Ghostgirl
Encyclopedia
ghostgirl is the debut novel
from author and filmmaker Tonya Hurley
. It is the story of High School senior
"Charlotte Usher", a misfit
outsider whose desperation to be popular lives on even after her sudden death
. The Young Adult
novel was published on August 1, 2008 by Little, Brown and Company
, and hit the New York Times Bestseller list, Chapter Books, on September 14, 2008. ghostgirl has been printed in several different languages around the world, including Spanish and French. It was followed by a sequel in July 2009 called ghostgirl: Homecoming, and a third book, ghostgirl: Lovesick was released in July 2010.
The audiobook releases of ghostgirl (released August 2009) and ghostgirl: Homecoming (released November 2009), from Recorded Books in 2009, are read by actress Parker Posey
and feature a score by Vince Clarke
of Erasure
fame.
Inspired by her Dead Ed handbook, Charlotte attempts to possess Petula, but discovers possession is impossible without permission. Instead, Charlotte convinces Scarlet to allow herself to be possessed, gaining some time tutoring Damen in Physics while Scarlet enjoys making mischief as a ghost. However, Scarlet cuts the encounter short when Charlotte impulsively tries out for the cheer leading squad in her body. Charlotte possesses Scarlet again in order to attend a cheerleader slumber party, in return for allowing Scarlet to visit the Dead Dorm. While Charlotte decides that she is destined to share the "magical" Midnight Kiss with Damen at the upcoming Fall Ball, Scarlet is discovered by Prue and her interruption during a viewing accidentally causes Hawthorne Manor to be condemned.
Scarlet returns to the slumber party just as Charlotte is about to kiss Damen in a game of spin the bottle. As Prue uses her powers to scare away the other guests, Scarlet resolves not to be possessed again, but she is forced by Charlotte's promise to continue tutoring Damen. The pair begin to bond over similar tastes in music, and Scarlet's association with Damen makes her style popular. When Damen begins failing Physics, Scarlet, who has begun to like him, asks Charlotte for her help with the tutoring. However, the pair soon become jealous of each other, and decide to ask Damen to choose between them, only to be interrupted by Prue and the Dead Ed class.
As Charlotte is lectured to leave her old life behind her, she decides that if the Fall Ball, now cancelled after Prue's attack on the school, were held at Hawthorne Manor, the building would not have to be demolished – secretly planning to possess Scarlet on the night, as she is attending with Damen. The Dead Ed class agree and help decorate in a Halloween style, and Scarlet convinces the dance committee to change locations, reluctantly promising Charlotte the Midnight Kiss in return. However, Prue and the other Dead Ed kids crash the party, and Charlotte gives up her Midnight Kiss in order to stop them. When Scarlet and Damen are crowned king and queen of the dance, Charlotte surrenders the moment in the spotlight and achieves resolution. Charlotte and the Dead Ed class become visible to everyone, their wounds healed, and they join the dance before finally moving on.
Meanwhile, Scarlet is feeling insecure about her long-distance relationship with Damen just as Petula, who is repeating her senior year, goes into a coma after contracting staph from a pedicure. Feeling guilty, and jealous of Damen's sudden arrival to see Petula, Scarlet uses the possession ritual Charlotte taught her to send herself into a coma and seek out Charlotte's help to find Petula's soul. Instead, Scarlet joins the new Dead Ed class, who help her to move on using "Early Decision", a risky shortcut. Meanwhile, Petula finds herself in a waiting room, accompanied by another coma patient, Virginia Johnson, a young beauty pageant contestant who is disdainful of Petula's fashion obsession, and wants to grow old normally. Gradually, the two begin to bond.
Scarlet arrives at Charlotte's dormitory, much to her delight, and they sneak out to find Petula, accompanied by Maddy. However, after an disagreement at a fork in the road, Charlotte and Maddy leave Scarlet on her own. However, Pam and Prue have come after Charlotte, and they meet up with Scarlet and help her to find Petula's soul by getting directions from Green Gary to the hospital intake office. Meanwhile, Damen is desperately trying to revive Scarlet, and he decides to take Petula to Homecoming in the hope of reanimating her, and therefore ending Scarlet's quest. Maddy and Charlotte follow as Maddy tries to convince Charlotte to possess Petula.
