Death of a Kleptomaniac

Gr 7–10—Kleptomaniac Molly Weller is dead, no matter how much she bargains with Louise, the intake counselor of her soul. Her life, she thought, had been going so well up until now. She joined her school's nationally esteemed drill team, made the right friends, and was popular. Now she is just a soul who finds that being dead is a lot of work. Oddly, the bulk of this novel revolves around a disembodied character more well-rounded dead than alive. As her counselor says, "a lot of times when people are in their deepest sorrows, they have their clearest insights." Nearly everyone imagines life after death; this novel delivers it. While the theme might be too morbid for some, certain readers will enjoy reading about Molly's life and afterlife.—Lisa Gieskes, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC