The Sweet Dead Life

Gr 5–9—This colorful tale of Texas teens vs. comically juvenile adults moves quickly and is never short on laughs. Eighth-grader Jenna has already endured the disappearance of her father; the complete vegetablization of her mother; and a bizarre and sudden illness that turns her pea green, her tongue full of weird dark patches, and a rash on her feet that makes even her favorite pair of boots unbearable. So when her brother wrecks their Prius in an effort to get Jenna to the hospital, she doesn't quite notice the strange circumstances of the crash. She does, however, notice her brother's transformation from paunchy stoner to chiseled hunk. His appearance isn't the only thing that's drastically altered. Jenna's life takes a serious turn when she is informed that her illness is the product of slow and deliberate poisoning. Jenna and her newly reformed brother begin to question everything from their father's disappearance to their mother's mysterious ailments. Preble's narrator is spot-on, and readers will relate to her as she speaks, acts, and behaves like a 14-year-old. Although several questions are left unanswered, they don't detract from the story; if anything, they lend credibility. After all, some subjects are too complicated for a cookie-cutter ending. The Sweet Dead Life is a great addition to any collection.—Jennifer Furuyama, Pendleton Public Library, OR