Just as Charlotte is about to complete the possession ritual, Scarlet, Pam and Prue arrive to stop her, and explain that Maddy is a murderous soul from hell attempting to turn Charlotte astray so she can "graduate" her own way. Charlotte explains that she had suspected Maddy the whole time, and had intentionally made Pam and Prue suspicious so that they could help her and Charlotte. Charlotte defeats Maddy, and reassures Scarlet that Damen is only helping Petula for Scarlet's sake.
The group find Petula's soul, just as Virginia dies, and Charlotte accompanies her to Dead Ed. Petula awakes at Homecoming, and Damen quickly leaves to find Scarlet at the hospital, where they reconcile. Charlotte returns to her job at the phone bank, and is finally accepted and reunited with her parents.
Scarlet feels out of place as she is leaving her goth fashions behind for a new, more mature look. While this is her choice, she feels Damen pushed her into it, and that he does not accept her for who she is. When Damen arrives in town for a job at the local radio station and enters one of Scarlet's songs, she feels that he is pressuring her and getting to be mad and furious. When she meets Eric, not realising he is dead, she is attracted to him, and feels he allows her to be her true self.
Meanwhile, Petula's coma has left her feeling uncharacteristicly philanthropic, and she has begun to donate her old clothes to the homeless, confusing the Wendys. A new girl called Darcy begins to steal her status, holding a mock trial which ends in Petula being made an outcast. She continues with her charity, hoping that her makeovers will improve the lives of those she helps and wishing for more contact from Virginia. This leads her to ask a homeless boy to attend Prom with her.
When Scarlet's song is disqualified because of Damen's involvement in the entry, the pair began be disagreement and break up. Charlotte also having a disagreement with Eric over his relationship with Scarlet. Irritated, Charlotte attempts to return to the afterlife through the Dead Ed classroom, and discovers Darcy's ghost is in the new Dead Ed class after having a seizure brought on by a camera flash, and that the Darcy in the school is being possessed by someone else. With Pam and Prue, Charlotte plans to evict the evil spirit at Prom. Meanwhile, Darcy asks Damen to Prom, and Scarlet and Eric spend more time together. After they re-record Scarlet's song for the radio competition, Scarlet learns that Eric is dead, and that he never had the chance to play on stage when he was alive.
Scarlet wins the radio competition and chooses as her prize to perform her song at Prom, which she redecorates as a Fantasy Funeral for Charlotte. As Damen and Darcy have their picture taken, Charlotte sabotages the camera to give Darcy another seizure, which evicts Maddy's spirit and reanimates the real Darcy. Because Maddy technically died from the seizure, she must now attend Dead Ed, while Darcy awakens confused and with no memory of the Wendys or anything else about Hawthorne High.
Petula arrives at Prom with her homeless boyfriend, who turns out to be a billionaire in disguise, and the pair are crowned Prom King and Queen. Coco's work completed, Petula receives a new guardian angel - Virginia. Meanwhile, Eric and Scarlet perform onstage together before Damen and Scarlet reunite, and Eric and Charlotte dance together. After the Prom, Charlotte and Scarlet say goodbye in the graveyard, and Charlotte returns to the afterlife, where she introduces Eric to her parents. The Dead Ed class all move on except for Charlotte, who is given Mr Brain's job as the new Dead Ed teacher.
, obsession
, love
and death
. The author has said that, although the book contains some elements of horror
, she would describe it as a romance
.
, Kirkus Reviews
and School Library Journal
. It received generally favourable reviews on Amazon.com
, although some sites raised concerns over the use of language. The book also reached tenth on the New York Times Best Seller list
.
celebrities
and her observations on fame and popularity
.
of a girl – used throughout the book's illustrations to represent Charlotte – in a coffin
with a banner saying "Rest in Popularity". The title "ghostgirl" is the name used to refer to Charlotte after her death
. The book is unusual in that the pages' proportion of height to width
is much larger than usual, making it taller and thinner than most novels.
Inside the book, each chapter begins with a full page illustration, including a quotation
and a border of black and pink rose
s. The illustration usually shows Charlotte's silhouette, as shown on the cover, and forms a chain of actions as the reader progresses through the book. The page afterwards includes a short summary paragraph of a lesson Charlotte learns
in the chapter, written in reverse color
. The book's pages are edged with a black and pink floral border, which changes from chapter to chapter, and all illustrations within the book are in these two colours.
ghostgirl:Homecoming's is similarly laid out, but with slightly different floral borders, and purple replacing pink in the color scheme. The pages are also edged in purple. Also, the illustrations do not include a quotation and do not form a chain – each is separate. The cover displays Charlotte's face in a mirror, and is highly stylised.
