The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Author(s): Patrick Ness

Young Adult

Six starred reviews   A bold and irreverent YA novel that powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable, The Rest of Just Live Here is from novelist Patrick Ness, author of the Carnegie Medal- and Kate Greenaway Medal-winning A Monster Calls and the critically acclaimed Chaos Walking trilogy.   What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions. ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults * Cooperative Children's Book Center CCBC Choice * Michael Printz Award shortlist * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * VOYA Perfect Ten * NYPL Top Ten Best Books of the Year for Teens * Chicago Public Library Best Teen Books of the Year * Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books * ABC Best Books for Children * Bank Street Best Books List


Product Information

Shortlisted for "The Bookseller" YA Book Prize 2016.

What if you weren't the Chosen One? The one supposed to fight the Zombies or the soul eating ghosts? What if you have problems bigger than the end of the world, and just want to graduate and go to prom? This is a novel about ordinary kids, their hopes, dreams and relationships, while the indies kids run around saving humanity in the background. Ness is a writer who always surprises and this won't disappoint. I greatly enjoyed the subversion of YA tropes - the chapter descriptions are a particular delight - but the warmth of the relationships stood out for me: siblings, friends and lovers. Smart, funny and original. Don't miss it. -- Fiona Noble The Bookseller

This book is so excellent. So beautiful. So honest and so painful ... Ultimately, The Rest of Us is a story of the hope, fear, anxiety and uncertainty that comes with the end of childhood and the trepidation that comes with stepping into the life of adulthood. It condenses the pressures that young people feel at this stage of their life - both from the outside and from the inside, and weaves this sense of melancholy into the very bones of the words it uses. It also portrays mental illness in a blunt, honest and painful way that helps to break up stigmas and stereotypes. OCD is not liking your books in alphabetical order - it's a dangerous and debilitating disease. In this way, as well others, Ness has created a diversity in his characters that so many books still beg for, and certainly that the community is crying out for. -- Shinra Alpha

I thoroughly enjoyed The Rest of Us Just Live Here as it truly tapped into the minds of all these individual voices and showed us how it can feel to be lost amongst people. -- SisterSpooky

This is Ness at his best. -- Marilyn Brocclehurst The Bookseller

A new Patrick Ness novel is always an event and this smart, funny book is a highlight of the year for me. -- Fiona Noble The Bookseller

This is a brave, refreshing multi-layered novel from an award-winning author. -- Carousel

If you're getting tired of the romantic tropes and general Chosen One vibes coming from YA books, then you'll love The Rest of Us Just Live Here. It provides a great tongue-in-cheek commentary to many popular series, but in a way that even fans like me can appreciate and enjoy. The cast is well-written and diverse. Not everything is tied up at the end, but in life it never is. I'd normally recommend a book 'for fans of', but I can't think of another book quite like this - I'm going to be throwing it at any and every person I come across who expresses a vague interest in reading. And all the others, too. I'm just going to recommend it to everyone, okay? It was an ambitious idea, but it was funny and angsty and heartwarming and I absolutely loved it. The Guardian Online

The characters of Mikey and his friends are so well drawn that we are fundamentally not that interested in the otherworldly goings-on of the Indie kids, but that, of course, is the point of the story [...] This is a thoroughly satisfying read, and is highly recommended. -- Amanda Bell Inis

One of 2015's best YA novels The Bookseller

Ness's status as one of our finest authors for young adults is reinforced by this original and bold coming-of-age story in which he sets authentic teenage characters - and their self-absorbed emotions - against a backdrop of mysterious supernatural battles... This is a clever, witty and warm celebration of the battle to survive adolescence. The Daily Mail

In this smart, funny and entertaining novel, Ness successfully challenges the notion that real life is elsewhere. The Daily Telegraph

Exploring the transitional moment from school to university, this novel is full of hope, empathy and how it feels to be young. The Sunday Times

Patrick Ness is the award-winning and best-selling author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, A Monster Calls and More Than This. John Green has described him as "an insanely beautiful writer". He has won every major prize in children's fiction, including the Carnegie Medal twice. He's written the film of A Monster Calls as well, out 2016. He lives in London.

General Fields

  • : 9781406365566
  • : Walker Books Australia Pty, Limited
  • : Walker Books Australia
  • : 0.281
  • : March 2016
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : May 2016
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Patrick Ness
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : 813.6
  • : 343
  • : YFB