Shade

Reader: Megan W
Age: 17
Title: Shade
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub Date: 5/18/10
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Annotation: Shade is a beautifully written tale about losing love and learning to move on and be happy again.
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I would describe this book as amazing and thought-provoking. It's set in a world where everyone 16 and younger can see ghosts, all because of something called the "Shift" that happened one day. Anyone born beyond that day can see ghosts. I thought it was an extremely original plot, and I was hooked from the beginning.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I thought Shade was really cool and original, seeing as how there are millions of people that can see ghosts, instead of only a few, like most ghost books (that I've read anyway). The writing style was easy to read and understand, and I was always thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. Our main character, Aura, thought life was going pretty well until her boyfriend Logan died suddenly. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) Logan doesn't pass on and instead "haunts" those he loves.
Aura is then torn as she wants to move on but can't while Logan is still around. I thought it was beautifully written.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I think the only thing that really bothered me was all the "Post-Shifters" in general. Aura (and other people her age) seem to always be complaining about ghosts that need help. They seek to avoid said ghosts by just ignoring them.
Seems to me that the least they could do would be take 10 seconds out of their busy lives and help a poor soul. I don't know, perhaps I'm thinking too much into this.
Did the cover tempt you and/or reflect the contents of the book: While the cover isn't overly exciting, I was still tempted to pick it up. I really liked the purple
swirls on the cover; it gave a mysterious feeling. I think the part of a person on the cover adds a bit of intrigue as well. All-in-all, I feel that the cover (and title) fit the book very well.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 16-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal