Followers

May 1, 2014

Gr 6-10-Briana, a legacy student at the prestigious MacHale School, is finally finding her niche. Returning to school for the winter mini-mester, she has a group of friends and a real shot at winning a lead role in Hamlet. Her Twitter account, @alleyesonbree, is also gaining followers, including the mysterious Hamlet's Ghost. When the brand new Head of the Drama department casts someone else as Ophelia, Briana reluctantly accepts the backstage job as the show's social media director. As she tweets show rehearsal updates, Hamlet's Ghost begins to tweet more sinister things, like "something's rotten in the state of Denmark...and a body's rotting in theater." Suddenly, there is a real dead body on stage. And then another. As the Twitter war rages on, it's up to Briana to find the campus killer. Davies offers great build-up and tension right through until the final pages. Unfortunately, the ending feels rushed and a romance is randomly tossed in. Still, this thriller offers a high interest story at low-reading level for fans of mystery and suspense novels.-Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 Series horror novels may be having a resurgence, but the real gems of horror fiction are stand-alone spookers like this one, from the author of Identity Theft (2013). Briana wants to be an actress, if only to outshine her mother's larger-than-life personality and over-the-top love for the theater. She goes to a performing-arts boarding school, and when she auditions for the winter play, Shakespeare's Hamlet, she's sure that playing Ophelia will change her blas' life. Though she doesn't make it in, she volunteers to coordinate the play's Twitter account. Of course, that's when things get weirda Twitter user posting as Hamlet's Ghost promises a real show and seems to be following Briana's every move. When bodies start to pile up on the stage, Bree and her friends are properly scared. Who is Hamlet's Ghost? And who's next? This heart-pounding thriller is filled with likable characters and up-to-date pop-culture details, which makes it a winning suggestion for teen horror fans, especially reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)