~ Trade Paperback
~ Winner of the QWF (Quebec Writer's Federation) Award for Fiction - 2015
Oliver Dalrymple, nicknamed 'Boo' because of his pale complexion and staticky hair, is an outcast at his Illinois middle school more interested in biology and chemistry than the friendship of other kids, but after a tragic accident, Boo wakes up to find himself in a very strange sort of heaven that has taken the form of a town populated only by thirteen-year-old Americans . . .
Instantly charming, never predictable, and quietly profound, Boo is part murder mystery, part coming-of-age story, and part existential adventure story about growing up, staying young and the never-ending heartbreak of being thirteen.
"Neil Smith’s version of the sweet hereafter shows not only that heaven can be hell, but answers the eternal question of whether it’s better to be dumber with friends or smarter without.” -- Zsuzsi Gartner, author of Better Living Through Plastic Explosives