Author:  Jo Knowles
Category:  For the Mature Young Adult

Description from Amazon:

"Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself."

My Thoughts:

“Leah Green is dead.”

From the first line of this book, the reader is drawn into a haunting, yet captivating novel of friendship abuse between young girls, Laine and Leah.

Laine is ecstatic that popular Leah chooses her as a best friend in elementary school. Laine finally feels like she “fits in” somewhere. This friendship takes a dark and disturbing turn, however, when Leah convinces Laine to “experiment” in Laine’s doll room. Neither girl knows what they are feeling or why they are feeling it. Their emotions confuse them. Leah uses these emotions as power over Laine, belittling and tormenting her throughout their childhood.

Laine and Leah eventually go in different directions, but see each other periodically throughout middle and high school. Leah uses every opportunity to torment Laine, who feels only shame about the events of their childhood. In a stunning climax that will have the reader furiously turning the pages, both girls’ lives are changed forever.

An unlikely friendship that spirals out of control, Laine is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered childhood and try to understand her friendship with Leah. LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL is a haunting story that will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.