Dead Girl Walking [Paperback]

Linda Joy Singleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2008 | Series: Dead Girl (Book 1)

An American Library Association 2009 Popular Paperback for Young Adults title

"DEAD GIRL WALKING is a great teen read: suspenseful, fast-paced, and loads of fun!"
--K.A. Applegate, author of the ANIMORPHS series

I am so dead...
Now, was I supposed to go left or right at the Light?

Seventeen-year-old Amber Borden has a lousy sense of direction—so lousy that she takes a wrong turn when returning from her near-death experience. She ends up in the body of the most popular girl in school, who has just tried to commit suicide.
Can a girl who can't even navigate the halls of Halsey High discover the secrets of her new identity and find her way back to her own life?

From the author of THE SEER Series.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—Amber Borden is clever, ambitious, and tired of being seen as a nobody by the popular crowd at her high school. She's convinced that her ticket to success is to be an A-list talent agent, and her first big break is in convincing Trinidad Sylvenski to let Amber manage her. Unfortunately for Amber, her life literally spins out of control. After discovering what the most popular girls really think of her, she has a near-death experience when she is hit by a mail truck. In the "heavens," she meets her loving grandmother and loyal dog who give her words of encouragement, the promise of better things to come, and instructions on how to return to her body. Amber is so excited with this encounter that she takes a wrong turn and winds up in the body of beautiful, wealthy, and popular Leah Montgomery. It doesn't take long for Amber to realize that Leah's life and family are in major turmoil. All she wants is her old life back, and she will do whatever it takes to make this happen. What she learns along the way are the experiences of a lifetime. This page-turner has wit, love, courage, adventure, and remarkable insight. Amber is truly a teen heroine whom readers will identify with and learn from, who brings new meaning to the word "dead." A must-have purchase for fans of the supernatural and the occult.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY
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Review

"Well-packaged light chills that should be a hit with teen girls."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Flux (September 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738714054
• ISBN-13: 978-0738714059
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From Linda Joy Singleton:

When I was 9, I wrote a short story about a cat named Taben and stapled it into a "book" with pictures, too. A year later I rewrote the book, writing it neater, adding chapter titles, and putting games in the back. I didn't know it then but I was "revising" my work, an early step to learning how to become a writer.

When I was 14, I challenged myself to type a chapter a day over my 2 week Christmas vacation, and I finished a book (200 pages) in two weeks. This was an important achievement to me because I proved to myself that I could finish a book. Up until then I had many starts but only one "finish."

So you'd think I was poised to become a young published author? Maybe...but life jumped ahead of my dreams. I started working at age 17 plus had a short marriage. I didn't dust off my writing dreams until I was 27 and a mother of toddlers. I started off small, writing in the evening when my husband was home to help with the kids. By the time they were in school, I had a schedule of writing in the mornings. I sold my first book when I was 30, a chapter book called ALMOST TWINS. Someday (when I'm quite famous) this will be my more rare book since only a few thousand were ever printed and it was only sold in school book fairs. My first book never made it to bookstores.

My 36th book, THE SEER #6. MAGICIAN'S MUSE, came out in 2010. And in 2012, a spinoff from THE SEER starring Thorn, BURIED, comes out in March. Also, I'm working on a big world-creating book now that will be my biggest achievement yet...stay tuned for more dreams coming true.

Read short stories and enter a contest here: www.LindaJoySingleton.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great main character, October 15, 2010

By 

small review - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Girl Walking (Paperback)

Amber has never been known for her sense of direction, but her capacity for error jumps to new heights when, after a near death experience, her soul takes a wrong turn and she ends up in the body of popular girl Leah. Desperate to get back to her own body, Amber sets in motion a series of hilarious, horrifying, and touching events as she attempts to navigate life in Leah's body while trying to reclaim her own.

Dead Girl Walking is the first in a series, though it can easily be read as a stand-alone story. The body switching routine has been done before, and while it is done well this time, what really sets this book apart is Amber. Amber is the stereotypical quirky, klutzy, not-popular-but-not-unpopular girl. Despite filling these stereotypes (which really are starting to get a little worn), Amber is impossible not to love. Her wry commentary runs throughout the book, adding levity and thoughtfulness in all the right places. She's a person I can totally see myself befriending and laughing hysterically with every time we get together.

The secondary characters were equally endearing, though not as fleshed out as Amber. While we don't really get to meet Leah, we do take an intimate tour through her dark secrets, and they are frightening. Leah's situation is awful and I found myself feeling really sorry for her. After spending so much time in Leah's life, I wish the author had given the reader some closure or idea of how Leah's life is after the main events of the story have ended. This loose end and the abrupt ending are my only complaints about the story. Despite these two minor complaints, I fully enjoyed the book and recommend it. I will be checking out the sequels.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars great potential but just a tease, May 4, 2011

By 

shira46 (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dead Girl Walking (Kindle Edition)

I am not a teen or young adult but still loved this book. Until the ending, which turned out to be just a setup for the next book. It was frustrating to be close to the resolution the book was heading for, and needed, then to be left completely hanging. Books in good series also work as stand-alones, this one doesn't. It's a free book that's just there to get you to buy the next books in the series. And they are pricey at $8-not worth it to me for this kind of quick, light read in eBook format. And the risk that they will be equally unfinished. Too bad- the story line was good, the characters likeable, and the concepts entertaining (loved the ghost dog.)

An addition to this review based on the comment from the author (thanks) and if you don't read comments-this is the first of a trilogy, not a series, so it wasn't meant to end at this book. That's fair, but I didn't get that from the description of the book. So, consider this a 4 star review if you plan to purchase the 2 subsequent books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 2, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Girl Walking (Paperback)

Gold Star Award Winner!

Directly after eavesdropping, learning how the populars view her, and finding out that she's received a collegiate scholarship, an out-of-control mail truck hits Amber.

Despite her severe injuries, she doesn't die. Exactly.

Instead, her soul ends up in the body of a fellow classmate: Queen B Leah. Leah just attempted suicide and Amber's desperately trying to adapt to this new life. She's dying to know why the most popular girl in school hates life. Slowly, Amber uncovers layers of Leah's life and realizes that things aren't always wonderful for the school's golden girl.

When Amber realizes that she might never escape Leah's body, she attempts to make some major adjustments.

Linda Joy Singleton starts up a new series with DEAD GIRL WALKING, where she perfectly combines the hardship of teen life with a paranormal aspect, immediately hooking readers.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel