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The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books |
| The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based booklist
available as an online-only Bulletin feature. Since we're awfully
fond of bakers here at the Bulletin, we thought we'd adopt their
philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or two when we have them
to offer--so don't expect an even dozen. Please feel free to copy, download,
or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source. See the archive for lists from previous months.
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The View from Beyond: A Paranormal Dozen There are plenty of books about "outsiders" for children and young adults; usually these are nonconformist novels about someone who doesn't fit a social norm. The books in this dozen, however, portray a whole different—and much more shiver-inducing—type of outsider: beings who are literally outside of their own worlds or eras; those who have passed into death; those who have traveled outside of their own time; and those who are attempting to make sense of a new reality. These novels, each from the perspectives of ones who are not with us, try to answer the unanswerable about human's place in time, death, and the beyond. Read on for thought-provoking perspectives plus plenty of supernatural thrills and chills. |
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Bond, Nancy. Another Shore. McElderry, 1988. Gr. 7 up
In her seventeenth summer, Lyn is transported to the 1744 Nova Scotian past; somehow, she is accepted as town local Elizabeth Bernard, but she struggles with the constraints and dangers of the time and searches for a way back to the present. (BCCB 10/88)
Colfer, Eoin. The Wish List. Miramax/Hyperion, 2003. Gr. 6-10
When Meg arrives at her final judgment, her tally of good and evil points comes out exactly even, and St. Peter sends her back to Earth for a chance to tip the balance. (BCCB 12/03)
Goble, Paul. Beyond the Ridge; written and illus. by Paul Goble. Bradbury Press, 1989. Gr. 1-3
The journey of a dying old woman's spirit over the ridge and into death is traced in this portrayal of the Plains Indians' beliefs about the afterlife. (BCCB 6/89)
Hahn, Mary Downing. The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story. Clarion, 2004. Gr. 4-6
Diana and her brother Georgie have a terrible secret—they are ghosts, bound to stay on the old Willis property and restricted from interacting with the living, until a new girl, Lissa, moves in and may hold the key to their escape. (BCCB 11/04)
Hautman, Pete. Mr. Was. Simon, 1996. Gr. 7-12
After his grandfather dies, Jack discovers a window through time in the old man's house and travels back to Guadalcanal, later realizing that his romantic interest there is really his young grandmother, and his enemy his grandfather. (BCCB 11/96)
Machado, Ana Maria. From Another World; tr. from the Portuguese by Luisa Baeta; illus. by Lúcia Brandão. Groundwood, 2005. Gr. 5-7
Brazilian teen Mariano and his friends encounter a ghost child who was a slave during the nineteenth century, and she recounts the tragic tale of her family's death. (BCCB 4/05)
Page, John. Rewind. Walker, 2005. Gr.7-10
When an accident during the Battle of the Bands mortally wounds drummer Liam, his ghost travels through the past and encounters his young parents' band, leading to a startling revelation. (BCCB 9/05)
Shearer, Alex. The Great Blue Yonder. Clarion, 2002. Gr. 5-9
Humor underlies this look at the afterlife, where "being dead is mostly paperwork"; alongside the humor is a moving story about healing, as Harry tries to soothe his sister's guilt. (BCCB 6/02)
Soto, Gary. The Afterlife. Harcourt, 2003. Gr. 6-10
Seventeen-year-old Chuy's life ends when he is stabbed at a dance, but his ghost lives on and travels through the city for a last revisiting. (BCCB 10/03)
Wallace, Rich. Restless: A Ghost's Story. Viking, 2003. Gr. 8-12
A run through a local cemetery leads teenage athlete Herbie into an encounter with the ghost of his deceased brother Frank, who is revealed as the narrator of the tale. (BCCB 10/03)
Whitcomb, Laura. A Certain Slant of Light. Graphia/Houghton, 2005. Gr. 7-12
Two ghosts—one inhabiting a body and one merely a spirit—fall in love and search for a way to be together in this look at romance beyond the grave. (BCCB 9/05)
Woodson, Jacqueline. Behind You. Putnam, 2004. Gr. 7-10
Teen Jeremiah ('Miah) was killed at the end of If You Come Softly (BCCB 10/98), and in this sequel he watches from beyond as his family and girlfriend deal with the aftermath of his tragic end. (BCCB 5/04)
Zevin, Gabrielle. Elsewhere. Farrar, 2005. Gr. 7-12
In Elsewhere—Liz's idyllic resting place after being killed in a hit-and-run accident—souls spend their time aging backward until they become babies again, when they are sent back to Earth to start over. (BCCB 9/05)
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