Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

So how many books did you read this summer? What!? And how many days are there until school starts? Unless you want to start the year with a zero, you’d better get moving.

I suggest Katie Alender’s, Bad Girls Don’t Die. Main character Alexis Warren isn’t having a good year. Her parents seem to be missing (not literally; they’re just working a lot), her best friend has moved, and she is surrounded by the typical high school idiots - cheerleaders and assorted misfits. So what, you ask? Sounds like my life, you say? Well sure. Did I mention that her little sister is a homicidal maniac? Yeah. I bet you didn’t see that one coming.

What drives Alexis’ sister over the edge? What’s up with the crazy helter skelter changes in her personality? You’ll need to read the book to find out, of course. Let me just say that whatever it is, it is extremely spooky. Which is probably good since this is a ghost story.

Some ghost stories are, I have to admit, pretty lame, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would be scared. This book, however, combines so many truly creepy details that you’ll find yourself shivering - even as you read on the beach in the sweltering New York (or wherever you live) humidity. It’s that good.

So run - do not walk - down to the library or bookstore or computer keyboard and order yourself up a good summer fright. It’s almost as scary as the first day of school.

LAME FACTOR: A big zero for lameness. It doesn’t get any better than that.

YOUR PARENTS WILL FREAK FACTOR: Unless your parents object to discussions of the paranormal, there shouldn’t be anything here to upset them.

BRAIN POWER: Bad Girls Don’t Die doesn’t treat the reader like an idiot. The vocabulary is good but not overwhelming. The writing is sophisticated enough to make it interesting without being confusing. You have no excuses. Get to work.