Ghosted

Leslie Margolis

Book - 2018

After hitting her head, Ellie Charles, thirteen, encounters a mysterious girl who takes her to moments in her past that explain how she became a manipulative, unhappy person in a story reminiscent of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."--

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Subjects
Genres
Bildungsromans
Published
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux 2018.
Language
English
Main Author
Leslie Margolis (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
243 pages ; 22 cm
Audience
HL570L
ISBN
9780374307561
9781509886432
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7-Ellie Charles has been best friends with Marley Winters since they were babies. They have perfect families Ellie has a mom and a dad, and Marley has her two dads. They are both happy and life is good. Then, at age eight, Ellie's parents separate and her dad moves out of the house two days before Christmas. Ellie's world flips upside down and she makes up her mind to never be weak or show emotions for others. She believes that to be successful, one needs to fit in with the right crowd, be mean, and have very little regard for others' feelings. She is successful in doing just that and becomes the most feared and most popular girl in her middle school. In so doing, Ellie forgets the traditions she and her mother have had through years-making sourdough bread together and spending time with Marley's family. The new Ellie humiliates her best friend and even "ghosts" her. Because of this, Marley and her dads move out of the neighborhood, and she transfers to a new school. When an accident happens, it forces Ellie to relive her life and to see herself through new eyes, reminiscent of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The "Girl in Black" takes Ellie through her life's journey, from beginning and gives her a glimpse of her future. Ellie is not impressed with what she sees and must act to change the course of her future. An interesting take on a classic narrative, though the first half of the book is slow. For readers who stick with it, the ending is well earned and satisfying. VERDICT A secondary purchase or where libraries are in need of more middle grade fiction about friendship trouble and bullying.-Valentine Muyumba, Terre Haute, Indiana State University © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

In this modern, middle-school spin on Dickens's A Christmas Carol, thirteen-year-old mean-girl Ellie is visited by a ghost, who shows Ellie scenes from her life to inspire her to change her ways. Margolis first presents Ellie as a deplorable monster, then, in the heart-rending flashbacks, strips away her confidence and perfection to reveal a broken teen with whom readers will sympathize. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.