Oh. My. God. I would write something witty or nice here but my brain can only form three words in a loop: Oh my god. Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod! This book! Suffice to say, this book blew my mind. It was fantastic in the way that I hope all books could be, but rarely manage to even reach the threshold. This book was greatness that I could hold in my hands, and I am not even exaggerating. I beg each and every one of you to read it.
The Cover:
The Cover:
This cover shows Oliver (AKA Boo) shut inside of his school locker. The number of his locker is 106, which happens to be exact number of elements in the Periodic Table, which Boo has, of course, memorized. This is super symbolic and everything, but since I don't want to give out spoilers... You'll understand though, and if not, comment and I'll explain!
My Review:
This book was just so fantastic! It was exciting and funny and beautiful. Picture combining some of the best characters you've ever read about with the writing style of a muse and then mixing in a plot with the surprises and greatness of your favorite book. I think that describes Boo. I have little doubt that this book will be a huge hit. If it doesn't, something is seriously wrong.
Anyway, the characters of this book were really complex and complicated with a human level of messed-up-ness. They messed everything up with the purest of intentions. They were kind and mean for their own reasons. They were the people you've met and will meet. You see only the one side of them until the truth is revealed. They were beautifully crafted people who gave this story its wings (pun intended). It usually takes multiple books for me to feel as connected with characters as deeply as I managed to do in this book's 310 pages.
Boo has three stages of reading. (1) This is really neat and cool. A quirky spin on heaven. I think I'll like this book, (2) Wait... WHAT?!?!, (3) Stab me in the heart, it'll hurt less.
Each of these stages was amazing; I loved each of these even more than the last. It was simply perfect. The plot had so many twists and turns that I did not expect at all. I was constantly floored. At certain points, the story got so intense that I had to set down my book just so that I didn't accidentally have a heart attack and end up in an afterlife especially for fifteen year olds.
The formatting was also really neat. Instead of chapter numbers, each chapter opened with an element from the periodic table, the atomic number serving as the number of each chapter. It was really neat and added to the book.
Also, I thought that it was really funny that Boo would replace the word 'God' with 'Zig' throughout the entire book because their heaven's god reminded him of a hippie. It was just really random and funny. I'm glad Neil Smith added these little moments of comic relief.
Quotes (NOTE: my copy was an ARC so these quotes may not be completely accurate with the published version):
"'Look, if he acts like a freak here, kids will sh*t on him just like they did back in America.' Rest assured, Mother and Father, that Johnny is speaking figuratively. Nobody ever defecated on me (though, as I said earlier, I was urinated on)."
"I feel prouder than the time I increased the pH of my urine by consuming citrus fruits"
"A geek was originally a circus artist who performed morbid acts like biting heads off live chickens and swallowing frogs. I am obviously, given my vegetarian diet, no geek"
"I try not to let the outer world wreak havoc with my inner one"
This book comes out May 12, 2015
Phrase:
Thank Zig!
(Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Happy Reading!
The Cover:
This cover shows Oliver (AKA Boo) shut inside of his school locker. The number of his locker is 106, which happens to be exact number of elements in the Periodic Table, which Boo has, of course, memorized. This is super symbolic and everything, but since I don't want to give out spoilers... You'll understand though, and if not, comment and I'll explain!
Official Description:
“Do you ever wonder, dear Mother and Father, what kind of toothpaste angels use in heaven? I will tell you.... This book I am writing to you about my afterlife will be your nitty-gritty. One day I hope to discover a way to deliver my story to you.”
It's the first week of school in 1979, and Oliver “Boo” Dalrymple—ghostly pale eighth-grader, aspiring scientist, social pariah—is standing next to his locker, reciting the periodic table. The next thing he knows, he finds himself lying in a strange bed in a strange land. He’s a new resident of a place called Town—an afterlife exclusively for thirteen year olds. Soon Boo is joined by Johnny Henzel, a fellow classmate, who brings with him a piece of surprising news about the circumstances of the boys’ deaths.
In Town, there are no trees or animals, just endless rows of red-brick three-story dormitories surrounded by unscalable walls. No one grows or ages, but everyone arrives just slightly altered from who they were before. To Boo’s great surprise, the qualities that made him an outcast at home win him friends; and he finds himself capable of a joy he’s never experienced. But there is a darker side to life after death—and, as they attempt to learn what happened that fateful day, Boo and Johnny discover a disturbing truth that will have profound repercussions for both of them.
