SPOIL FREE SUMMARY
May has her own problems to deal with, like fitting in. But when she accidentally gets transported to the land of the dead, called the “Ever after” she discovers she is in danger. And she has to get home as soon as possible. But this is harder than she thinks.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
May is a quiet, introverted girl who would rather spend time with animals than people, or in the woods than at the mall. She has little confidence in herself and knows that other kids think her weird. She is set up pretty early as a victim, not just of the teasing of other children but the attempts of her mom to help, which harm more than anything.
Pumpkin is a house ghost who has lived in May Bird's house for a long time. He is called so for his weird shaped head. He is rather dramatic and cowardly. Even so, he does seem to want to be friends with May and attempts to help her.
Fabbio is a dead soldier who has taken it upon himself to look after a young girl named Bea.
Bea is a young girl who has spent her afterlife trying to find her mother. This is of the utmost importance to her.
Somber Kitty is May's only friend. She originally didn't like him, as her previous cat had died and she didn't wish to try and replace him. He is protective of his owner.
Lucius is a young boy that May meets. She works hard to encourage him when she learns about his circumstances.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH MAY?
May's mom spends most of her time worried about May, and I didn't quite get why. The main problem is that she has no friends. But her mom never thinks that its the other children who may be the problem.
Maybe some are bullies; Maybe she generally has nothing in common with them. Perhaps she is a tomboy in a school of girlie-girls? She does live in a small town after all. Her mom's concern didn't seem warranted until later when May starts having very strange behavior (which she has never had before).
May's mom says something about May needing to be somewhere more “average” and May thinks she means she wants her to be more “average”. Just why does May's mom not like her daughter's eccentricities? I wish this had been delved into more.
MAY'S DAD, WHERE IS HE?
May is raised by her single mom. But there is no reference to a dad, not one. I found that odd, seeing how no child is unaffected by the loss of a parent. It needn't have been a big part of the book, just a simple sentence, referencing that he had passed away in an accident, or they had divorced when May was still a baby. Or something. The complete ignoring of such an important topic (again, it didn't have to be, but it could as least clarify the matter).
If this had been mentioned, it could have added dimension to May's character. Maybe her mom was much more feminine, as opposed to May's boyish characteristics. Or maybe it's not that, it's the fact that her mom is much more practical and routine, while May is whimsical and imaginative.
May could easily dream of a father she had never met and idealize him, thereby putting a wall between her mom's attempts to help her.
FRIENDS NOW?
There is a moment where May almost touches some water, only to have Pumpkin stop her by yelling at her. He says touching it will transfer you to another place, a dangerous one. He admits he was supposed to tell her about it. It was such a dramatic reveal that when he asks for a hug afterwards, I just thought it was awkward. Like Pumpkin was mentally slow. I didn't know what to feel about him.
PACING
The pacing isn't the fastest. But the story doesn't take too much time to explain May's problems about fitting in and her Mother's worries. We see them evolve, becoming much more extreme until we know something must happen. And before that, we get a short history of the house, and how people have disappeared.
To be fair, after the story gets into full swing, many of the chapters cut off at exciting parts. This does help push the story forward at certain points.
A GUIDE FOR MAY
Both Pumpkin and Arista (his master) serve as guides to May. Pumpkin helps her get to Arista and escape those chasing them. While Arista informs May about the danger she is in and why.
MAY AND BEA
When May meets Bea, she realizes she is nothing like all of the girls she knows. And that she already feels comfortable with her. I felt like this was lazy. May was young and had been hurt before. She had never had a real friend, so most likely she would be defensive, detached, or hesitant to trust anyone.
HOPE FOR MAY-SPOILERS
The main goal of the story is to get to the Lady, the one who sent May the letter asking for help. Apparently only she can help get May home and all of her hopes rest in her. Only she sounds kind of scary, or at least intimidating.
But before that we have another task, which is the main thrust of this story, to attain a book.
ARTISTIC DIFFERENCES
This is a subjective note, and has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the story. It was just something strange that I noticed. The art on the cover and throughout the book does not match. Not even close. The cover art features a cartoonish, big eyed May, who looks anxious, with her arms crossed. Her hair is loose and wild.
However, in the book, the art is rather serious looking. May has straight black bangs and a straight bob, reminiscent of a Japanese school girl.It was just such a contrast. Every illustration looked serious and eerie. While the cover art is whimsy and childish. I only mention it because it was so incongruous. It seemed to represent a completely different interpretation of the story. More in line with Coraline than May Bird.
KITTY'S STORY-SPOILERS
The story is mainly on May, but there are a portion of short scenes where we see where Somber kitty is and what he's doing. Turns out he was worried about May, so he followed her.
To be honest, I didn't have much interest in his stories. Some of the humor was odd to me, and I kept wondering why we needed this cat at all. I just didn't care what happened to the cat, as bad as that sounds.
HUMOR
The story, in general, doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes, May is in serious danger, but the story never gets too dark. And it doesn't deal with too serious issues (this can be a strength or a weakness). There were plenty of moments that made me smile. And the humor was original and inserted at the right parts, for most of the time.
THE BETRAYAL
Turns out a character that May meets ends up betraying her near the end of the book. I wasn't shocked, as this character didn't seem completely caring. He hadn't put on a big act, so I wasn't taken aback at this reveal. There were a few hints, but nothing overwhelming I suppose.
FORESHADOWING
There is a good use of Somber kitty, that reveals why he was so important. Even if his story portions were rather dull to me. Also, May has a piece of quartz in her pocket that is revealed to be of use. Sure enough, May gets to use it, allowing her to show initiative and bravery. And letting her happen to the story, and not the story happen to her.
MAY THE HERO
In the beginning of the story, May gets a letter, asking for help. She is surprised and intrigued that anyone would think she could be of use. But when she enters the Ever after this only adds to her anxiety. She is no hero. She isn't remotely brave. She can't even get herself to be bold and make friends.
So an inner conflict is set up already. We wonder how May will change, if it will be hard and if she will fight it.
A SECRET-SPOILERS
May doesn't tell Pumpkin that she got a letter from the Lady, asking for help. I thought this was presented in order for him to find out later, and his trust in May would evaporate. Or it would at least cause some tension. But this doesn't materialize. Maybe it was just supposed to show May's hesitation at being seen as some sort of hero.
THE VILLAINS
The villain of the book is Bo Cleevil. But the Bogey, a creature that works for him is in charge of hunting down May. We don't really see either of them and sometimes they are talked about with some humorous aspects. Which kinds of detracts from taking them seriously.
CLIMAX
With our group fully formed, they are hunted down by dogs, only to have the day saved by a surprising ally. They continue on to meet the Lady and plans are made for May to escape which wont happen until the sequel.
CONCLUSION
May is a likable character and the world that Anderson creates is original and full of humor. The pacing is slightly slow at first but doesn't bother me. My main problem is the lack of depth in relationships, mainly being between May and her mother, but also between May and Bea. There wasn't really time to form a relationship with Lucius.
I give “May Bird and the ever after” three stars.
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