Charlotte Usher, a.k.a. ghostgirl, discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she expected when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. She may be dead, but the phone lines sure aren't. So, when duty calls, Charlotte has to take the risk of a lifetime—or call it quits for good.

Praise for ghostgirl:

* Polished dark-and-deadpan humor, it's a natural fit with Gen Y, too.—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

* [Tonya] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying.—Kirkus (starred review)

*Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read.—School Library Journal (starred review)

* Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley's crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following. —VOYA (starred review)

Before recently departed Charlotte Usher, aka Ghostgirl, can fully realize her afterlife, she needs to turn a good deed for the living. Opportunity arises when Petula, everyone's fiercest competition for being noticed at Hawthorne High, falls into a coma as a result of a pedicure-induced staph infection. Petula's younger sister Scarlet—who is also Charlotte's connection to the living world—strives to save her sister despite her disgust for Petula's superficial beauty. Nothing is as easy as it seems, however, and both Charlotte and Scarlet need to negotiate the various dynamics of their relationships to achieve their goals. For Charlotte, it means figuring out her loyalties to new girlfriends in her post-life existence. Scarlet's case largely hangs on testing the strength of her relationship with Hawthorne High alum, heartthrob Damen, who threw off Petula for Scarlet before leaving for college and is now back in time for homecoming. Hurley's premise is promising, but its execution falls short of the success of her first, Ghostgirl: Rest in Popularity (Little, Brown, 2008/VOYA August 2008), in which Charlotte suffers her demise after downing a Gummi bear. Unfortunately her revisit of Charlotte, Scarlet, Petula, and a cast of supporting characters—some living, others not—lacks the absurdity of its predecessor. The vicious posturing in the living and dead social hierarchies is just that—vicious and not particularly funny. Fans of Ghostgirl will want to get their hands on this follow-up, but they are also likely to be disappointed. Reviewer: Lauri Vaughan

Categories:

• Teen & Young Adult
  
  
  • Science Fiction & Fantasy
    
    
    • Horror
      • Ghosts