What if you could live forever?
So begins this newest release from the author of The Misadventures of Lightning Girl, a book Vivi really enjoyed when she read it a few years ago (September 2020). The first book in what appears to be a coming series, Forever Twelve tells the story of Ivy, a very smart 7th grader who is aspiring to get into a really tough private school, graduate in two years, go to college and then to law school, and someday end up with a seat on the United States Supreme Court, like her idol, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What she hadn't planned for was Abigail, her new roommate, who has a past unlike anything Ivy could have planned or prepared for. At times working together, and at other times working against each other, Ivy tries to alternately help and stay away from Abi as the story unfolds.
The entire book is not as confusing as it may sound here, and in fact it is a pretty smooth read. It reminds me a lot of an older book, Tuck Everlasting, in its underlying story line, and I can't say that author McAnulty does it better than Natalie Babbitt did with Tuck. In fact, The Evers doesn't really introduce anything new that other books haven't done before. That's not to say The Evers isn't a good book - it is! - but I wouldn't call it a great book. If I were to pick this up at a used bookstore or garage sale in paperback and read it, I'd be happy that I did. However, if I paid full price at a bookstore for the hardcover copy I might be a little disappointed. Luckily for you, you can check it out from the library, in hardback, for free!
The ending provides a nice twist, and I admit I looked forward to reading the next chapter whenever I had to attend to other things. But there isn't anything here you haven't read in other books, if you read a lot like I do. I do like McAnulty's writing - she's a solid storyteller. But I didn't find this as clever as Lightning Girl. Not sure if I'll go looking for the next book in the series, but maybe...3 paws and a wag.
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