DEADVILLE by Ron Koertge

Ryan has been spending his life getting baked with his friend Andy and listening to music ever since his sister Molly died. But than Charlotte Silano falls off her horse and lands herself into a coma. Ryan begins to drift away from Andy and feels himself drawn to Charlotte's hospital bed. He spends his days now visiting Charlotte in the hospital talking to her asking her to get up. One of the times there he meets a girl named Betty who was Charlotte's volleyball teammate. Something sparks and a relationship grows between them. They go to the hospital now on a very regular basis and as he goes to the hospital he begins to face memories of Molly (who died from cancer) which he struggles to cope with throughout the book. At the hospital Ryan meets a little boy named Thad who tells him about a place named Deadville. Thad describes Deadville as a place where people who have been in horrible accidents or operations can somewhat float outside there bodies and look down on them, almost like an out of body experience. Ryan struggles to believe him until one day Ryan has a dream were Charlotte comes to his bed and says "I'm on my way back, Ryan come to the hospital. I want you there." Then he rushes to the hospital to Charlotte's room were Charlotte begins coughing and wakes up! As days go by her body still needs rehab but her personality still goes back to the same old Charlotte. Ryan has finally coped with Molly's death and begins moving on through his life.

I learned that dealing with tough things in life might take awhile but you can do it.

Excellent book, has you wondering will Charlotte wake up? Will Ryan ever cope with Molly's death? Will Ryan and Charlotte become a couple? Keeps you guessing till the very end.

Recommended for grades 9-12.

KH in Greenville