Ghostgirl :LoveSick is similar to both books. The difference is the color of the front is red. Its front cover is a heart shaped locket with Charrlotte blowing a kiss and a heart on her hand. The illustrations include a quotation and before the beginning of each chapter, it speaks of the lesson learned in each chapter.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
from author and filmmaker Tonya Hurley
Tonya Hurley
Tonya Hurley is an American writer and director in film, television, live performance, interactive media and the New York Times bestselling author of the book series ghostgirl...
. It is the story of High School senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
"Charlotte Usher", a misfit
outsider whose desperation to be popular lives on even after her sudden death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. The Young Adult
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
novel was published on August 1, 2008 by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, and hit the New York Times Bestseller list, Chapter Books, on September 14, 2008. ghostgirl has been printed in several different languages around the world, including Spanish and French. It was followed by a sequel in July 2009 called ghostgirl: Homecoming, and a third book, ghostgirl: Lovesick was released in July 2010.
The audiobook releases of ghostgirl (released August 2009) and ghostgirl: Homecoming (released November 2009), from Recorded Books in 2009, are read by actress Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
and feature a score by Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
of Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
fame.
ghostgirl
After some initial shock, Charlotte resolves to continue with her plan, using her new abilities to rejoin the living world, even though her Dead Ed classmates disapprove. While spying on Damen with his girlfriend Petula – the cheerleader Charlotte idolises – Charlotte discovers that Scarlet, Petula's goth sister, can see her. However, she is forced to leave to attend a meeting at the Dead Dorm, Hawthorne Manor, where the Dead Ed class are trying to prevent the manor from being sold. At Charlotte's suggestion, they disguise the building as unsafe to scare off buyers.Inspired by her Dead Ed handbook, Charlotte attempts to possess Petula, but discovers possession is impossible without permission. Instead, Charlotte convinces Scarlet to allow herself to be possessed, gaining some time tutoring Damen in Physics while Scarlet enjoys making mischief as a ghost. However, Scarlet cuts the encounter short when Charlotte impulsively tries out for the cheer leading squad in her body. Charlotte possesses Scarlet again in order to attend a cheerleader slumber party, in return for allowing Scarlet to visit the Dead Dorm. While Charlotte decides that she is destined to share the "magical" Midnight Kiss with Damen at the upcoming Fall Ball, Scarlet is discovered by Prue and her interruption during a viewing accidentally causes Hawthorne Manor to be condemned.
Scarlet returns to the slumber party just as Charlotte is about to kiss Damen in a game of spin the bottle. As Prue uses her powers to scare away the other guests, Scarlet resolves not to be possessed again, but she is forced by Charlotte's promise to continue tutoring Damen. The pair begin to bond over similar tastes in music, and Scarlet's association with Damen makes her style popular. When Damen begins failing Physics, Scarlet, who has begun to like him, asks Charlotte for her help with the tutoring. However, the pair soon become jealous of each other, and decide to ask Damen to choose between them, only to be interrupted by Prue and the Dead Ed class.
As Charlotte is lectured to leave her old life behind her, she decides that if the Fall Ball, now cancelled after Prue's attack on the school, were held at Hawthorne Manor, the building would not have to be demolished – secretly planning to possess Scarlet on the night, as she is attending with Damen. The Dead Ed class agree and help decorate in a Halloween style, and Scarlet convinces the dance committee to change locations, reluctantly promising Charlotte the Midnight Kiss in return. However, Prue and the other Dead Ed kids crash the party, and Charlotte gives up her Midnight Kiss in order to stop them. When Scarlet and Damen are crowned king and queen of the dance, Charlotte surrenders the moment in the spotlight and achieves resolution. Charlotte and the Dead Ed class become visible to everyone, their wounds healed, and they join the dance before finally moving on.
Characters
- Charlotte Usher (also called ghostgirl) – the main protagonist of the novel, a seniorTwelfth gradeTwelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
in High school. She has a crushPuppy lovePuppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...
on Damen, and a plan to be with him, but chokes to death on a gummy bear before carrying it out. She then becomes a ghostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
, and only Scarlet can see her. - Damen Dylan – Charlotte's crush and Petula's boyfriend. Damen is known as a football player, but is secretly more interested in musicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
than in sportSportA Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
. - Petula Kensington – Damen's girlfriend. A vain, cruel cheerleader idolised by Charlotte.
- Scarlet Kensington – Petula's sister. A goth, and the only one who can see CharlotteMediumshipMediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
once she is a ghost. - Wendy Anderson and Wendy Thomas aka The Wendys – Petula's two best friends, cheerleaders who share the same first name and brain and do everything together.
- Dead Ed class – A group of dead teenagers who become Charlotte's new classmates:
- Prue or Prudence Shelly – The leader of the dead teenagers. She wants to move on, and thinks Charlotte is shallow and selfish for not helping her classmates. She also belittles Charlotte's obsession with popularity, as she was murdered by a popular boy on the way to a school dance.
- Piccolo Pam – A friendly ghost who introduces Charlotte to Dead Ed. Died by choking on her piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
during a concert solo. - Mr Brain – The class teacher and only adult in Dead Ed. Named because a large portion of his skull is missing.
- Metal Mike – A boy with earbud headphones who died listening to metal music in his driving test.
- Call Me Kim – A girl with several phones who died from radiation from her mobile.
- DJ – A DJ killed in a gang fight at a party, caused by his refusal to play popular music.
- Deadhead Jerry – A hippie boy, choked on a cigarette.
- Abigail – A drowned girl.
- Suzy Scissorhands – A scar-covered girl who died from a staph infection after self-harming with shallow cuts.
- CoCo – A fashion-obsessed girl who drowned after passing out in a vomit-filled handbag.
- Simon and Simone – Dead twins who tried to out-emo each other.
- Buzz Saw Bud – A boy who died in a woodwork accident.
- Silent Violet – A girl who never speaks, who is later revealed to have gossiped in her previous life, which led to her death.
- Rotting Rita – A visiting German ghost who can produce insects.
ghostgirl: Homecoming
Having graduated, Charlotte is told that she and the other ghosts from "Dead Ed" need to work in a phone bank, where they will answer calls from troubled teenagers in need of advice, acting as the teens' consciences. Before starting, the other ghosts receive 'graduation presents': they are reunited with lost loved ones or dead celebrity idols, and receive spacious apartments. However, Charlotte does not meet her dead parents and must live in a cramped dormitory, and at work she is the only ghost not to receive calls. Feeling left out, she begins to ignore her old friends and spends all her time with Maddy, her dormitory roommate and new co-worker, oblivious to the fact that Maddy is sabotaging her attempts to succeed.Meanwhile, Scarlet is feeling insecure about her long-distance relationship with Damen just as Petula, who is repeating her senior year, goes into a coma after contracting staph from a pedicure. Feeling guilty, and jealous of Damen's sudden arrival to see Petula, Scarlet uses the possession ritual Charlotte taught her to send herself into a coma and seek out Charlotte's help to find Petula's soul. Instead, Scarlet joins the new Dead Ed class, who help her to move on using "Early Decision", a risky shortcut. Meanwhile, Petula finds herself in a waiting room, accompanied by another coma patient, Virginia Johnson, a young beauty pageant contestant who is disdainful of Petula's fashion obsession, and wants to grow old normally. Gradually, the two begin to bond.
Scarlet arrives at Charlotte's dormitory, much to her delight, and they sneak out to find Petula, accompanied by Maddy. However, after an disagreement at a fork in the road, Charlotte and Maddy leave Scarlet on her own. However, Pam and Prue have come after Charlotte, and they meet up with Scarlet and help her to find Petula's soul by getting directions from Green Gary to the hospital intake office. Meanwhile, Damen is desperately trying to revive Scarlet, and he decides to take Petula to Homecoming in the hope of reanimating her, and therefore ending Scarlet's quest. Maddy and Charlotte follow as Maddy tries to convince Charlotte to possess Petula.
