Amazon.com Review
Product Description
Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . .
Amazon Exclusive: Alyson No?l on Radiance
When Jean Feiwel, Publishers of Feiwel & Friends and Square Fish, approached me to write a spin-off series starring Ever’s little ghostly sister, Riley, I jumped at the chance. I’d had so much fun creating her character in Radiance was the most fun I’ve ever had writing.
Amazon Exclusive: Jean Feiwel, Publisher of Feiwel & Friends and Square Fish, on Radiance
As a publisher, I read a lot. So I’m always on the lookout for a book that has an author’s special voice, a memorable story, an irresistible character. When I first read Alyson No?l’s Immortals series (which at that time was only Radiance on our Square Fish list and to have Alyson No?l in my life.
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8–Riley Bloom, 12, has crossed the bridge to "Here," the afterlife, leaving behind her teenage sister, Ever, in the Earth plane. In Here, the time is always Now, and Riley can manifest anything she wants by just imagining it. She is forced to take an honest look at her past life, find her new place, and learn her purpose. Bodhi, a "dorky guy," has been assigned as her guide to teach her everything she needs to reach the next level. Her yellow Lab will travel with her. She is assigned the duty of Soul Catcher and is responsible for making Earth-bound souls move on and cross the bridge to Here. Her first subject is Radiant Boy, a 10-year-old who has been haunting an English castle for years. Other Soul Catchers have tried and failed, but now it's time for Bodhi and Riley to help him. This new series is by the author of The Immortals (St Martin's Griffin, 2010), where readers first meet Ever and Riley. Narrating in a contemporary voice with an honest and comfortable cadence, Riley is imperfect, but always likable as she sweeps readers to her faraway land where she makes herself and readers assess their behaviors and, quite possibly, make adjustments. In the midst of this wildly fanciful setting, No?l is able to capture with nail-on-the-head accuracy common worries and concerns of today's tweens._Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego_
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