Three Quarters Dead

Kerry Williamson is invisible. At least she thinks she is. Until one day, when three popular senior girls – Tanya, Mackenzie, and Natalie – start including her in their clique. After the trio is killed in a car crash, Kerry is once again alone. Or is she. Tanya texts her to come into New York City the night before prom. Is it possible? Could they still be alive?

PreTeen Reader (12):
Our pre-teen picked this up because she liked the picture of the three girls on the cover, and she likes eerie, ghost-story-like books. She got about halfway through, then jumped to the end. She said the middle was “too long.”

BTSYA / Teen Reader:
Three Quarters Dead is labeled “Children’s Fiction” but I recommend this novel to teens and older. The Halloween prank alone is frightening enough to cause nightmares, and should only be exposed to those ready to handle more adult topics such as death and abortion. I caution readers younger than high school age to read this book, as it may give a too extreme account of the high school experience.

Parent Perspective:
There ghost story elements of the book are intriguing and what keeps it alive (no pun intended). Unfortunately, Tanya is such a heavy-handed bully that the story lost its way. Kerry had great potential for becoming a positive character, but every time she started to show some depth, the growth was short-circuited by other events. I cheered for her for a long time, but in the end felt I’d wasted my time.