Three Quarters Dead

by Richard Peck

Overview

Being the new girl at school is rough. But when the popular girls choose Kerry as the newest member of their ultra-exclusive clique, she thinks her troubles are finally finished. When her three new friends are killed in a horrifying car crash, her life seems over as well. But then the texts begin. . . .

Richard Peck returns to his contemporary teen- and ghost-story roots in this suspenseful page-turner with a subtle commentary on peer pressure that fans of television dramas such as Pretty Little Liars and Vampire Diaries will devour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101535196
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	275 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Richard Peck has written more than thirty novels, and in the process has become one of the country’s most highly respected writers for children. In fact The Washington Post called him “America’s best living author for young adults.” A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle-graders as well as young adults for his historical and contemporary comedies and coming-of-age novels. He lives in New York City, and spends a great deal of time traveling around the country to speaking engagements at conferences, schools, and libraries.

Mr. Peck is the first children’s book author to have received a National Humanities Medal. He is a Newbery Medal winner (for A Year Down Yonder), a Newbery Honor winner (for A Long Way from Chicago), a two-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Edgar Award winner. In addition, he has won a number of major honors for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and the Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Reviews

Peck never writes a book that is less than a page-turner, and this paranormal horror story captures the extremes of joy and dread, belonging and ostracism that are the core of the high school experience. Fifteen-year-old Kerry Williamson is new at prestigious suburban Pondfield High and doesn't expect much. Her status is transformed the day Tanya, Natalie, and Makenzie--the coolest, prettiest junior and senior girls--welcome her into their clique ("I'd moved from reality to a reality show, and what could be better?"), although a place in this charmed circle doesn't guarantee the respect of its rulers. A fatal accident just weeks before prom steals all the magic away--until an impossible text message tells Kerry that, just maybe, not everything has been lost. Kerry's voice is wistful, vulnerable, and would-be sophisticated, and the excuses she gives for her compromises ring both hollow and true. Perhaps because of this realism, the sudden escalation of fantastic horror in the last third of the book comes across as a pat resolution. Nevertheless, the story keeps its hold on readers to the very end. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Kerry is a sophomore who desperately wants to join the popular crowd. During lunch, the coolest girls at school befriend her and include her in their discussion. Kerry will do anything to make sure that they continue to include her during and outside of lunch. Her friends begin inviting her places and then give her tasks to perform. She fails to realize that the assignments given to her by these friends are hurtful to others and that she is being used. Kerry becomes so wrapped up in a world of texting, prom, and gossip that she continues to perform her popular friends' bidding—even after they suffer a fatal car crash. Are her friends still alive? Were they even dead? This story is packed with intrigue and leaves the reader questioning the power of the supernatural world. Kerry begins as a malleable girl, but grows into a strong young woman. Reviewer: Jackie Evans

Jackie Evans

Kerry Williamson is just an ordinary sophomore girl wanting to be seen by the cool girls at school but seemingly invisible to most everyone around her. Then one day at lunch everything changes when Tanya Spangler, the most popular, important senior at Pondfield High School, asks Kerry to come sit with her and the other two most popular girls in the school, Natalie and Mackenzie. No longer an invisible loner but a part of this small, elite circle of friends, Kerry could not be happier, or so she believes. Then, on Halloween night her new friends make a strange request of Kerry, one that involves sneaking into someone's house when they are not home. At the first sign of danger, Kerry's friends leave her to fend for herself. Despite being angry at their betrayal, Kerry continues to shadow her new friends. Abruptly her three friends are killed in a car wreck during spring, but a month after the accident, Kerry receives a text message from Tanya telling her to meet up with them in the city. Is what awaits Kerry a bone chilling reality or simply a horrifying nightmare? Peck succeeds at building suspense throughout this young adult novel; however, the ending fails to bring fulfillment equal to the level of suspense created, perhaps leaving the reader feeling unsatisfied and somewhat confused. Younger children may find this book very disturbing and frightening. Others who enjoy thrilling and ghostly tales may love the frightful and suspenseful feelings the book elicits. Reviewer: Justina Engebretson

Children's Literature - Justina Engebretson

Gr 6–10—Richard Peck takes the theme of an outsider longing to fit in and be part of the popular crowd in a chilling new direction in this compelling novel (Dial, 2010). Carrie is introduced through a pleading question, "What do you do when you're 15 and not in the loop?" As the narrator, Carrie has an underlying recognition that it is not in her best interest when she's welcomed by Tanya, Natalie, and MacKenzie, part of the high school in-crowd. She knows that she's being manipulated, but she's just desperate enough to go along with even their worst behaviors. The voices of Carrie's friends reflect their self-centeredness, bossiness, and lack of empathy. Even after the three girls are killed in a car crash, Tanya is not one to be denied and demands that Carrie do her bidding. The description of the dead girls, roller skating in the penthouse of a New York luxury apartment building, is vividly frightening. Ariadne Meyers' narration is spot-on, reflecting the girls' self-centeredness, bossiness, and lack of empathy. She perfectly voices Tanya's imperious nature. Listeners may get impatient with Carrie's reluctance to let go of girls who treated her poorly in life and even worse in death, but they will be hooked to the end to discover if she ever gets up the strength to stand on her own and prevent a final act of wickedness by Tanya.—Edith Ching, University of Maryland, College Park

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