NASHVILLE |FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/MITCH SCHNEIDER/DIANA MENDOZA/MSO
SETS THE MOOD FOR THE HALLOWEEN SEASON
DEBUT AUTHOR HITS NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST
WITH DARK, WITTY AND ROMANTIC SATIRE ABOUT FEELING INVISIBLE
Get in the mood for Halloween with ghostgirl, the New York Times’ top ten best seller written by TONYA HURLEY. The book is at the forefront of a growing sub-genre of Young Adult fiction—dubbed ‘’demento mori’’ by Publisher’s Weekly in their starred review of the book—about teens who cannot or will not die.
In ghostgirl, HURLEY crafts a timeless tale of misfit Charlotte Usher and her struggle to find her own identity and place among her peers…both alive and dead. She is literally dying to be popular, after accidentally choking on a gummy bear while trying to eavesdrop on a conversation between her dream guy Damen and his head cheerleading girlfriend Petula. Waking as a ghost, in a Dead Ed classroom full of other deceased teens who still have to go to school, Charlotte explores the lengths we will all go to be seen, no matter the obstacles or the odds.
Not only is this dark, funny and romantic story a perfect read for the holiday, the package is one of the most striking of the season. ghostgirl is bound in black hard cover with a die-cut coffin shaped window – a ghostly shadow of Charlotte, crossed with a pink prom sash reading “Rest In Popularity”- showing through. The surrounding silver and pink cover ornamentation and gilt pages perfectly accent the heartfelt and yearning tale within.
Here are some critical quotes about ghostgirl:
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – STARRED REVIEW (July 14)
“[Hurley] beats out witty teen-speak like a punk-band drummer, keeping the narrative fast-paced and fun yet thought-provokingly heartwarming. Goofy, ghastly, intelligent, electrifying.”
KIRKUS – STARRED REVIEW (July)
“Tim Burton and Edgar Allan Poe devotees will die for this fantastic, phantasmal read.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – STARRED REVIEW (July)
“…quirky, supernatural celebration of young love, romance and determination against all odds and reason.”
GRATEFULWEB.COM (September 17)
“Readers with a taste for black humor and satire will feast on Hurley’s crisp, wise dialogue. Anticipate a well deserved cult following”
VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES – STARRED REVIEW (August)
“You can't miss this book…”
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD (July 6)
“Harry Potter's epic battles against dark forces of evil are nothing compared to Charlotte Usher's struggles with an even more fearsome foe – high school.”
HERALD-STANDARD (July 7)
“ghostgirl moves quickly, has interesting characters and a touch of sarcastic humor that’s sure to entertain.”
DARQUE REVIEWS (August 11)
“An extraordinarily clever story that finds the meeting point between self-absorbed adolescent melodrama, gothic romance, and horror — a surprisingly compatible mixture — and stirs in some pee-in-your-pants one-liners and cultural references from at least three decades of YA/horror/high school…OMG! The first 100 pages of this quick read had me dying from laughter.”
NOT ACTING MY AGE (August 3)
“The characters were fun.”
THE STORY SIREN (July 30)
“Hurley's debut is very witty and satirical, and great to read…The art department at Little, Brown really outdid themselves with this book.”
BOOK CHIC MYSPAGE BLOG (August 4)
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