Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi - ADVISABLE

Whichwood (Furthermore, #2) by Tahereh Mafi, 360 pages.  Dutton Children’s Books (Penguin), 2017. $18.  

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Laylee is a mordeshoor, which is a person who uses magic to wash and bury the dead as a send-off into the afterlife.  Laylee is alone at this task, over-worked and under-appreciated.  She is behind on her work and has 40 unprepared bodies piling up.  If the bodies aren’t buried in time then they can take over a living body, so Laylee is under a lot of pressure.  When help arrives in the form of two strangers, Laylee has to learn to share some of her secrets and trust others.  

I loved this book, but I have always loved Mafi’s lyrical way with words.  The story deals a lot with dead bodies and ghosts, so it is morbid and at one point there is a gruesome description of ghosts taking over living bodies that made me cringe.  So although the cover looks like it’s for younger readers it’s content is appropriate for middle and high school age.  This is the second book in the series and hopefully there are more in this magical land.  I loved the creative setting and unusual characters.  This book isn’t for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.  

C. Peterson.