Me & Death: An Afterlife Adventure
The story of one boy’s experience with the (not so) sweet hereafter.\ Fresh from having stolen a piece of fruit and taunting the grocer, Jim, a fourteen-year-old wannabe gangster, bully, and car thief, is run over by a car. What follows is a hilarious, bleak, and ultimately hopeful visit to the afterworld, courtesy of Richard Scrimger, one of the country’s finest writers.\ This is an afterlife peopled with unforgettable characters that might be drawn from video games: angry Slayers, tearful...
Search in google:
The story of one boy’s experience with the (not so) sweet hereafter.Fresh from having stolen a piece of fruit and taunting the grocer, Jim, a fourteen-year-old wannabe gangster, bully, and car thief, is run over by a car. What follows is a hilarious, bleak, and ultimately hopeful visit to the afterworld, courtesy of Richard Scrimger, one of the country’s finest writers. This is an afterlife peopled with unforgettable characters that might be drawn from video games: angry Slayers, tearful Mourners, and scary Grave Walkers. Jim meets them all and is given the chance to return to earth with the extraordinary gift of knowing what happens when we die. Now he must deal with living demons, including a neighborhood torturer and a truly creepy older sister. With imagery from the mean streets as well as the arcade, Me and Death is thought-provoking, exciting, sad, and funny — sometimes all at the same time.Publishers WeeklyIn this fast-paced tale of life and death, Scrimger (Into the Ravine) explores the consequences actions can have on both sides of the mortal veil. Fourteen-year-old Jim is the neighborhood bully, a tough guy who steals fruit and cars and has nothing but disdain for his victims. After being run down by a car, he's taken to the Jordan Arms, where ghosts pass the time. While his body is in a coma, Jim's given the chance to relive key moments of his past and see where things went wrong, with a series of ghosts as his guides, and the promise of a chance to atone when he returns to the land of the living. Scrimger packs a lot into this short, philosophical tale, which openly acknowledges its Dickensian inspiration. The story largely plays out as a slightly gritty modern version of A Christmas Carol, though Scrimger dedicates the second half of the book to Jim's recovery from the accident and attempts at making reparations. If it doesn't break new ground thematically, readers should still find it an accessible story of redemption. Ages 11-up. (Apr.)
\ Publishers WeeklyIn this fast-paced tale of life and death, Scrimger (Into the Ravine) explores the consequences actions can have on both sides of the mortal veil. Fourteen-year-old Jim is the neighborhood bully, a tough guy who steals fruit and cars and has nothing but disdain for his victims. After being run down by a car, he's taken to the Jordan Arms, where ghosts pass the time. While his body is in a coma, Jim's given the chance to relive key moments of his past and see where things went wrong, with a series of ghosts as his guides, and the promise of a chance to atone when he returns to the land of the living. Scrimger packs a lot into this short, philosophical tale, which openly acknowledges its Dickensian inspiration. The story largely plays out as a slightly gritty modern version of A Christmas Carol, though Scrimger dedicates the second half of the book to Jim's recovery from the accident and attempts at making reparations. If it doesn't break new ground thematically, readers should still find it an accessible story of redemption. Ages 11-up. (Apr.)\ \ \ \ \ Children's Literature\ - Amy McMillan\ In this take-off of A Christmas Carol, Jim is a very unlikeable fourteen-year-old gangster-wannabe who spends his days stealing, bullying and copping an attitude with everyone he comes in contact with. After he is hit by a car, Jim finds himself in an afterlife peopled with Mourners, Slayers and Grave Walkers, individuals who used to inhabit his own neighborhood when they were living. They give him an opportunity to re-visit some of his experiences, in the hope that he will change both his perspective and life course. When Jim comes out of his coma, he does his best to rectify some of the wrongs he had committed; in the process, he influences some of the people in his life for the better, as well. While there are a few interesting plot twists near the end of this story, it is a rather tepid and jumbled journey to get to them. Jim's change of heart comes on a little too suddenly to feel truly believable. Add to that the various moments of confusion and assorted unanswered questions along the way, and you'll find yourself best served by sticking with the original. Reviewer: Amy McMillan\ \ \ VOYA\ - Kim Carter\ After trying to get information about whether the cops caught his partner, Rafal, in the previous night's carjacking, fourteen-year-old Jim continues his late morning swagger through the neighborhood, giving a cat a kick and threatening Lloyd, whom Jim has been picking on since kindergarten. It's just another normal day—until Jim catches his ankle on the streetcar tracks, falls in front of a blue Pontiac, and suddenly finds himself hanging with Tadeusz, the legendary neighborhood boss, shot dead at the age of twenty two. Explaining that Jim is "standing in wet cement . . . [with] all the fear and anger, all the sadness in your life [tying] you down," Tadeusz declares that Jim has been given a gift: a near-death experience, with the chance to "climb out while the cement is still wet," before he dies, the cement sets, and he's trapped—like Tadeusz. Even as Jim gets the message, he's faced with the reality that turning things around isn't as easy as it sounds. While Me & Death could loosely be categorized as a modern-day, teenage version of A Christmas Carol, its focus on the "now what?" as Jim returns to life to face and make peace with the "living demons" brings an edge that will enthrall young teens. Flip, sad, poignant, funny, and fast-paced, with vivid characters, this book will be enjoyed by a range of young readers, particularly reluctant male readers. Reviewer: Kim Carter\ \ \ \ \ VOYA\ - Chase Carter\ I liked the book because, from the start, it captured my attention and I was engrossed in the story about a boy who got hit by a car and lived. I couldn't stop reading it. Due to the more mature subject matter and the puberty-related language, I think the book is appropriate for kids aged thirteen or older who can relate to the life lessons. Reviewer: Chase Carter, Teen Reviewer\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsAn uninspired send-up of A Christmas Carol. A car hits neighborhood thug Jim, and while his body lies in a coma, his soul has a brief stay in a ramshackle Purgatory hotel. There he is shown visions of his former delinquency by three types of ghosts: a Mourner, a Grave Walker and a Slayer. When he finally comes to, he passionately vows to make amends for all his past transgressions in typical Scrooge fashion. Even though the connections between the characters and their Dickens inspirations are entirely obvious, Scrimger still spells it out in the text, leaving nothing to readers' imaginations. "You really are different, Jim. Ever since you came back from the hospital. You're like Scrooge in that movie." While Jim's irreverent tone is mildly amusing and the final showdown between him and the abusive father of one his previous victims is well choreographed and suspenseful, the story is didactic and predictable. A better choice is Gary Soto's lyrical, melancholic The Afterlife (2003). (Fantasy. 12 & up)\ \