Hilarious and heartwarming, poignant and profound, BOO is the story of a truly unforgettable character. Here Neil Smith gives us a unique look at the bonds of friendship in what is, ultimately, a book about finding your place in the world—be it this one, or the next.
It's the first week of school in 1979, and Oliver “Boo” Dalrymple—ghostly pale eighth-grader, aspiring scientist, social pariah—is standing next to his locker, reciting the periodic table. The next thing he knows, he finds himself lying in a strange bed in a strange land. He’s a new resident of a place called Town—an afterlife exclusively for thirteen year olds. Soon Boo is joined by Johnny Henzel, a fellow classmate, who brings with him a piece of surprising news about the circumstances of the boys’ deaths.
In Town, there are no trees or animals, just endless rows of red-brick three-story dormitories surrounded by unscalable walls. No one grows or ages, but everyone arrives just slightly altered from who they were before. To Boo’s great surprise, the qualities that made him an outcast at home win him friends; and he finds himself capable of a joy he’s never experienced. But there is a darker side to life after death—and, as they attempt to learn what happened that fateful day, Boo and Johnny discover a disturbing truth that will have profound repercussions for both of them.
Hilarious and heartwarming, poignant and profound, BOO is the story of a truly unforgettable character. Here Neil Smith gives us a unique look at the bonds of friendship in what is, ultimately, a book about finding your place in the world—be it this one, or the next.
My Review:
This book was just so fantastic! It was exciting and funny and beautiful. Picture combining some of the best characters you've ever read about with the writing style of a muse and then mixing in a plot with the surprises and greatness of your favorite book. I think that describes Boo. I have little doubt that this book will be a huge hit. If it doesn't, something is seriously wrong.
Anyway, the characters of this book were really complex and complicated with a human level of messed-up-ness. They messed everything up with the purest of intentions. They were kind and mean for their own reasons. They were the people you've met and will meet. You see only the one side of them until the truth is revealed. They were beautifully crafted people who gave this story its wings (pun intended). It usually takes multiple books for me to feel as connected with characters as deeply as I managed to do in this book's 310 pages.
Boo has three stages of reading. (1) This is really neat and cool. A quirky spin on heaven. I think I'll like this book, (2) Wait... WHAT?!?!, (3) Stab me in the heart, it'll hurt less.
Each of these stages was amazing; I loved each of these even more than the last. It was simply perfect. The plot had so many twists and turns that I did not expect at all. I was constantly floored. At certain points, the story got so intense that I had to set down my book just so that I didn't accidentally have a heart attack and end up in an afterlife especially for fifteen year olds.
The formatting was also really neat. Instead of chapter numbers, each chapter opened with an element from the periodic table, the atomic number serving as the number of each chapter. It was really neat and added to the book.
Also, I thought that it was really funny that Boo would replace the word 'God' with 'Zig' throughout the entire book because their heaven's god reminded him of a hippie. It was just really random and funny. I'm glad Neil Smith added these little moments of comic relief.
Quotes (NOTE: my copy was an ARC so these quotes may not be completely accurate with the published version):
"'Look, if he acts like a freak here, kids will sh*t on him just like they did back in America.' Rest assured, Mother and Father, that Johnny is speaking figuratively. Nobody ever defecated on me (though, as I said earlier, I was urinated on)."
"I feel prouder than the time I increased the pH of my urine by consuming citrus fruits"
"A geek was originally a circus artist who performed morbid acts like biting heads off live chickens and swallowing frogs. I am obviously, given my vegetarian diet, no geek"
"I try not to let the outer world wreak havoc with my inner one"
This book comes out May 12, 2015
Phrase:
Thank Zig!
(Note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Happy Reading!
I do not understand how the periodic table has significance in the book. Mind explaining?
ReplyDeleteSure! In the version I read anyway, the chapter title were replaced by periodic table symbols. It didn't change any of the content, but it was a nice add-on that showed a little of Boo's personality and the style of the book. Some of the little quirky things like chapter numbering help me to get a feel of how a book will read, so I wanted to share that!
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