Parents' Guide to

Ghostgirl

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Darkly funny book is full of Goth-chic style.

Book Tonya Hurley Humor 2008
Ghostgirl Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 7 parent reviews

violetstorm
violetstorm Parent of 5 and 12-year-old
April 20, 2021
age 8+

Good book

The only negative things about this book are the swear words, for example, there is an instance where the f word is spelled out. Otherwise, the story was very appealing. I read this book when I was 8, and looked up to high schoolers. The protagonist in this story becomes an invisible ghost, but still has a happy ending. This teaches kids that sometimes seemingly impossible dreams come true, and not to give up on hope. Bonus: the appearance of the book is very pretty, and 8 year old me loved the pink floral details everywhere.

This title has:

Great messages
CiCisCritiques
CiCisCritiques Adult
April 8, 2015
age 15+
This book was amazing I personally have read it over ten times and have purchased the continuations. I think it gets to high schoolers a lot more because they can relate to feelings of the characters. Some things you just can't learn in school.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

High school outcast Charlotte Usher spends her whole summer plotting how to get crush Damen Dylan to notice her. On the first day back, she gets her wish in physics class when he's assigned as her lab partner -- only for her to die minutes later choking on a gummy bear. Attending Dead Ed and living in the dead dorm with other deceased teens do nothing to thwart Charlotte's designs on Damen, however, especially when she learns that a live person, the Goth younger sister of Damen's snotty girlfriend, can actually see and help her. But Charlotte doesn't know how much this help from the living hurts all dead students' chances of finally "seeing the light."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (33):

With a Goth-chic book design and a popular Web site, GHOSTGIRL definitely puts style and dark humor first, but it's not without substance. Each chapter starts with a pithy paragraph about letting go, love, longing, regret -- heavy stuff. That is, right before it launches into shallow-seeming Charlotte's next clueless misadventure led by her one-track mind: Must get boy, alive or dead. This tunnel vision would get annoying if it weren't for other fun characters, like Piccolo Pam the dead guide, Scarlet the live Goth friend who gives Charlotte a "make-under," and Petula the delightfully unscrupulous sister (who gets hers, of course).

But in the end, Ghostgirl isn't quite as clever as it wants to be. With its mix of satire, deep thoughts, physical humor, and heart-tugging romance, it can seem like too much of a hodge-podge at times. And fans may want more than just a taste of dead teen culture -- there are plenty of unanswered questions about their powers, etc. But it's still lots of fun and the perfect complement to a late-night readathon with The Cure cued up on the iPod.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Charlotte's one-track mind. Why do you think it was so important to her to be popular and get the guy, even after death? When does her dedication get to be over the top? If you could see Charlotte like Scarlet could, would you change places with her temporarily? If so, what would you do in spirit form?

Book Details

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