About This Book
A parent would reach for this book when their middle or high schooler is wrestling with big questions about morality, the permanence of choices, or the gray areas between good and evil. While it is a fantasy about the afterlife, it functions as a deep exploration of how young people find their identity when the adults in their lives are no longer there to guide them. The story follows Nick and Allie as they navigate a world for dead children, facing a charismatic but dangerous leader named Mary who uses propaganda to control her followers. It is a sophisticated read for teens who enjoy dark, inventive world-building and stories that do not offer easy answers about right and wrong. Parents might choose it to help a child process complex themes of loyalty, the dangers of extremism, and the importance of personal agency.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
1. DISTRESS: The concept of 'skinjacking' involves taking over a living person's body without their consent, which can feel invasive and eerie. There is a scene where a character is 'extinguished' or permanently deleted from existence, which may be upsetting for readers sensitive to themes of total loss. The portrayal of Mary's cult-like manipulation of younger children is psychologically chilling. 2. CONVERSATION: Be ready to discuss propaganda and how leaders can manipulate the truth to gain power, specifically looking at Mary’s tactics. Parents may also need to talk about the ethics of Allie's choices regarding skinjacking: is it ever okay to use someone else's body if it's for a 'good' reason?
Ideal Reader
A 13-year-old reader who enjoys 'dark' fantasy like Unwind or Scythe and is interested in philosophical questions about the soul and the consequences of power.
Parent Prep
This is a direct sequel; the first book, Everlost, must be read first. Parents may want to preview the scenes involving Allie's struggle with the 'thrill' of skinjacking to discuss boundaries and consent. Parents may be concerned by the moral ambiguity of the protagonists or the depiction of a cult-like hierarchy among deceased children.
Age Experience
Younger readers (11-12) will focus on the cool 'ghost powers' and the adventure of the Hindenburg. Older teens will pick up on the political allegories and the complex romantic tensions.
What Makes It Special
Shusterman creates a unique 'physics' for his afterlife that feels tangible and rule-bound, making the stakes feel much higher than typical ghost stories.
Read plot summary
Everwild is the second installment in the Skinjacker trilogy. The story expands the world of Everlost, a limbo for children who didn't 'get where they were going' after death. Nick, known as the Chocolate Ogre, is leading a resistance against Mary Hightower, a fanatic who believes children should stay in Everlost forever. Mary uses the Hindenburg as her base to spread propaganda. Meanwhile, Allie discovers 'skinjacking,' the ability to inhabit the bodies of the living, and learns the dark costs and ethical dilemmas associated with this power. New characters like Zin and Milos introduce more complex layers of ghost-culture and the concept of 'extinction.'
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Mary Hightower believes she is protecting the children of Everlost. Does having good intentions make her a good leader, or do her actions prove otherwise?
2
Allie feels a 'seductive thrill' when skinjacking. Why is this power dangerous for her character, and what does it represent in the real world?
3
Nick is called the 'Chocolate Ogre' and is physically stained by the chocolate he died with. How does his physical appearance affect how others see him and how he sees himself?
4
The Afterlights live in 'memories' of places like the Hindenburg. If you were an Afterlight, what memory of a place or object would you want to live in?
5
Milos and Zin have very different views on how to treat the living. Who do you agree with more, and why?
