Lessons from a Dead Girl
Candlewick Press, Fall 2007
FF=Friends Forever. That's what Leah tells Laine when she writes the letters on her hand in the fifth grade. But theirs is a complex and abusive friendship, and it's only after Leah is killed in an accident that Laine begins to make sense of their complicated past.
How long does a childhood promise written on the palm of a hand last? Is there really such as thing as friends forever? Only Laine can answer. To do so, she must explore a troubled friendship, find its core, and decide whether she can forgive Leah—and ultimately, forgive herself.
Click here for a Teacher's Guide to Lessons From A Dead Girl created by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.
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Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick (October 9, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763632791
ISBN-13: 978-0763632793
Winner of the 2005 PEN New England Children's Book Discovery Award
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
"A razor-sharp examination of friendship, abuse and secrets." —Kirkus
"[Readers will] be riveted by this haunting story of a girl's journey to understanding, which culminates in a final lesson from her old friend: 'The truth belongs to you." —Booklist
"The concise, clear style of this short novel belies the sophistication of its subject matter; Knowles sheds valuable light on the long-term emotional impact of child abuse and the roots of sexual abuse among peers." —School Library Journal