Wish You Were Dead

  • Interest Level: Grade 9 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 9

I’ll begin with Lucy. She is definitely first on the list. You can’t believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I’m some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.

The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy’s friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared. As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic. Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he’s sharing? The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d’s blog.

In the spirit of stories like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Todd Strasser updates the teen thriller for the techno age with Wish You Were Dead.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5124-0413-5
$23.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 9 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 9
Genre Young Adult
Copyright 2009
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Lab ®
Language English
Number of Pages 240
Publication Date 2009-08-01
Reading Counts! Level 4.7
Reading Counts! Points 15.0
Text Type Fiction—Mystery
BISACS YAF054000, YAF062000, YAF029000
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.1875 x 8
Lexile 650
ATOS Reading Level 4.4
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 134420
Accelerated Reader® Points 8.0
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Awards, Reviewed, and Starred Reviews

Author: Todd Strasser

Todd Strasser, author of Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, If I Grow Up, and the Help, I’m Trapped . . . series, has written wildly popular middle-grade and teen books of all genres. When he’s not speaking at schools and conferences, he makes his home in a suburb of New York City. Todd is active in a number of sports but enjoys surfing most of all. Visit him online at www.toddstrasser.com.

Awards

  • Tayshas Reading List, Winner, 2009
  • YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Winner, 2009

Reviews

Library Media Connection

“A mystery set in modern technological times is a perfect fit for this ‘killer’ mystery.” —Library Media Connection

VOYA

“This thriller will be popular and passed from one reader to another.” —starred, VOYA

School Library Journal

“[H]is gripping plot will keep readers turning pages late into the night.” —School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

“Carefully plotted, this suspenseful novel blends the traditional with new tech details to successful end. . . . [A]n impressive number of red herrings will keep readers guessing right up to the satisfying conclusion.” —Kirkus Reviews