Just as Charlotte is about to complete the possession ritual, Scarlet, Pam and Prue arrive to stop her, and explain that Maddy is a murderous soul from hell attempting to turn Charlotte astray so she can "graduate" her own way. Charlotte explains that she had suspected Maddy the whole time, and had intentionally made Pam and Prue suspicious so that they could help her and Charlotte. Charlotte defeats Maddy, and reassures Scarlet that Damen is only helping Petula for Scarlet's sake.
The group find Petula's soul, just as Virginia dies, and Charlotte accompanies her to Dead Ed. Petula awakes at Homecoming, and Damen quickly leaves to find Scarlet at the hospital, where they reconcile. Charlotte returns to her job at the phone bank, and is finally accepted and reunited with her parents.
Characters
- Charlotte Usher aka ghostgirl – A dead seventeen year old who feels left out after she does not receive the benefits of the afterlife.
- Matilda Miner aka Maddy – Charlotte's roommate and friend, who encourages her to rebel.
- Scarlet Kensington – Charlotte's living best friend, who is in a long-distance relationship with Damen.
- Damen Dylan – Scarlet's boyfriend and Charlotte's former crush.
- Petula Kensington – Scarlet's sister, a vain, cruel cheerleader who is repeating her senior year of High School for trying to ruin the Fall Ball.
- Wendy Anderson and Wendy Thomas aka The Wendys – Petula's close friends, who do everything together.
- Virginia Johnson – A comatose beauty pageant contestant who befriends Petula in limbo.
- Mr Markov – Charlotte's boss at the phone bank in the afterlife.
- Prue – A bossy ghost from Dead Ed who works with Charlotte at the phone bank.
- Pam – A friendly ghost from Dead Ed who works with Charlotte at the phone bank. Formetly known as Picolo Pam.
- Carolinne "CoCo" Tuff, Mike "Metal Mike" Winkeston, Jerry "Deadhead Jerry" Britt, Buzzsaw Bud, Violet "Silent Violet" Green, Suzy Jelseeg, Kim "Call Me Kim" Jones, Simon Blynn, Simone Blynn, Dylan "DJ'" Killzar, Abigail Reed, and Rita Milla – Ghosts from Dead Ed who work with Charlotte at the phone bank.
- Dead Ed class – A new class of unfulfilled ghosts who help Scarlet:
- Ms Pierce – The class teacher.
- Green Gary – An eco-conscious boy who died in a car accident trying to save a tree.
- Lipo Lisa – A girl who died during a liposuction procedure.
- A.D.D. Andy – A boy who died in a skating accident.
- Tanning Tilly – A girl who died from a tanning bed.
- Blogging Bianca – A girl who loved blogging and died from a DVT.
- Paramour Polly – A jealous girl who died making out with her best friend's boyfriend on the railway tracks.
ghostgirl:Lovesick
Charlotte has finally settled into the afterlife and has a dead boyfriend - Eric. As the class are expecting to move on, they receive one more task: to help a teen in Hawthorne through their troubles in time for Prom. Pam and Prue are assigned to the Wendys, Coco to Petula, Charlotte to Damen and Eric to Scarlet.Scarlet feels out of place as she is leaving her goth fashions behind for a new, more mature look. While this is her choice, she feels Damen pushed her into it, and that he does not accept her for who she is. When Damen arrives in town for a job at the local radio station and enters one of Scarlet's songs, she feels that he is pressuring her and getting to be mad and furious. When she meets Eric, not realising he is dead, she is attracted to him, and feels he allows her to be her true self.
Meanwhile, Petula's coma has left her feeling uncharacteristicly philanthropic, and she has begun to donate her old clothes to the homeless, confusing the Wendys. A new girl called Darcy begins to steal her status, holding a mock trial which ends in Petula being made an outcast. She continues with her charity, hoping that her makeovers will improve the lives of those she helps and wishing for more contact from Virginia. This leads her to ask a homeless boy to attend Prom with her.
When Scarlet's song is disqualified because of Damen's involvement in the entry, the pair began be disagreement and break up. Charlotte also having a disagreement with Eric over his relationship with Scarlet. Irritated, Charlotte attempts to return to the afterlife through the Dead Ed classroom, and discovers Darcy's ghost is in the new Dead Ed class after having a seizure brought on by a camera flash, and that the Darcy in the school is being possessed by someone else. With Pam and Prue, Charlotte plans to evict the evil spirit at Prom. Meanwhile, Darcy asks Damen to Prom, and Scarlet and Eric spend more time together. After they re-record Scarlet's song for the radio competition, Scarlet learns that Eric is dead, and that he never had the chance to play on stage when he was alive.
Scarlet wins the radio competition and chooses as her prize to perform her song at Prom, which she redecorates as a Fantasy Funeral for Charlotte. As Damen and Darcy have their picture taken, Charlotte sabotages the camera to give Darcy another seizure, which evicts Maddy's spirit and reanimates the real Darcy. Because Maddy technically died from the seizure, she must now attend Dead Ed, while Darcy awakens confused and with no memory of the Wendys or anything else about Hawthorne High.
Petula arrives at Prom with her homeless boyfriend, who turns out to be a billionaire in disguise, and the pair are crowned Prom King and Queen. Coco's work completed, Petula receives a new guardian angel - Virginia. Meanwhile, Eric and Scarlet perform onstage together before Damen and Scarlet reunite, and Eric and Charlotte dance together. After the Prom, Charlotte and Scarlet say goodbye in the graveyard, and Charlotte returns to the afterlife, where she introduces Eric to her parents. The Dead Ed class all move on except for Charlotte, who is given Mr Brain's job as the new Dead Ed teacher.
Themes
The main themes explored in ghostgirl are popularityPopularity
Popularity is the quality of being well-liked or common, or having a high social status. Popularity figures are an important part of many people's personal value systems and form a vital component of success in people-oriented fields such as management, politics, and entertainment, among...
, obsession
Fixation (psychology)
Fixation: 'concept originated by Sigmund Freud to denote the persistence of anachronistic sexual traits'. Subsequently '"Fixation" acquired a broader connotation...
, love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
and death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. The author has said that, although the book contains some elements of horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, she would describe it as a romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
.
Critical reception
The book received starred reviews from such literary publications as VOYA (Voice Of Youth Advocates), Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
and School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
. It received generally favourable reviews on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, although some sites raised concerns over the use of language. The book also reached tenth on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
Character Development
ghostgirl began as a character on the website ghostgirl.com, and then was developed into a novel in March 2008. She is based on the author's experience of working with teenageAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
and her observations on fame and popularity
Popularity
Popularity is the quality of being well-liked or common, or having a high social status. Popularity figures are an important part of many people's personal value systems and form a vital component of success in people-oriented fields such as management, politics, and entertainment, among...
.
Structure
The cover art shows the silhouetteSilhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
of a girl – used throughout the book's illustrations to represent Charlotte – in a coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
with a banner saying "Rest in Popularity". The title "ghostgirl" is the name used to refer to Charlotte after her death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. The book is unusual in that the pages' proportion of height to width
Paper size
Many paper size standards conventions have existed at different times and in different countries. Today there is one widespread international ISO standard and a localised standard used in North America . The paper sizes affect writing paper, stationery, cards, and some printed documents...
is much larger than usual, making it taller and thinner than most novels.
Inside the book, each chapter begins with a full page illustration, including a quotation
Quotation
A quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
and a border of black and pink rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s. The illustration usually shows Charlotte's silhouette, as shown on the cover, and forms a chain of actions as the reader progresses through the book. The page afterwards includes a short summary paragraph of a lesson Charlotte learns
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
in the chapter, written in reverse color
Reverse video
Reverse video is a computer display technique whereby the background and text colour values are inverted. On older computers, displays were usually configured to display white text on a black background by default. For emphasis, one swapped the color scheme to bright background with dark text...
. The book's pages are edged with a black and pink floral border, which changes from chapter to chapter, and all illustrations within the book are in these two colours.
ghostgirl:Homecoming's is similarly laid out, but with slightly different floral borders, and purple replacing pink in the color scheme. The pages are also edged in purple. Also, the illustrations do not include a quotation and do not form a chain – each is separate. The cover displays Charlotte's face in a mirror, and is highly stylised.
Ghostgirl :LoveSick is similar to both books. The difference is the color of the front is red. Its front cover is a heart shaped locket with Charrlotte blowing a kiss and a heart on her hand. The illustrations include a quotation and before the beginning of each chapter, it speaks of the lesson learned in each chapter.
External links
- ghostgirl.com
- tonyahurley.com
- ghostgirl.cat
- ghostgirl.com/novel
- Official Argentina Website http://www.ghostgirl.com.ar