Break My Heart 1,000 Times

September 24, 2012
Ever since the mysterious “Event,” which instantly killed millions of people worldwide, ghosts have been appearing like clockwork—brief, repeating images of the dead doing everything from visiting libraries to eating breakfast. Veronica’s
father is one such ghost, and the high school sophomore takes comfort in seeing him every morning, even if he is just as uncommunicative as the other ghosts. Veronica’s history teacher, Mr. Bittner, also has ghosts on his mind—his late daughter isn’t returning as one—and his unhinged wife has been goading him into killing teenage girls for their daughter to “possess.” After multiple failed attempts to bring their daughter back, they set their sights on Veronica. Veronica’s friend/romantic interest, Kirk, and her ghost-obsessed English teacher also get drawn into the plot, and it soon becomes clear that some ghosts might be able to interact with humans after all. Even knowing
early on who the sinister players are in Waters’s (the Generation Dead series) story doesn’t dissipate its tension (Waters gets some good twists in there, too). There’s ample creepiness in this supernatural thriller to keep readers invested. Ages 12–18.

September 15, 2012
"Everybody's haunted by something." Generation Dead author Waters (2008) turns from zombies to ghosts in this supernatural thriller. Six years after the Event, a seemingly 9/11-type occurrence that killed an estimated 2 million people, ghosts (even those not associated with the Event) continue to inundate Jewell City. Teen Veronica Calder, born on leap day, sees many of these ghosts, including her father and fellow teen Brian, who committed suicide in her bathtub years earlier. Hoping to capture Veronica's attention, classmate Kirk begins an independent study on the city's ghosts. Also vying for her attention is serial killer and history teacher August Bittner, whose daughter died on leap day many years ago. As another leap day approaches, he secretly plans to kill Veronica in an effort to bring back his daughter's spirit. Although occasionally slow, the fresh story reveals flashes of the author's dark humor amid the terror as Kirk and Veronica's initial romantic interest turns to trying to prove Bittner's guilt in local unsolved murders, as well as trying to keep Veronica alive. Most of the novel is written in the third person, except for Brian's perspective. His side story and own dilemmas, told in the first person, offer both interesting diversions from and connections to Veronica's survival. Waters not only causes hearts to race, but brains to ponder the possibilities of ghosts. (Supernatural thriller. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-The ghosts that inhabit Jewel City are an everyday fact of life. Veronica isn't afraid of them, but she wonders why they are there. She catches a glimpse of her deceased father every morning reading the paper and, on her way to school, a flash of Mary Greer, a murdered high school student, ascending the steps and knocking on the front door of her creepy history teacher's house. When a hot teenage ghost from another era appears in Veronica's bathroom one morning and makes eye contact, she begins a field study on ghosts with her new boyfriend, Kirk. Their research leads them to Mary Greer's killer and hints that Veronica might become a serial killer's next victim. The creep factor is high in this novel. Told from the points of view of the ghosts, a teen, and the serial killer, who is haunted by images of his dead wife and daughter, the narrative takes time to delve into questions of memory, mortality, and the afterlife. This is a fast-paced, highly entertaining read, recommended for fans of horror and mystery.Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
After the Event (never fully explained) in which millions died, everyone sees ghosts--of those who died during the Event and of others, like a murdered teen, who seem to haunt their murderers. Veronica must figure out who the serial killer (a teacher) is before he murders her. Slight identity disorder (slasher horror or atmospheric ghost story?) mars this otherwise engaging novel.

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