Best Nerds Forever

by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein

Overview

Finn McAllister was a normal middle school nerd—now he’s a ghost with a big mystery to solve.

One minute, Finn was biking home from school, and the next, he was run off the road by a maniac in a big van. Now, he's a ghost. He can do lots of fun things, like try every ice cream flavor in the store, sneak up on people, and play as many video games as he wants. Finn even has a new ghost friend, Isabella, to show him the ropes. But he also has a lot of BIG questions, like: who wanted him dead? And can he stop the maniac from striking again? 

Packed with hilarious moments, epic friendships, and fun art, Best Nerds Forever celebrates the nerd in each of us and the joy of living life to its fullest. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316500241
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/03/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	5,560
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson's books have sold more than 375 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Hometown:

Palm Beach, Florida

Date of Birth:

March 22, 1947

Place of Birth:

Newburgh, New York

Education:

B.A., Manhattan College, 1969; M.A., Vanderbilt University, 1971

Website:

http://www.jamespatterson.com

Editorial Reviews

03/08/2021

Thirteen-year-old Finn McAllister is riding his bike a few days before middle school’s end when a speeding black van forces him over a cliff to his death. But the sharp rocks at the bottom aren’t the end for Finn, who remains on Earth as a ghost, offering wry commentary while viewing his family and friends. Instead of moving on to the afterlife, he stays to take care of unfinished business, such as determining who killed him. When he befriends fellow ghost Isabella Rojas, a quiet girl who vanished four months earlier, the two decide to handle their unfinished business together. As Finn dwells upon the “risk-averse, danger-avoiding life” his cautious insurance actuary father encouraged him to lead, he realizes that he regrets missing hijinks with his friends. With this chatty, introspective ghost story, Patterson and Grabenstein (Scaredy Cat) explore concepts such as regret, being ruled by fear, and embracing opportunity. However somber the premise, the creators inject a lively underlying current and a sense of optimism as the new friends make the most of their spectral status and face the unknown future. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2021-07-08
Two young ghosts with unfinished business in this world join forces.

Eighth grade cyclist Finn McAllister decides to undertake a search for the supposedly crazed driver who forced him off the road and over a cliff to his death, but he spends far more of his time attending his own funeral, hovering near his grieving family and his four besties to overhear conversations, and floating through school—skipping the girls’ restroom because he still has some standards—and positively hammering on the realization that wasting any of life’s opportunities can only lead to regret. He discovers that he can still taste ice cream, smell farts, skip stones in the local lake, and use a TV remote. He can also share thoughts with both the living and with Isabella Rojas, the ghost of a classmate who vanished several months previously but is still hanging around, although she is not sure why. Eventually, in a massively contrived climax that leaves both souls ready to move on, Finn comes up with a scheme to produce proof of Isabella’s death to bring closure to her mother and also absolves his hit-and-run driver of fault (for a reason readers will see coming). In this outing, the usually dynamic duo throws together an aimless ramble around a set of flimsy mysteries that fail to coalesce. Finn reads as White; Isabella is cued as Latinx. Final illustrations not seen.

Likely to sell in spades but a slipshod, slapdash outing from co-authors who usually have higher standards. (Paranormal fantasy. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Best Nerds Forever:

“Written with a balanced mix of comedy and insight...and the illustrations lend an added boost of humor. Readers will be rewarded through the very last page!”—Booklist

“Patterson and Grabenstein inject a lively underlying current and a sense of optimism as the new friends make the most of their spectral status and face the unknown future.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher