Devin Rhodes Is Dead

by Jennifer Wolf Kam

Overview

Told in alternating "Before" and "After" chapters, Kam's novel focuses on the events leading up to and just after Cass's best friend Devin's body is found at the bottom of a local ravine. Part realism, part ghost story, and part coming-of-age tale, this young adult novel will draw you in and keep you turning pages until the dramatic conclusion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934133590
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	10/14/2014
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Wolf Kam is a three-time finalist for the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. Jennifer earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in New York.

Read an Excerpt

Devin Rhodes, my best friend, will be buried in her parents’ garden, two feet beneath the agapanthus, in a green, ceramic umbrella stand. Just her ashes, really, charred little flakes of humanity, which bear no resemblance to her thick, honey curls, faded jeans and shimmering brown lip gloss. She loved flowers when she was alive, and although her mother’s rows of budding shrubs are nothing compared with the lush gardens in Eastland Park—her favorite spot—this patch of moist warm earth seems a fitting, if not odd, and possibly illegal final resting place. Devin died over the weekend. And here’s the thing—it’s my fault.

Editorial Reviews

Convinced she is responsible for her best friend’s death, Cass feels haunted by Devin’s ghost even as she tries to hide her guilt.

Cass gradually reveals the actual events in chapters that alternate between “after” and “before.” Devin is not the most likable of creatures though infinitely prettier than her more “ample” friend and completely boy-obsessed. Fifteen-year-old Cass recalls various humiliations at Devin’s hands as well as her increasing isolation from other friends as the result of Devin’s machinations. As the truth of the killing finally emerges, first-time novelist Kam keeps atmosphere, suspense and characters realistically entwined. The language has a somewhat old-fashioned flavor, and although readers are soon likely to suspect that Cass is a rather unreliable narrator, Cass’ supernatural experience and revelation of events unfold smoothly. The well-developed cast of characters provides the needed red herrings in classic mystery fashion. The story is ideal for middle school readers who are on the cusp of discovering their romantic selves; Devin’s reckless, sexualized encounters with the opposite sex contrast well with Cass’ careful exploration of her own interest in a boy who actually sees her and finds her attractive. The charm necklaces the two girls purchase to epitomize their best friend status thread symbolically through the narrative, keeping the focus on their relationship.

A surprisingly deft mystery for early teens.

From the Publisher

2014-07-29
Convinced she is responsible for her best friend's death, Cass feels haunted by Devin's ghost even as she tries to hide her guilt. Cass gradually reveals the actual events in chapters that alternate between "after" and "before." Devin is not the most likable of creatures though infinitely prettier than her more "ample" friend and completely boy-obsessed. Fifteen-year-old Cass recalls various humiliations at Devin's hands as well as her increasing isolation from other friends as the result of Devin's machinations. As the truth of the killing finally emerges, first-time novelist Kam keeps atmosphere, suspense and characters realistically entwined. The language has a somewhat old-fashioned flavor, and although readers are soon likely to suspect that Cass is a rather unreliable narrator, Cass' supernatural experience and revelation of events unfold smoothly. The well-developed cast of characters provides the needed red herrings in classic mystery fashion. The story is ideal for middle school readers who are on the cusp of discovering their romantic selves; Devin's reckless, sexualized encounters with the opposite sex contrast well with Cass' careful exploration of her own interest in a boy who actually sees her and finds her attractive. The charm necklaces the two girls purchase to epitomize their best friend status thread symbolically through the narrative, keeping the focus on their relationship. A surprisingly deft mystery for early teens. (Mystery. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews