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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
It had sort of a fake feel to it. Probably because it's written by an adult trying to be teenagy but it's totally over the top. It's a pretty simple story told with way to many detours, that just has the feel of stuffing, that has no real bearing on the actual "story".
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Even though the main character is dead it's a really funny book and younger readers will like it. I liked it because for me it was a light hearted read and was something quick that I didn't have to over analyse.
I really enjoyed this book! It was a good story with some good humor and interesting writing techniques. It was such a fun book to read and it opened my eyes to how much fun reading a book can be when I was younger. I really loved the book and I really enjoyed meeting the author and I'm glad I did so I could discover her books.
I love the artwork in this and the story is great. The characters are funny, and the book is written in a hodge podge of styles. There are some blog entries from Scarlett's blog, Scar Departed, also some chat room entries from Ghool Kool, which I gather is a chat room for dead people. There's also some proper written story bits and lots of awesome illustrations.
Cathy Brett writes and illustrates the book, and does so in a hilarious manner. Scarlett accidentally kills her family while trying to get out of a school trip, and quickly realises that being dead with no friends is boring. So, rather than try and make new dead friends, she decides to try and make her old friends dead. This book is Scarlett and her friend's tale of everything that happens.
Well worth a read and, as I already said, the artwork is fab.
Cathy Brett writes and illustrates the book, and does so in a hilarious manner. Scarlett accidentally kills her family while trying to get out of a school trip, and quickly realises that being dead with no friends is boring. So, rather than try and make new dead friends, she decides to try and make her old friends dead. This book is Scarlett and her friend's tale of everything that happens.
Well worth a read and, as I already said, the artwork is fab.
This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: This cover does not even scratch the surface of the awesomeness that is inside. See those fantastically creepy drawings? Those are EVERYWHERE and they get even better.
The Gist: Scarlett was dead, to begin with. Heh, always wanted to start a review like that. Anyway, in attempting to avoid a painfully awkward class trip, Scarlett Dedd accidentally kills herself - and her entire family. In finding herself Bodily Challenged, Scarlett does the only sensible thing and attempts to gain some ghostly pals - by killing her old friends.
Review: I cannot possibly go any further in this review without mentioning the illustrations in this book. Not only are they clever, creative and deliciously gruesome, they are also integrated into the text in a way that I have never seen before. The storyline is melded with pictures, doodles, membership cards and coffee stains. The way that the author plays with words and pictures (see below) is fun and keeps the reader entertained. Elements like these add a sense of whimsy and macabre and would certainly enthrall any young readers.
The story is told through several sources. Along side the traditional narrative style, we see Scarlett's blog, online conversations and even an interview transcript. Personally, the constant changes in perspective and style took some getting used to, however, I can appreciate the creative effort and I know that my students would find it fun and refreshing. The plot took an interesting twist when Scarlett decided to try and kill her friends so that she would have some company, but otherwise was fairly predictable.
The characters are an interesting bunch. They are the artsy kids. The ones who tend to dress in black and compare recipes for fake blood rather than the latest party. While the "teen speak" feels a little forced, the characters feel like a realistic portrayal of typical teenagers. The only part that really bothered me about the secondary characters is that they don't seem particularly affected by the death of their friend. They also seem determined to exploit her current situation for fame and popularity rather than try to communicate with her. For her part, Scarlett incredibly self-absorbed, whiny and exceedingly dense. This is rather annoying for about the first half (how long does it take her to realize that her parents are also dead?) but it does get better. Eventually, she gets over her naivety and is able to put the needs of others before her own.
Scarlett Dedd is certainly a book that will appeal to fans of graphic novels and to those readers who can appreciate a little blood and gore.
For a taste of Scarlett Dedd, you can also follow her blog: ScarDeparted
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 12 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Death by poisoning, several attempted murders
Inappropriate Language: Retard, illustration of character gesturing with middle finger
Substance Use/Abuse: None
Scarlett Dedd is SUPER adorable. From it's wonderfully comical and macabre premise to the illustrations that made me think of a horror/goth version of Tank Girl (see Jamie Hewlett). It pretty well captured the ennui involved in being a teenager that holds a great deal of contempt for the mainstream (which I certainly was, so I could relate).
So basically Scarlett Dedd comes from an eccentric family. Her parents are artists and hippies and are kinda poor, so she's stuck wearing thrift store clothes that don't exactly flatter her pale skin and sunken eyes. But she's found a group of friends that suit her and they make horror movies together. But there is a school trip about to come up and she needs a way to get out of it so she goes looking for mushrooms that will make her sick enough to fool her parents. But she picks wrong and instead makes a deathly poisonous risotto and dies. Then her family finds it, and they eat it, and they die. Then they all come back as ghosts to haunt the house they've been living in. Her friends break in because they're the kind of kids who dig death and other spooky things and Scarlett realized how alone she is so she hatches a terrible plan to kill her friends so they can all be dead together. Being dead apparently makes you a little crazy.
