Welcome back!  Happy 2016!  Are you all having a great beginning to the new year?  Hopefully you’ve managed to get yours up to speed a bit quicker than mine…considering that this break was not supposed to last til the end of January!  However, I have been getting in lots of great writing time–priorities, yes?–and am so far keeping up with my pledge to write an average of 1k a day.  Woot!

Today our spotlight is swinging round to shine on I Text Dead People, by Rose Cooper.  This was one where the cover pulled me in, mostly out of curiosity.

It made me go–wha?  Which is a direct mirror of what the character seems to be saying, don’t you think?

However, it was the voice that made me stay.  I know the words ‘spot-on’ get used a lot, when referring to an author’s ability to capture the tween/teen voice, but this one really deserves it.  Annabel Craven is accustomed to being odd.  A bit overlooked.  And rather unlucky.  She’s hoping to change all that as she settles into her new school in the small town where she and her mother have moved after inheriting a spooky old mansion.  She’s off to a decent start, and even finds a phone to fill in for her broken cell til she can buy a new one.  Problem is, she found it in the graveyard, and dead people have her number.

Hijinks ensue, as one would expect them too!  The book has a lot of carryover from the movie I See Dead People, and has several tongue-in-cheek references.  However, whereas the movie went for a rather somber tone and jerked at the audiences heartstrings, this book is pretty much laugh-out-loud funny from cover to cover.  Yes, people die, and no, it won’t be for everyone.  But, it’s a quick, light read, funny as all get out, and, on the serious side, could easily open up a discussion of the price of popularity and the pain served up when teens turn on each other.

Now let’s see what Apricot-kitty, queen of the night, has to say:

“My favorite character was Lucy.  Given her flare for life and pizzazz, is it any surprise she was the only character with a cat?  As for the rest the teens…they were a bit typical.  If there hadn’t been dead people wandering around, they might have even been boring.  Is that why the author included so many ghosts?”

I’m gonna go with a yes, on that.  The addition of ghosts definitely made things livelier…but then, that was kind of the point of the book!  As far as originality goes, the title kind of sums it up.  Still, it was memorable, and as a fun read that will have broad appeal and work for both the eager younger readers and the reluctant older ones, this is one I think every library shelf would benefit from.

Let me say again how great it is to be back, and that I can’t wait to hear what all of you have been reading!  I’m also super excited about some writing projects and possible developments that I’ll share as soon as I’m able–and if the news is good.  Because one thing I’ve learned–these nibbles can go either way, but there’s always another fish swimming by. 😉  Until then, here’s to books!

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday reviews, interviews, spotlights and giveaways stop by Shannon Messenger’s blog, and happy MMGM!

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