Crow is an 11 year old boy who can no longer attend school because of the stench of his rotting skin. Crow tries his best to mask the smell with deodorant, but Crow is dead, his skin will not stop rotting and the maggots will not stop wriggling out of his ears. Crow is confused if he dead, then why does he still exist? Why is he still growing? His mother tells him it’s simply because she wished it, but will discuss it no further. Crow is determined to find out exactly how he became a corpse. After befriending Melody somebody he can finally trust, they go on a search for the truth leading to a dark and puzzling adventure that is not for the faint of heart. The first few chapters of dead boy are really quite dark and creepy. When the maggots are mentioned crawling out of Crow’s ear, even I was a little grossed out. But this story really does have much more to offer focusing on children’s negative feelings such as grief, low self esteem and loneliness to more positive feelings of building a friendship, trusting and working as a team. If you love Coraline by Neil Gaiman you are sure to enjoy this one. For more reviews, news, rare books & giveaways http://thefantasybookcollector.com