There's a few other things going on that move the story along pretty well and Brett uses some unusual tactics. The story is told in the 3rd person but there's a blog that ghost Scarlett keeps that gives us a little insight into her thought process, as well as a chat room she goes to where there are other dead kids, maybe not all of them trust worthy. And the design of the text isn't always straightforward, it intermingles with some of the illustrations, which is a nice touch but there were two instances where it was particularly annoying. That is, the text wound around itself in circles and I had to turn the book over and over to keep reading it. Sorry man, not cool. The other was that there were often jumps in time that the design of the text didn't indicate. Where there should have been an extra space between paragraphs or something like that, there just wasn't, so it was a little jarring jumping from one scene to another and it took a minute to realize it. Other than those two things, however, I found it a charming and engaging experience.
It is a young adult book, technically, but I would go further and say it is specifically a tween book. If you have a particularly bright ten year old or a particularly unusual thirteen year old they'd probably like this book. Any kids that are artistically inclined or like horror/mystery/thrillers or "Are you Afraid of the Dark" (is that show still on???), would probably dig this book. The prose isn't particularly sophisticated, but it's not supposed to be. Even though it's told in the third person it's still told from the perspective of a fifteen year old, and it reads like it. It's not like reading my eighteen year old niece's facebook posts though. It's way more interesting than that. thankfully.
So basically Scarlett Dedd comes from an eccentric family. Her parents are artists and hippies and are kinda poor, so she's stuck wearing thrift store clothes that don't exactly flatter her pale skin and sunken eyes. But she's found a group of friends that suit her and they make horror movies together. But there is a school trip about to come up and she needs a way to get out of it so she goes looking for mushrooms that will make her sick enough to fool her parents. But she picks wrong and instead makes a deathly poisonous risotto and dies. Then her family finds it, and they eat it, and they die. Then they all come back as ghosts to haunt the house they've been living in. Her friends break in because they're the kind of kids who dig death and other spooky things and Scarlett realized how alone she is so she hatches a terrible plan to kill her friends so they can all be dead together. Being dead apparently makes you a little crazy.
There's a few other things going on that move the story along pretty well and Brett uses some unusual tactics. The story is told in the 3rd person but there's a blog that ghost Scarlett keeps that gives us a little insight into her thought process, as well as a chat room she goes to where there are other dead kids, maybe not all of them trust worthy. And the design of the text isn't always straightforward, it intermingles with some of the illustrations, which is a nice touch but there were two instances where it was particularly annoying. That is, the text wound around itself in circles and I had to turn the book over and over to keep reading it. Sorry man, not cool. The other was that there were often jumps in time that the design of the text didn't indicate. Where there should have been an extra space between paragraphs or something like that, there just wasn't, so it was a little jarring jumping from one scene to another and it took a minute to realize it. Other than those two things, however, I found it a charming and engaging experience.
It is a young adult book, technically, but I would go further and say it is specifically a tween book. If you have a particularly bright ten year old or a particularly unusual thirteen year old they'd probably like this book. Any kids that are artistically inclined or like horror/mystery/thrillers or "Are you Afraid of the Dark" (is that show still on???), would probably dig this book. The prose isn't particularly sophisticated, but it's not supposed to be. Even though it's told in the third person it's still told from the perspective of a fifteen year old, and it reads like it. It's not like reading my eighteen year old niece's facebook posts though. It's way more interesting than that. thankfully.
Really was not a fan. A pretty fast read so at least it did not take up much of my time, though it felt like it as I had to force myself to continue reading it. I can see the appeal to some young people though. Pretty dark and gruesome in some places. Some of the oneliners were good but on the whole not really something I would recommend.
Background: Scarlett Dedd is a teenage girl outcast; she lives in a creepy house, is very pale, and is made fun of for looking dead and being a Dedd. The issue is…now she is dead; she only meant to make herself sick, but instead killed herself and her entire family. What a bummer to be dead but still have parents around to tell you what you can and cannot do, and your annoying brother still lurking about.
Review: This is a very interesting read. I like the concept and it is very well written. You get chapters from Scarlett’s point of view and from her friends’ point of views, which makes it fascinating to read. Along with the different people telling the story, you also get some extra tidbits from Scarlett as she chats online or updates her blog, and there are pictures too… so much fun.
I must say that this read took a little while for me to get into, not really for any particular reason, it was just a little slow at first, and from the cover I was expecting more of a graphic novel type style, which it is not.
If you like graphic novels, I think this book will work for you. Since there are so many different characters and outlets for Scarlett, it seems a little graphic novel-ish…If you like angst-ridden teens, this is DEFINITELY for you, Scarlett is a little down about her new situation, esp. that her parents won’t let her do anything. Being a ghost is no fun when you can’t mess with people, or spook your best friends. But what if you killed them...?
Review: This is a very interesting read. I like the concept and it is very well written. You get chapters from Scarlett’s point of view and from her friends’ point of views, which makes it fascinating to read. Along with the different people telling the story, you also get some extra tidbits from Scarlett as she chats online or updates her blog, and there are pictures too… so much fun.
I must say that this read took a little while for me to get into, not really for any particular reason, it was just a little slow at first, and from the cover I was expecting more of a graphic novel type style, which it is not.
If you like graphic novels, I think this book will work for you. Since there are so many different characters and outlets for Scarlett, it seems a little graphic novel-ish…If you like angst-ridden teens, this is DEFINITELY for you, Scarlett is a little down about her new situation, esp. that her parents won’t let her do anything. Being a ghost is no fun when you can’t mess with people, or spook your best friends. But what if you killed them...?