GHOSTGIRL
Tonya Hurley
Little, Brown for Young Readers
Fiction
ISBN: 9780316113571
336 pages

Charlotte Usher has been working hard all summer. But unlike other kids, she doesn’t actually have a job. Instead, she’s busy working on her Popular Plan. Her new mantra becomes: “This year is different. This is my year.” The object of her desire? Damen Dylan. When she’s randomly chosen to be Damen’s lab partner in science class, she’s convinced that her plan to win his affections is already in motion. But then she chokes on a gummy bear and nobody even notices. She dies all alone.

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I awake, I pray the popular attend my wake.” Charlotte can’t get popularity off her mind, even in death. Plus, she now has to go from a normal living high school ruled by the queen bee, Petula Kensington --- Damen’s girlfriend (of course) --- to the dead kid school in the basement. Charlotte, along with the rest of the afterlife students, needs to graduate in order to move on from this in-between place.

The afterlife kids are in a school called Dead Ed, ruled by a Mr. Brain, who is there to teach them the lessons of Deadiquitte. But even in Dead Ed, Charlotte isn’t winning anyone over. She only befriends Piccolo Pam, who desperately tries to teach Charlotte the dos and don’ts of being a ghostgirl.

Plus, Charlotte still can’t get Damen off her mind. Then she has a brilliant idea. Using her new invisible status, she can follow him wherever he goes. She travels with him to his girlfriend Petula’s house where she meets Scarlet, Petula’s younger sister. Much to her surprise, she realizes that Scarlet --- in her funky, Goth glory --- is the only person who can actually see Charlotte.

Charlotte enlists Scarlet’s help to snare some of Damen’s attention and maybe, just maybe, finally get what she wants in the afterlife. But things are never as easy as they seem --- in life or in death.

GHOSTGIRL is a fun and quirky story that puts a whole new spin on the quest for popularity. Written by Tonya Hurley, a writer and acclaimed independent filmmaker, this debut novel packs a punch. The beautiful artwork and design add so much to the reading experience. This is a book that should not be missed, and I look forward to future installments of the series. RIP in popularity.

     --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.