Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Charlotte is eager to start school this year, certain that this will be the year she will achieve popularity and catch the eye of Damen, her longtime crush. But all her carefully laid plans fall apart when she dies—by choking on a gummy bear! Now she's sent to Dead Ed, a school for dead teens, and must follow deadiquette until she can cross over. But Charlotte is still determined to catch Damen's attention, alive or not, and to do so, she'll have to enlist the help of an unlikely ally…

Darkly funny and chocked full of puns and tongue in cheek humor, Tonya Hurley's Ghostgirl is a unique read that will entice younger and more reluctant readers. Hurley's novel is quite imaginative and detailed, and she's quick to answer all those little "what ifs?" that come to mind when Charlotte first dies. The dynamics between Charlotte and Scarlet, her liaison to the world of the land of the living, are neat and will leave readers laughing, and Scarlet even becomes more of a central character towards the end of the story. Though the book doesn't focus too much on other significant aspects of life that one would expect Charlotte to be experiencing, Hurley does a commendable job at capturing how tough it can be for teens today and the invisibility they feel. Though there wasn't very much character development, the ending is surprising, and will certainly elicit more than a few laughs, making readers eager for the sequel.

Cover Comments: The cover for this book is just so cool! It's hardcover, with die cuts and embosing, and a really pretty swirly flower design in pink and black that continues throughout the pages of the book. The longer shape of the book is really unique too, and certainly memorable!