Book Review - I Date Dead People

I Date Dead People (My Boyfriend Is a Monster)

By: Ann Kerns
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761385493
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2012

The Reilly's had just moved into a new home in good old St. Paul, Minnesota. Nora, Aiden, and her little sister Bean were sitting at the breakfast table eating Fun Hoops and Honey Bombs when their mom, Jean, noticed that someone had braided Bean's hair. When Mom asked who'd done it, Bean calmly claimed that Inge, the maid, did it. Huh? They didn't have a maid, but her hair looked great. All of a sudden ... "SLAAAM!! The door quickly slammed shut. Everyone thought it was the wind, but Aidan knew better. Nora was soon heading off to school with her new friend, Kirsty.

Kirsty thought she was lucky because they'd moved into Eleanor Hays's old house. She said, "Your house is like a famous literary landmark" and figured Nora might actually find a rare manuscript. Yeah, Nora would find something, but it would be something much more interesting than old paper. Nick Harris was anxious to talk to her, but she had things to do. That night Kirsty was gabbing away on Nora's bed when she sensed something plopped on the bed. Hey! Just what was that? No one was even near the bed!

Strange things were starting to happen in the house. Nora heard some singing downstairs, but no one was around. She was definitely spooked and thought to herself, "they had to move us into the creakiest, shadowiest house they could find." Singing would seem mild in comparison to the apparition she saw staring up at her from the bottom of the stairs. "Don't move the clock" was all it said before it drifted away. When she confronted Bean and Aidan, they too had seen some ghosts ... and had been threatened.

Nora confronted the ghosts, but got knocked down for her troubles. Soon she came face-to-face with the apparition she'd seen before. His name was Thomas Barnes, Tom for short. Things were changing fast and before she could help it, she started to fall in love with the ghost who somehow hadn't passed on to the other side. They touched hands, a touch that "felt amazing ... like a cool spark." And then there was the kiss. How would she explain this to her friends? What could she possible say to Nick, the coolest guy in the school, when he asked her out?

This is a ghostly tale of romance when Nora Reilly falls mad dash in love with Tom Barnes. Tom died decades before Nora and her siblings spot him. He's a teenage poltergeist who is making a ruckus in the household. The crush Nora develops on this specter is totally unexpected and does cause a few problems in the "real" world. Just how she is going to tell everyone she's dating a dead boy is slightly problematic at the least. The action is hot in this novel, one in the series, "My Boyfriend is a Monster." Tom isn't the only creepy critter hanging around the Reilly home. A whole host of ghosts need to be driven from the home, but will Tom be one of the casualties?

Quill says: This stand alone book will excite any young reader interested in the paranormal and ghostly specters, especially the handsome kind!