Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

"1. List 10 things you love (and DO THEM!)
2. Join a club (and TALK TO PEOPLE!)
3. Go on a date (with someone you actually LIKE!)
4. Tell someone you care (your therapist DOESN'T COUNT!)
5. Celebrate New Year's (with OTHER PEOPLE!)"

My Rating: 10/10 <3

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication: 2003 (republished by Harlequin Teen on June 2010)
ISBN: 978-0-373-21010-7
Page Count: 330 Pages
Age Range: Young Adult

Caren Lissner's Official Web Page

Carrie Pilby is a 19 year old genius that graduated from Harvard at 18. Her mother died when she was too young to remember, and her father told her a Big Lie she still couldn't forgive him for.

Carrie guards herself too much and she doesn't have any friends--after all, being a genius doesn't necessarily mean that you're on top of the social ladder.

Carrie has a therapist--her father pays her to go to a therapist called Petrov. Petrov is sick of Carrie always closing herself up--so Petrov made the list so Carrie can fit in (or well, attempt her best to). Carrie doesn't really want to--she really thinks it's a waste of time and it's troublesome, but she tried to anyway.

So Carrie go and gets a job--she's proof reading for the lawyers in NYC. She meets different kind of people. She puts an ad on the Beacon--some kind of magazine that lets people put an ad for people who look for dates.

Mostly, Carrie considers a lot of people--okay, everyone--as hypocrites. Her father told her that when she skips 3 grades, she'll meet people that are like her in college (This is the Big Lie). She was 14 when she went to Harvard, she didn't know better--despite mathematical theorems, lots of literature, philosophical thoughts and pure curiosity and a very high IQ.

In Harvard, though, despite her having no friends (that lasts more than a week), she met Harrison, her English Professor. Harrison is smart, different and listens to her. He wasn't creep out by Carrie's constant usage of what others would call out as 'SAT words!' In fact, Harrison was amazed by her.

Carrie is young and smart. Carrie's learning about life in New York City, and she feels lonely on New Year's, on a tall building with at least 500 people underneath her on Time Square.

Caren Lissner's Carrie Pilby is sophisticated and full of pure curiosity. It's hilarious and simple--but also different.

What I love about this book: It's really funny! I've been having the same questions--but mostly feelings--what Carrie had felt. Even though I didn't skip 3 grades or went to Harvard at 14, I could definitely relate to Carrie. She deals with many emotional craziness that passes quite easily because she's been shutting herself out from the rest of the world--even though she wants to fit in. It's really hilarious and I love just even reading Carrie's thoughts.

What I dislike about this book: I didn't dislike anything! This book is a perfect ten! Even if you're not a curious person, reading Carrie Pilby will definitely be a very interesting experience!

Ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

"'We're all alone in death...and some of us after,'..."

My Rating: 8/10

Publisher: Little, Brown Company
Publication: July 2009
ISBN: 978-0-316-11359-5
Page count: 285
Age range: Young Adult

In Ghostgirl, Hurley wrote a different and beautiful story about a girl named Charlotte Usher who yearned to be popular. After talking to the guy of her dreams, though, she choked on a gummy bear and died. Read my review of Ghostgirl here.

In Ghostgirl: Homecoming, the second book in the series, Hurley wrote another astonishing world of the Dead. If in Ghostgirl there was Dead Ed (the high school of the dead), in Ghostgirl: Homecoming, there's an internship for the ghosts to be the Inner Voice/Consciousness of troubled teens.

Everyone has a phone, and the teens in the proximity given was supposed to call each time they have a troubled mind. Charlotte has a phone, too, but hers never ring.

On the dark side, Piccolo Pam, CoCo and Pru(denc)e also ignored Charlotte. She's the only one left, again.

But there's Maddy. Who's sharp and annoying at times, but at least she was there. Always there for Charlotte. (Not really; she talks to herself all the time).

The Petula is dying.

Scarlet needs Charlotte's help to find Petula's soul--for her relationship with Damen, and also for Scarlet herself.

