Three Quarter's Dead by Richard Peck

I have heard Richard Peck speak a couple of times.  He is an older gentleman who used to be a school teacher.  He was upset by the moral character of his students and of society in general and decided to write YA fiction as a way to give moral guidance. Once, right after he had published On the Wings of Heroes (2007) and he said that he had decided that he would never write anything but historical fiction because he believed that teens needed to know and hear stories of family and courage and love. Then I heard him speak a few years later and he said he had changed his mind.  He had read an article about some teenage girls who had been killed in a car accident while texting, and the whole story of Three Quarters Dead came to him. Even though he is something of a moral evangelist, Peck is a wonderful writer. A Long Way from Chicago is one of my favorite books of all time. His historical books are funny and tender and his characterizations are rich and complex. I was a little hesitant to read this one.  I read one or two of his ghost stories that he wrote clear back in the 70's and didn't like them as much as his other stuff.  But I finally decided to try this one.

It is darker than some of his other books.  It is truly a teen book, and I don't really recommend it for anyone under 10.  There isn't anything racy in it but it is just rather intense. There is an exclusive prep school (like the kind Peck taught in before he became a writer) where the social life is ruled by three super popular, super beautiful girls. A sophomore girl, named Kerry, watches the popular girls with awe and longing until one day they invite her to sit at their table at lunch.  She is so flattered that they would include her that she becomes their groupy.  They are manipulative, sometimes kind, and sometimes cruel, but she doesn't care as long as they are willing to pay attention to her.  Then, one day, while the three are out shopping for prom dresses without her, they are killed in a car accident.  Kerry's life is shattered.  Her whole self esteem was based on their association.  She withdraws and goes to grief counseling, but can't pull out of her funk.  Then she receives a text from one of them.

I was pretty amazed that Peck, a 79 year old man, could get into the head and world of an "A list" teen girl as well as he did.  The depiction of the older girl's control of the younger girl, the way they talked about boys and clothes, they way they used technology was all pretty convincing.  There was none of the heartwarming humor that you find in his historical books, but the scenes where the girls were hanging out, trying on clothes, were appealing even to an old, middle age lady like me. Even though the whole book is clearly written to send a couple of specific messages, I didn't feel preached at. He really is an amazing writer.  (193 p)