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Lessons from a Dead Girl


by Jo Knowles

List Price: $16.99
Price: $11.55
You Save: $5.44 (32%)
Available: Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank: 130762
Studio: Candlewick
Binding: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: October 09, 2007
Publisher: Candlewick


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Product Description
An unflinching story of a troubled friendship — and one girl’s struggle to come to terms with secrets and shame and find her own power to heal.

Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself.


CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 12 reviews)

such a sad book and yet so beautiful at the same time..  
this book is about a girl names lainey who has sexually abused by her best friend, leah, when they were younger. leah controlled lainey's life and ruined everything that was good in her life. even after they grew up and drifted apart, leah still controlled lainey and made sure she never forgot what she did.

this book is so heartbreaking and a tear jerker as well. this book was written so perfectly that you can feel the emotions of the character.

i think that anyone who has had a friend that treated them badly, can relate to this book. its an easy read and very worthwhile. i recommend it to everyone.
August 25, 2008

Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles  
Lessons from a Dead Girl is a suspenseful story that kept me on edge the whole time. I never felt relaxed even after the last page was turned, and the book was tucked away on my shelf. It shows how kids that are abused at a young age can turn around and abuse other kids. The main character, Laine, has to go through her life wondering if she's as messed up as she feels. All because her best friend, Leah, abused her at a young age and continued to do so through-out high school. This isn't a happy read at all. Although there are some glimpses of Laine having moments where I thought she would pull through; these moments are usually ruined by the Leah.

This is a very emotional story that sucks you in and doesn't let you go. My heart ached for Laine's situation. I also felt anger towards Leah, even though her story is just as heart breaking as Laines. This is a great read, and I can't wait to see what Jo Knowles turns out next.

July 04, 2008

Literary Page-turner  
Having read the first chapter of LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL before it was published as one of the panel of judges of the PEN New England Discovery Contest (which the book won!), I knew it was well-written. What I didn't expect when I sat down to read the entire novel in its published form was that it would be a page-turner. I started reading and couldn't stop.

Jo Knowles has done the near impossible: written a novel with a gripping, fast-paced storyline, well-developed characters, important themes, and finally a surprising, yet satisfying ending.

I look forward to reading Jo's next novel. She is a writer to watch!
June 11, 2008

Powerful and heart wrenching  
This is a beautifully written book. At first I was hit by pure emotion, but then I couldn't stop thinking about Laine's story. Sure to be thought-provoking, this is a great choice for any discussion group, but especially for teens.
May 21, 2008

Courtesy of Teens Read Too  
Laine hated her, and wished many times that Leah would die and leave her alone. She didn't understand Leah, or why Leah chose her to be her best friend all those years ago. She didn't understand the things that Leah did to her in the doll closet, or why Leah would torment her with that knowledge and the shame that Laine felt. As they grew older, she didn't understand the problems that Leah faced, or the impact that they had on her behavior. As their English teacher told them once, you only hate what you don't understand.

Now that Leah Greene has died, Laine forces herself to try to understand Leah, and the things that Leah taught her about friendship and secrets. Friends are forever, Leah told her. Permanent just like the ink that Leah used to stake her claim on Laine's hand back when they were young. Laine must now face the impact of what "forever" really means, and how it has affected her own aspects of the world.

Jo Knowles has penned a stunning book that takes an introspective look at the scars of childhood abuse at the hands of a child's peers. Laine's experiences will have a profound impact on anyone who has ever wondered about the dynamics of child sociology, and how the damaging effects of abuse resonate from the original victims. For the mature young adult.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose
April 26, 2008


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