7 YA Books About Life After Death
We’ve all experienced the pain of watching our favorite characters die on the page. We follow their journey, hoping against all odds that they will survive, and we’re crushed if they don’t. But what about the books that begin with the death of a main character? Our introduction to the story is in their afterlife, like NBC’s fabulous show, The Good Place. If you’re ready for a different set of stakes, try these 7 YA books all about life after death.
The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand
Do you think your afterlife with a splash of holiday festivity? Cynthia Hand’s latest, The Afterlife of Holly Chase, follows Holly, a young girl who didn’t heed the legendary Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Now, she’s dead, and her afterlife is spent working for Project Scrooge as the new Ghost of Christmas Past. It’s not so fun watching her family and friends move on, dealing with a new grouch year after year. But one year, everything changes, and the afterlife is getting a new twist on life, so to speak.
When I Cast Your Shadow, by Sarah Porter
If you died, what would you want to spend your time doing? For Dashiell Bohnacker, his answer would be haunting his sister, Ruby. Ruby doesn’t know what to do with the dead brother who made her life complicated, and her twin, Everett, is determined to save her from their older brother. But Dashiell isn’t doing so well in the Land of the Dead, and his siblings may be the perfect bargaining chips.
It’s a Wonderful Death, by Sarah J. Schmitt
When a distracted Grim Reaper accidentally takes RJ’s soul, she’s Not Happy. Determined to get back to living, she becomes trapped in a game between Death and an archangel. She is given only two options: remaining in a sort of limbo where she will eventually be processed, or replaying three moments from her life to argue her case for being worthy returning to the living. As the line between life and death becomes thicker and thicker, RJ has to decide who she wants to be and if she’s capable of change.
The Girl from the Well, by Rin Chupeco
Okiku isn’t new to death. In fact, she’s been dead for centuries, saving other spirits and taking the lives of murderers. When she meets Tark, she discovers something different: an evil living inside of him that wants to break free. In order to save him, she also has to kill him…an idea that becomes more and more difficult the more she interacts with him. As a spirit of vengeance, can she save the only friend she’s had in years?
Liv, Forever, by Amy Talkington
Just when Liv Bloom’s life is getting good, she is brutally murdered at her new school, Wickham Hall. As it turns out, she’s not the only one who has been murdered there, either. Now that she can see all the ghosts, it’s going to be up to her and her friends, Gabe and Malcolm, to figure out who is behind these atrocious acts…and how to stop them before it’s too late.
Everlost, by Neal Shusterman
Instead of any sort of good place or bad place after death, Nick and Allie are in the Everlost, an upside down-esque place where magic and dangers run side by side. When they find a type of sanctuary with Mary, the ruler of the lost kids, Nick is ready to stay and make a new life in death. But Allie doesn’t want to spend her afterlife in limbo, especially when they discover a monster known as McGill that is eager for the souls of the Everlost.
Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin
Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere is an afterlife classic. Liz Hall dies and wakes up in Elsewhere, a place similar to Earth but without sickness or aging. In Elsewhere, Liz will age backwards instead of forward, beginning with her death day. Her time will now be facing emerging puberty again, middle school, learning to walk, etc. But Liz doesn’t want that. She was looking forward to getting older, getting her license, and seeing more of the world. Liz has to learn if she can move on while moving back.