Life After Theft

June 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Jeff Clayson's life has been turned upside down in more ways than one. Uprooted from his middle-class world by his parents so that his mother can pursue an acting career, he now lives with them in an upscale section of California, drives a BMW, and attends a prep school. Being the odd man out intensifies when on Jeff's first day he encounters none other than Kimberlee Schaffer. Unfortunately for him, she is dead and he is the only one who can see or hear her. His agreeing to help Kimberlee with her "unfinished business" begins a whirlwind adventure full of secrets, lies, unlikely friendships, romance, and important lessons about the price of redemption. Pike delivers an insightfully written, fast-paced, and witty plot told from a teenage boy's point of view. Full of well-developed characters, this ghostly tale tackles complicated themes such as acceptance, bullying, and atonement that readers will relate to. A clever and engaging read that will satisfy more than just fans of the paranormal.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2013
"There's something about having a fight with a ghost that makes you paranoid in the morning." On his first day at an exclusive private high school in Santa Monica, freshman Jeff Clayson discovers that he is being stalked by the ghost of a former student who drowned two years earlier. Jeff can see and hear Kimberlee Schaffer loud and clear, but to everyone else she is invisible. Apart from disappearing through walls when it suits her, she behaves like any other kleptomaniac teenage brat. Kimberlee has a mission for Jeff. She wants him to help her atone for her past sins so that she can move on to the place with bright lights where she believes the peaceful dead end up. It takes Jeff a while to realize what a bizarre drama he has let himself get involved in. Finding the love of his dreams, who, it turns out, has played a significant role in Kimberlee's criminal past, only complicates matters further. In a refreshing departure from her plant-based paranormal-romance series (Destined, 2012, etc.), Pike develops the pleasantly fractious relationship between Jeff and Kimberlee in Jeff's earthy, humorous first-person as he only initially reluctantly takes the high road to help her. Aside from its heavenly premise, this brisk, down-to-earth thriller should appeal equally to male and female readers. (Paranormal mystery. 12 & up)

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February 15, 2013
Grades 8-11 Jeff and his family have just moved from Phoenix to Santa Monica, where he now attends a posh private school haunted by a ghost only he can see: Kimberlee Schaffer, once Whitestone Academy's queen bee. Jeff learns that Kimberlee, who drowned more than a year ago, was a serious kleptomaniac who had stolen from virtually every student and teacher at the school, as well as exclusive, expensive stores. Her ghost is unable to move on because she wants to return the stolen goods to their ownersbut ghosts can't physically move objects. So Jeff becomes her Scarlet Pimpernel, packaging and returning the items with a special I'm sorry sticker on them. In the process, he wins the love of beautiful Sera (herself battling image problems) and discovers that wealth can't buy happiness. The plot may be predictable, but the snippy arguments between Kimberlee and Jeff capture authentic teen voices. Furthermore, Jeff's journey to real empathy takes on issues crucial and relevant to teens: the price of popularity, the importance of being true to one's beliefs, and the need to stand up for others. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Pike's New York Times-bestselling Wings series guarantees interest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
On his first day at a new private high school, Jeff befriends a girl nobody else can see. Kimberlee had been a popular mean girl with kleptomania; now she is a ghost, trapped on earth until she can return her mountain of stolen goods. The premise is playfully implausible, but a jarringly didactic conclusion detracts from this offbeat caper.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)