But Maddy's words are proven; being a goody-girl isn't really getting Charlotte anywhere up to the popular/liked list. What's Charlotte going to do?

What I like about the book: It's unusual and unique, it's filled with cool philosophical quotes. It's funny and ironic, and also, the fact that Hurley changed the idea of Death completely. :)

What I dislike about the book: Maddy....is annoying. LOL. But I guess that means Hurley did a good job!! ;)

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

"'I'm just going to vanish into nothing. Poof.'"

My Rating: 8/10

Publisher: Little, Brown Company
Publication: August 2008
Page Count: 328 Pages
Age Range: Young Adult

Charlotte Usher is dying to be popular. Literally.

When her previous years of school life failed, she promised this time would be different--it would be her year to shine. She tried everything--during the summer she studied Petula Kensington (THE most popular girl in Hawthorne High), stalked Damen (Her ultimate crush) and bought super expensive high heels.

She even tried to sign up to be a cheerleader. Unfortunately, the rest of the school doesn't think so.

Then she was partnered up with Damen in Physics--and they were lab partners!

It was all meant to be (or at least Charlotte seemed to think so) until...well, until Charlotte choked on a gummy bear.

Yep. A gummy bear.

Charlotte's a choker, now.

Turns out? After death, if you haven't finished High School, there's the Dead Ed! Charlotte met Mr. Brain (who spilled his brain slugs each time he laughed), Pru(denc)e who seemed to hate her, Piccolo Pam (who swallowed a Piccolo and died) and a bunch of other Dead kids.

The Dead kids had one mission--To save their house; The Hawthorne Manor.

Charlotte, thinks differently. She thinks being dead is an opportunity to be closer to Damen. Besides, Charlotte's learning to Possess someone...Not just someone, maybe...Petula Kensington?

But when things with Petula doesn't work out well, Charlotte found out that she can be seen by someone--Scarlet. Scarlet Kensington, Petula's little sister (who, by the way, is totally different than Petula) that wears vintage clothes and goth make up. A good come back from the dead, huh?

Read Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley to follow Charlotte's ghostly trail in the story!!!

What I love about the book: That it was philosophical, thoughtful and just really sophisticated. Also? It was very funny at times. Ghostgirl is a good book to learn about your surroundings, how to fit in, and most of all; yourself.

What I dislike about the book: It's just me, I guess, but sometimes Charlotte seemed too..exaggerating. So it's not Tonya's work that I dislike, but it's Charlotte's capricious and whiny personality. But other than that...I'm good! :D

Tonya Hurley's Ghostgirl Official Website

Numbers by Rachel Ward

"While I existed, the number existed. I was the number and the number was me."

My Rating: 7/10

The story is definitely unique and fresh (which was why I bought it...) but the interaction between Jem and Spider could definitely be improved...Good book! :)

You'd think that Jem is just the ordinary wallflower, the kind that skips the class and avoid social structures. The kind that would grow up just like her failure mother, a junkie who never cared about her own daughter.

It's true Jem doesn't understand most people, but the real reason why she avoids people (specifically eye contact) is because that she sees a set of numbers. At first when she keeps blurting out the numbers in front of her mother, she of course didn't have a clue what was it all about.

Then her mother died.


The date was the numbers she sees in people's eyes. Jem avoids friends and relationships. Why not? People already think she's trashed anyway.

Then there's Spider, who always gets in Jem's face because Spider's crazy like that. Slowly and unconsciously, their friendship grew (to love eventually, too) and Jem had seen Spider's numbers. It was less than 2 months.

Throughout the book Jem finds herself in trouble to decide if she would like to stay and befriend Spider or just back off; she is very capricious. She changes her mind quickly and she dislike to show weakness.

What I like about the book:
The story and the idea (obviously). The characters are realistic and the way Rachel Ward conveys Jem's frustration is extraordinary.

What I don't really like:
Sometimes Jem's thoughts can really get too frustrating and tedious.

Rachel Ward's website.