Elsewhere (Black's Class Readers) [Import] [Hardcover]

Gabrielle Zevin (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: A & C Black (Childrens books); New Ed edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713678879
• ISBN-13: 978-0713678871
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (187 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you read nothing else READ THIS BOOK !!!, October 11, 2005

By 

TASMANIAN MINIMALIST "Ditching Materialism Fo... (Tasmania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elsewhere (Hardcover)

I believe this to be
one of the best books I have ever read.
I absolutely loved this book.

Lizzie is killed in a hit and run accident and Elsewhere is the story of
her ' afterlife '. I don't wish to write any more than that because this
book is an absolute must- read. To tell more of the story would be to
spoil a book that will really challenge your beliefs and perspective
about life after death. No-one really knows what happens after death.
Each reader will bring their own personal philosophy to Zevin's story,
but what became apparent as I progressed through the book was that if
life after death was like the Elsewhere of the story, human beings would
fear death less and learn to appreciate wherever they are in their stage
of development in-life and after-life.

Zevin has taken such an everyday concept, turned it on its head and
written what can only be described as a convincing believable story
about where we go and what happens to everyone when they die.

The tone is hopeful, the prose realistic and beautiful. The ending is
utterly perfect. The story is infused with life lessons and gentle
morals without being sanctimonious in the least. In some ways I find it
hard to say all that I really feel about this book, that my words will
not do justice to the story.

Zevin has left no stone unturned. Her tale covers: what happens to
animals, how you progress to the ' afterlife,' how you make contact with
life on earth, and how you become reborn, amongst many other questions
people have about ' what happens when you die ?'. The story is in no way
contrived but highly plausible. I found myself crying consistently on
and off throughout the story, not because it was sad, but because it was
so buoyant and made so much sense about dealing with what is almost
always a disagreeable topic.

Elsewhere is a book that good readers of 13 and above would enjoy. It
poses so many philosophical questions and ideas that would be excellent
for use in a " Gifted and Talented " class. The idea of getting younger
as opposed to getting older would be an excellent starting point for
some creative writing. Students often want to get older quickly before
they've had chance to experience being young, so the possibility of
becoming younger and debating what happens at the point of birth could
open up some amazing philosophical discussion.

In short this book is brilliant. If you read nothing else for the rest
of the year, read this.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, September 5, 2005

By 

Kelly Graham "bibliophile" (Issaquah, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elsewhere (Hardcover)

I went to the book store the other day, and I was picking and choosing my way through the YA section when this one caught my eye. Glancing at the cover, it didn't look too much different from the others on the New Reads shelf, but one glance inside and I realized how special this book is.

Right in the store, I read the first few pages, making sure it wasn't another frothy, badly written popularity-and-such book. And it wasn't. I practically threw away the book I had specifically come to buy, and spent the entire night reading this instead. As someone else has already mentioned, I started crying near the end, and continued to do so for about ten minutes afterward. This book touches a nerve somewhere deep down, where we all wonder about death, life, and love. (And in case you're wondering, I've only cried at one book before, and no movies ever, so this is a big deal) This book is unassuming at first glance, but reading it made me think about the big things that I think we all wonder about, the things that book should be about. I am pleased that somebody still knows that YA books don't have to be trashy-teen-movie style. Read this book, it's fabulous.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waking Up Dead, October 17, 2005

By 

Angela J. Thorpe "desertprincess" (Alamogordo, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elsewhere (Hardcover)

Liz Hall wakes up dead one morning. That's definitely not the way to start off the day.

At first, she thinks it's all a dream, but then she remembers being hit by a car. The realization sets in that she'll never fall in love, never get her driver's license, and never see her family again. She spends her days on the observation deck where passengers can peek into the lives of their loved ones still alive. It takes Liz's dead grandmother to show Liz that death is worth living and that it's possible to have all the things she thought she'd lost even if she's going to have to live her life backwards.

A great young adult and older story about living life (or death) to the fullest.