About This Book
A parent would reach for this book when their child is facing a serious diagnosis or struggling with the terminal illness of a loved one. It offers a unique bridge for discussing the 'great unknown' through a lens of adventure rather than pure sorrow. The story follows Garth, a boy with an incurable heart condition, who is accidentally transported to the afterlife. While there, he reunites with his grandfather and discovers that even in a place defined by death, there is room for heroism and humor. Doug TenNapel uses a vibrant graphic novel format to explore heavy themes of mortality and legacy. It is best suited for middle grade readers who enjoy high stakes fantasy but are ready for deeper emotional reflection. You might choose this to help a child process their own health struggles or to provide a hopeful, secular framework for what it means to leave a mark on the world.
