Dead Boy [Paperback]

Fans of Neil Gaiman’sThe Graveyard Bookwill embrace this darkly funny novel!

Crow isn't like the other kids. He stinks. He’s got maggots. His body parts fall off at inopportune moments. (His mom always sews them back on, though.) And he hasn’t been able to sleep in years. Not since waking up from death.
 
But worse than the maggots is how lonely Crow feels. When Melody Plympton moves in next door, Crow can’t resist the chance to finally make a friend. With Melody around he may even have a shot at getting his life back from the mysterious wish-granting creature living in the park. But first there are tests to pass. And it will mean risking the only friend he’s had in years.
 
Debut author Laurel Gale’s story about friendship fulfilled may be the most moving—and most macabre—yet.
 
Praise forDead Boy
“A stinky, creepy tale for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Gale takes readers on a dark and surprisingly funny journey. . . . A great recommendation to middle grade fans of dark humor.” —School Library Journal

Dead Boyis Laurel Gale’s first novel. Gale says, “I wondered what it would be like for a ‘live’ dead boy to try to make friends. I had no idea what would happen next, so I kept writing to find out.” Like Crow, Gale resides in the Nevada desert. She lives with her husband and a band of furry monsters that might actually be ferrets. You can visit Laurel online at laurelgale.com.

Chapter One

Being dead stank. Cuts didn’t heal. Hair fell out and didn’t grow back. Maggots burrowed in the stomach, which couldn’t have digested anything anyway. And then there was the actual stink. The smell. The stench of rotting flesh. No matter how much spray-on deodorant Crow Darlingson usel"