her friends and how she was regretting killing herself. The issue of suicide is a huge problem with teens, and I think that this may help students appreciate life and nothing is really worth killing themselves over.

Discussion Questions:
What do you think happens after death?
What do you think happens to the ghosts when they begin disappearing? Where do they go or what happens?
What brought Chuy and Crystal together? Why did they connect and get along so well?

Reader Response: This novel was a very strong novel to me. It hit me real hard because I have thought about death and afterlife very much. I always wondered what it would be like, and this novel really puts it into perspective and opened up my imagination. The one thing that I did not like about this novel is that there is no explanation of what happens when the ghosts disappear. Throughout the novel, the characters begin to disappear little at a time, but I want to know what happens when they are gone. My only guess is that they reach their final judgment; I think they were ghosts to make final peace with those around them. I did really enjoy this novel for another reason as well. This novel took place in Fresno, California, and the main characters were Hispanic, and the language they spoke was very familiar to me. When I say language, I mean the slang, and I enjoyed reading about that in the novel. ( )