“Boo” is a fairly irreverent view of the hereafter told by thirteen year old Oliver Dalrymple. Boo (as Oliver is known) is writing a diary of his time in the Town, the place he ended up in after he passed away due to his “holey” heart. The diary is written in the form of letters to his mother and father whom he misses dearly.
Town is made up of only other thirteen year olds who have passed and they stay for fifty years without aging. What happens afterwards is up for speculation. As far as a heaven, this doesn’t seem to be what anyone would imagine as nirvana. Most would agree being stuck with a bunch of just turned teens could actually be rather hellish. On that, the book doesn’t disappoint.
Boo was very much a loner during his life in America but seems to be coming out of his shell in Town. He makes a number of friends, including Johnny, who was someone he knew during his previous life. Johnny remembers that both he and Boo were killed by Gunboy, thinks that Gunboy is in Town, and is determined to find the perpetrator and exact revenge. Boo is more hesitant about it but, as Johnny has become his best friend, he ends up assisting him in his search.
There is a bit of a murder mystery that goes on through the book. I figured it out very early in the book so, as a plot device, it was not a surprise for me at all. Otherwise, the book is pretty much what I think a young teen would find interesting. I was a bit surprised that the cursing was edited with * rather than complete spelling of four letter words. If you are going to use the words, why not spell them out?
The book was pretty good and I think most teens would like it. If you are offended by cursing or irreverence, it might not be the book for you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
