Book details
Etgoma - Author
The story combines contemporary war with Slavic folklore: the girls meet Mara, a guide to the Beyond, after the war-tortured dead become unable to see her. Ghosts, friendship and belonging feature alongside the protagonists’ struggle to survive.
Book Analysis
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Sign in for personalised guidanceHow the book presents it: The book presents this favourably.
Talk about: What do the girls and Mara come to offer one another?
How the book presents it: The fantasy premise links the effects of war with a supernatural interruption to the passage of the dead.
Talk about: How does the supernatural story shape the way the novel approaches death and life during war?
It may suit a reader interested in fantasy rooted in Slavic folklore, with a serious contemporary-war setting and questions of life, death and connection rather than a purely escapist adventure.
War and death are central: the girls face daily danger from bombings, and the story includes war-tortured dead and ghosts. Consider whether this sustained focus would feel difficult for your reader.
How does meeting the girls change Mara’s understanding of the living, and what do you think the story suggests about friendship when people are facing danger?
Check in as you read the war scenes, then allow space to talk about how the folklore and ghost elements shape the story’s treatment of death. You could also pause to compare Mara’s perspective with the girls’.
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
Until Death Taps You on the Shoulder - Etgoma - Google Books
Limited information
Checked: 3 October 2026.
Relevant to: Friendship and belonging amid danger; War and the supernatural
Until Death Taps You on the Shoulder by Etgoma | Open Library
Limited information
Checked: 3 October 2026.
Relevant to: War and the supernatural
Benefits, discussion questions and reading approaches are suggestions. Your knowledge of your child remains part of the decision.
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