The following is a book review by The Ameri Brit Mom. This post expresses the genuine opinion and experiences of The Ameri Brit Mom and is in no way endorsed by authors, publishers, and outside influences.
photo credit: drugscalledbooks.blogspot.com
Title: Bad Girls Don’t Die
Author: Katie Alender
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 2009
As a ninth grade English teacher I am oftentimes stretched in my own personal reading habits to include novels that my students are reading that may not be ones I would choose to read on my own. Over the past year I have heard several book reports on the book Bad Girls Don’t Die, and have even received requests to purchase the book for the classroom library. I will tell you I was relunctant. I’m not one to read horror, but I thought about how I am constantly trying to get my students to try new books and genres and decided to take my own advice. What could it hurt? The kids seem to like it and it would give me some talking points with some of the students that are a challenge to get to open up about reading.
This story is about Alexis Warren and her younger sister, Kasey. Their family lives in a large, old house in Surrey. Alexis enjoys photography and has her very own dark room for developing photographs in their home. Kasey is getting to the age where playing with dolls is no longer appropriate, but she has created an obsession with china dolls and has hoarded them within her bedroom. Neither Kasey nor Alexis possess a great number of friends. Both are outcasts and are strange according to their peers.
One autumn some unexplainable things begin happening in Alexis’ life. There is a car accident, broken air conditioner with a mind of its own, and a boy she can’t get off her mind. She turns to a girl from school, Megan, who is the leader of the Surrey High Cheerleading Squad. Through these strange happenings the girls learn that there is a connection between them and their families. This chilling discovery leads them to encounter ghosts, demons, and haunting events of the past.
I found the mystery of this novel appealing. Once Alexis began to research family history and the events of the past in her town I was extremely interested in an explantion for what was going on. For those who enjoy a creepy scene or two you would also have enjoyed the plot line involving possessions and hauntings.
On my own I probably would not have chosen this book solely on the fact that I would never consider horror/paranormal fiction to be amongst my favorite, but it is good to branch out and read a variety to shake things up. Overall, this was a quick and enticing read. I would recommend it to upper middle school and freshman students. There is some high school drama early in the book that I know many of them will relate to.
The Ameri Brit Mom 