First published 2007
Jack Perdu lives quietly on Yale's campus with his father, a shy ninth grader who excels at classics but keeps to himself. After a serious accident nearly kills him, his father sends him to see a doctor in New York City, the place where his mother died eight years earlier. In the city, Jack encounters Euri, a mysterious girl who promises to reveal Grand Central Station's hidden secrets. She leads him into New York's Underworld, a realm where the city's dead remain until they're prepared to move forward. Jack sees this discovery as his opportunity to reunite with his mother. As Euri's own history comes to light, Jack learns the real purpose behind his journey to this ghostly realm. The story blends New York's buried past with its present reality, creating a supernatural world where Jack must navigate both magical dangers and his own grief.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, supernatural, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, supernatural-elements
Setting: Yale, New York City, Grand Central Station
Period: Contemporary
232 pages · Hardcover · Hyperion Books for Children
Content warnings: death