Staff Pick
You know all those books where the Chosen Ones are busy saving the world? This isn’t one of them. Ness gives us the story of what everyone else is doing. The Rest of Us Just Live Here is the tale of (more or less) ordinary teens growing up in a town where strange and mysterious world-shaking events occur. But it's other people's problems, not theirs. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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 worshiped by mountain lions.
Award-winning writer Patrick Ness's bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.
Review
“Patrick Ness is an insanely beautiful writer.” John Green
Review
"Magical, mysterious and breathtakingly suspenseful, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is an absolute marvel of imagination, invention, and heart. I truly couldnt put it down -- proof, once again, that Ness never disappoints." Michael Cart, author of My Father's Scar
Review
“Hilarious! And so, so clever. All the characters are beautifully drawn. This is one smart, warm book, both entertaining and thought-provoking.” Monica Edinger
Review
“Ness's deadpan sci-fi novel pokes fun at far-fetched futuristic fantasies while emphasizing the important victories of merely living. This memorable, moving, and often hilarious read is sure to be a hit.” Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
“Fresh, funny, and full of heart: not to be missed.” Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
“In this often-hilarious (and just as often poignant) parody of fantasy stories from Harry's to Buffy's, not everyone is a Chosen One, but 'everyone's got something'; everybody matters.” Horn Book Magazine
About the Author
Patrick Ness is the author of eight novels and a short story collection. He's best known for his books for young adults, including the Chaos Walking trilogy and More Than This. He won the Carnegie Medal—the highest award for children's books in the UK—twice in a row, for Monsters of Men and A Monster Calls. A Monster Calls was also the first book ever to simultaneously win the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration and the Carnegie Medal. Patrick has taught creative writing at Oxford University and is a literary critic for the Guardian. Born in Virginia, he lives in London.