Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Charlotte often feels like no one can see her. She is tired of hearing, "sorry I didn't see you...". She has a plan. All summer she has been working out, dieting, honing in on fashion and beauty tips, and practicing for cheerleading tryouts. Charlotte knows this is her year, her last year at Hawthorne High, to get Damen to notice her.

It seems her dreams are coming true when Damen is not only paired up with her in Physics, but even asks her to tutor him! That's when things start to go downhill. She's so excited she chokes! Charlotte chokes to death on a gummy bear.

It turns out death is not the end of high school. Before she knows it, Charlotte is the newest member of the Dead Ed class. She is surrounded by teens who--even though they're dead--still have to graduate. She is issued a Deadiquette handbook, given a room at Hawthorne Manor, learns that she must give up her past, and learn from her mistakes in order to move onto whatever comes next. But Charlotte just can't let go.

Since she is now officially invisible, she decides to spy on Damen and his girfriend, Petula. Surprisingly, only Petula's sister, Scarlet, can see and hear Charlotte. The two strike up a friendship, but Charlotte has ulterior motives. She wants to possess Scarlet's body so Damen will take her to the Fall Ball.

Will her selfishness and unwillingness to let go put all of Dead Ed in jeopardy? Will Scarlet finally say enough is enough, and refuse to help her? Sometimes the search for popularity can leave you feeling empty. Hurley's book is not only entertaining, but visually stimulating. The illustrations throughout will entice reluctant readers, and delight those with a slightly goth sensibility.

"Perception vs. reality. In high school, they are pretty much the same thing. We put on makeup and football helmets, buy nose jobs and fast cars, all to reinforce perception and keep reality at bay. There might, in fact, be much more to someone than meets the eye, but in order to make such a discovery, you have to be willing to dig beneath the surface. Most people aren't, because it would upset the social order; but a few, very few, are,"(Hurley pg. 212, 2008).

*Library Link*


If you liked this, check out:
Ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley
Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Hurley, Tonya. (2008). Ghostgirl. Little, Brown and Company: New York, NY.