May Bird and the Ever After

Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten. There, she is safe from school and the taunts and teases of kids who don't understand her. Hidden in the trees, May is a warrior princess, and her cat, Somber Kitty, is her brave guardian.
Then May falls into the lake.
When she crawls out, May finds herself in a world that most certainly does not feel like a fuzzy mitten. In fact it is a place few living people have ever seen. Here, towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people -- people? -- walk through walls. Here the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifyingly evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into show more nothing.
May Bird must get out.
Fast. show less

May Bird and the Ever After is a trilogy about a ten year old girl who one night gets dragged into an enchanted lake and wakes up in Ever After, a place of the dead and a place of danger. A place she ought not to be with the ever present bogeyman hunting for 'Live Ones.'
Befriending a spirit named Pumpkin who had saved her from becoming really dead, she sets off to find the book of the dead, a book that can give her the answer to getting home.

May stats out as a low self esteemed child who has only one friend, her melancholy Sphinx and with her mother pressuring her to go boarding school to help her change she really doesn't see anything good in who she is until she makes friends in Ever After and confronts all fearful things before show more her.


This story has a great character development and a fantastic unique story, admittedly I found characters such as Pumpkin to be described to match spot on that of the Nightmare Before Christmas character Jack, and May to be like Coraline (which after checking the publishing date found was coincidence as this book was made first.) However with characters like Somber Kitty the Sphinx and Bogey, the author really does show this was a book of its own creation.
While May does seemingly glide through Ever After without much distress some of the characters are quite grotesque and the few parts she has problems are great nail biting moments.



I really enjoyed this book, its a refreshing read to say the least. However my main annoyance was Pumpkin with his lack of fighting spirit, I found his whining and fear to be a downfall to the story and the few parts he does show courage doesn't really make me think better of him.

Also before reading this book, I have been pestering my partner for a Sphinx as i find them rather adorable, reading this book just makes me want one so much more and when I discovered Somber Kitty was a Sphinx I couldn't help but use it as an excuse to say its a sign that I should get one ;]

Already ordered book 2! show less

I felt some empathy for May Bird, and her life, but what really drew me into this book was curiosity about the Ever After and ghosts and everything that goes along with it, which was fascinating.

I also have to admit, I dearly loved Somber Kitty (even if not especially in those moments early in the book when he seems to merely frustrate and exasperate May herself with his loyalty and affection) and I loved that we got to follow pieces of his adventure along with May's. The narrow escape and high drama at the end of the book captured my attention and emotion more when it focused on poor, alone Somber Kitty than on the other group, to be honest.

I was only mildly frustrated when I reached the end of the book and found that I evidently show more should have made sure to have book two on hand to begin immediately. I knew it was part of a series, but I didn't know it was going to be one of those that ends on not-quite-a-cliffhanger! show less

I thought this an excellent children's book - one of the most original I've read. It's written with a breezy, witty style that lulls you into the unexpectedly lively land of the dead. Somber Kitty is just one of many characters rich in eccentricity. The sequence of events is so unusual, so fabulously described and so unexpected, this book was really a pleasure to read. I've just bought the sequel so I can follow May on her journey.

This book is amazing. No doubts, no exceptions. It's hard to imagine that this book came out so long ago, yet surpasses many young adult novels to date. Its dark, its gross, its a young child's nightmare, and you know what. I love this book. It's not filled with swears, its not gory to the core. Instead its something more. A wondrous book filled with memorable characters, May Bird and The Ever After has one of the most original and darkest setting to date. Not to mention its sequels are sequels done right.

May Bird is a young girl who doesn't seem to fit in right with the social world. She enjoys exploring her woods and pretending she's a warrior princess in her black bathing suit. Along with her hairless cat, she finds a mystical portal show more to the underworld, called The Ever After, in her woods. From there, she is thrown into the world of ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and other monsters children hide from at night. She then meets her guardian spirit, Pumpkin, and takes her on an amazing adventure, meeting all sorts of people, who help along the way to get this little girl back home. Pretty cool right? I was enthralled with this story for the longest time, and I still am. It made you want to be a part of her adventure through the land of the afterlife. The characters and actions never cease to amaze me, and show great development, most notably, May, as she turns into a frightened young girl, into a strong willed warrior.

I cannot reccomend this series enough. It's one of the most underrated novels, let alone series, and should be defiantly read sometime in your lifetime. It's dark, humorous, and portrays characters that we can relate to. I've been meaning to do this review for the longest time, and now I can proudly say this is my favorite book series of my life so far. So go read it. Like now. It's that good. show less

May Bird feels uncomfortable at school due to the taunts and teasing from the kids who don't understand her. For her, the woods are a comfortable place, where she can be a brave warrior princess and Somber Kitty, her cat, her guardian.

When May accidentally falls into the lake, she finds herself in another world when she climbs out. Not comfortable, like the woods, but dangerous and filled with very strange people. There is a blue glow to the place and the people don't seem to be real. In fact, they seem to glide a few inches above the ground when they move, and can appear, disappear and walk through walls.

She is befriended by Pumpkin, a house ghost who is even more timid than May feels. He is to accompany her on a quest to get to the show more Far North to help the Lady of the North, per her letter of request. A letter that May found in a dusty old book.

May must not be discovered by any of the ghouls, ghosts, goblins and other strange creatures that inhabit this strange world. Especially the Bogey and his Shuck dogs as he will make May disappear.

During this journey, May finds that she does have courage and can do things. She also finds friends who care about her.

I am not a big fantasy reader, but I will definitely look for the other books in the series so I can read them to find out what else happens to May. show less

The beginning is good, the beginning of the middle is kind of meh, the rest of the middle is good, and the ending is spectacular. For the last fifty pages, I couldn't put it down. The adventure and world of the Ever After is just so wonderful and fun and the characters are so cool. It's the kind of ending that leaves me with a grin on my face. Jodi Lynn Anderson does all the right things with her plot, and boy does she know how to tie everything together (and still leave it in a bit of a cliffhanger)!

I really don't remember it being this good when I read it four years ago, but it sure is -good-.