Title: The Girl Who
Came Back to Life
Author Name: Craig
Staufenberg
Author Bio: Craig
Staufenberg is a writer and filmmaker living in NYC.
Contact:
craig.staufenberg@gmail.com
Website:
craigstaufenberg.com
Author Links -
Book Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Self
Published
Release Date: April
16th, 2014
Book Description: When
you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead.
There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds
you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world.
After
her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits.
Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her
mother and father’s spirits back home with her.
Taking
the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by
train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and
oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet
the journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold
on to, when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.
Excerpt:
CHAPTER
1
SENDING
When
you die, your spirit wakes in the frozen north, in the City of
the
Dead, and waits there until someone comes along to Send you
to
the next world by telling you a simple and heartfelt “Goodbye.”
This
single word, spoken by someone who loves you, releases your soul from
this
world and lets you finish your journey to the next life.
The
City of the Dead is difficult, dangerous, and expensive to reach. You
must
join the steady stream of mourners who pour north at all times to
Send
their
loved ones, unwilling to let their dead wander forever through the
cold.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Synopsis:
When you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead. There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world.
After her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits. Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her mother and father’s spirits back home with her.
Taking the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to, when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.
After her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits. Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her mother and father’s spirits back home with her.
Taking the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to, when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.
Review:
I enjoyed reading this book and was able to do so in a few sittings. Like it had in the title, it was more of a fairytale complete with a moral of the story or lesson to be learned as Sophie struggled with friendships, dealing with grief and also saying good-bye. I thought the overall story was well written and would be good for someone a bit younger. I liked how the chapters were short and descriptive which helped the flow of the book and still kept my attention throughout the story.
