• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 May #1
  *Starred Review* Rescued from bullies by 17-year-old Nico, Brody, 15, immediately crushes on the beautiful older boy and is thrilled when Nico invites him to meet up the following Thursday. To Brody's amazement, Nico ushers him through a magical doorway into an alternative world, a demiparadise called Everland, where no one can be hurt, no one needs to sleep, no one can die, and no matter how long you stay, when you return to the real world, only moments have passed. Brody falls in love with Everland even as he is falling deeper in love with Nico, who is also gay. Meanwhile, in the real world, life is grim. Brody's dad is ill; his family is in dire financial straits; and—perhaps worst of all—Brody feels ignored by his parents and like he's always second best to his brilliant older brother. What if Brody could live with Nico in Everland, well, forever? Cameron's debt to Barrie's Peter Pan is obvious: Brody is referred to as a lost boy; he and Nico find a pirate ship in Everland. And yet the author is very much the master of her own original material. Everland is a lovely conceit amid beautifully realized worlds and wonderfully individual, empathetic characters. The result is a memorable fantasy to occupy a proud place on the shelf beside Peter and Wendy. Grades 7-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Sophie Cameron is a Scottish writer and author of Out of the Blue. She attended the University of Edinburgh and is now based in Spain, where she spends her time reading, running, and learning lots of languages.