Being Dead by Vande Velde Vivian (2003-09-01) Paperback

by Vivian Vande Velde

A sixteen-year-old will give anything to be with her true love--even though he died two hundred years ago. . . . A sopping-wet little dead girl stalks a teen who had nothing to do with her death--honest! . . . A heartless man dances with his wife--after she's passed away. From the hilarious to the horrific, master storyteller Vivian Vande Velde explores the world of the dead--and the undead--in this surprisingly moving collection of unnerving tales.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Ghosts, Supernatural

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Vivian Vande Velde (born 1951, currently residing in Rochester, New York) is an American author who writes books primarily aimed at young adults.

Her novels and short story collections usually have some element of horror or fantasy, but are primarily humorous. Her book Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) received the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. She says that she really likes to write for children. She likes to do school talks to children. She does many book conventions and also gives writing classes.

Reviews

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the stories in this book are straightforward and well-done ghost stories -- "The Ghost" is obvious but amusing, "Shadow Brother" and "For Love of Him" are creepy as advertised, and "October Chill" and "Being Dead" are touchingly sad. "Dancing with Majorie's Ghost" is silly, and not as interesting as the others.

"Drop by Drop" is horrifying. Not terrifying. When you get to the end of the story (or near enough to put the end together) and realize what's happened, it's horrifying, of the put-the-book-down-and-shudder variety. It took me a month or so to tentatively pick up the book and dare the other stories, which are not horrifying. So...well done, I guess?

[♫randomly Me♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book scared the crap out of me but it made me realize the importance of life and opened my eyes to something I never really thought of, be aware that you will cry at some points and be scared at others.

[🌟Star🌟 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot. Being Dead is full of short stories about ghosts and being haunted. A light quick read for Halloween.

[CanadianReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling book of seven short stories, each a little different. The cover is enough to give you nightmares. I'm not a fan of short stories, I am a series girl, but for some reason I picked this one up and so glad I did!


Drop by Drop is a 60 page tale of a young girl and her family moving to the country. Once arriving only Brenda seems to be having visits from something beyond this world. Once she realizes just what, or should I say who it is it'll leave you stunned.
Dancing With Marjorie's Ghost is an eerie story consisting of nine pages. Let's just say husbands will learn from Conrad Sharpe. Treat your wives well!
Shadow Brother this one is 40 pages long. Guilty conscience? Guilt comes back to haunt in this ghost story.
The Ghost 8 pages. Would you haunt where you died?
For Love of Him Ah! The anniversary of a death means the dead get more powerful! This was a good one! 18 chilling pages. They can suck you in...
October Chill 40 pages long. Emily is dying. John shows up, possibly sensing the weakness? The loss of life? As they grow on each other, in the end, John helps Emily like no other can.
Being Dead Johnny's day was going great until he got killed. Now, he lays dead and is being robbed. He can't allow that to happen. That's for his mother. He must get even! This story is 28 pages.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read of many short stories about death. I think the first one in the last one are the best first one was about a little girl haunting a teenager and the last one was about a paperboy hunting his boss who stoled his paper route money. Why these were good stories they weren't as breathtaking as I wanted them to be like the poor girl who was battling a tumor who sadly froze to death so she could be with the ghost she liked.

[Vixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but I wish there weren't seven stories. It was very interesting to be able to get to read a different variety of stories, but it would be better if it was less then seven. Overall the book was very intriguing and mysterious, and do recommend if you like to get a little scared.

[Dexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely do I enjoy every story in an anthology, but every story in Being Dead entertained me in one way or another. Some stories were terrifying, some touching, and some hilarious. My favorite is probably the short and simple story "The Gost."

SECOND time reading it:
Oh my gosh I love all these stories so much. I could remember how all of them were going to end, so I kind of wish I could go back to that state of shock and awe that is so rare when reading a book. But I still got to relive all of those moments, remembering how it felt when I first read it, and rejoicing over the fact that I was able to read them again.

Drop by Drop - So good. So chilling.
Dancing with Marjorie's Ghost - Not my favorite, but still cool.
Shadow Brother - Very disturbing, and also heartbreaking.
The Ghost - LOVE.
For Love of Him - A tragic and strangely touching little story.
October Chill - This is an odd one, which I think could've been explored in depth. Would've made a very cool full length novel.
Being Dead - An awesome way to end the anthology.

[Allison Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories, some scary, some not, investigates that mysterious boundary between life and death. Vivian Vande Velde uses surprise, intrigue, fear, and even a little humor to entertain her readers. The first story, "Drop by Drop," is by far the stand-out: a teen girl, depressed at having to move with her family into the country, discovers a ghostly visitor upon their arrival. The ghost, a little girl, makes herself known only around water. When she appears, she is also drenched in water, and the teen narrator must figure out why. The ghost is legitimately frightening, and Vande Velde uses this story to probe into literary ideas of perception and unreliable narrators. Following stories are less frightening, but young readers will enjoy the twists Vande Velde employs, tapping into reader's deep desire to be shocked and surprised.

[Melissa]

Melissa Wickelhaus
Short Stories

Being Dead by Vivian Cande Velde contains seven short stories about death, ghosts, cemeteries, and other such dark things. One story follows Brenda, a teen who moves to country with her family and is haunted by the dripping wet, bloody ghost of a young girl riding a bicycle. After a few days of being tormented by the ghost, Brenda realizes that her involvement with the young girl is much more serious than she thought. Another story tells of a man who never treated his wife right, and when she dies he claims that if only she could come back for one night, he would dance with her until she was happy. Then the ghost of his wife comes back and she dances with him out of the house and to her grave; he never turned up. None of the stories are overly scary, but should appeal to most horror fans.

[Niquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: Not creepy at all.

Drop by Drop: liked, was clever with an unreliable narrator , left me feeling sad

Dancing with Marjorie's Ghost: was okay, but I feel like I've read this type of story before

Shadow Brother: my favorite story of the collection, really liked, the narrator was insightful and there was a depth to this story

The Ghost: was okay, cute story about a prank loving ghost

For Love of Him: liked, boy gets caught up with ghosts in a cemetery

October Chill: liked, a love story between a dying girl and a ghost boy

Being Dead: really liked how spunky the narrator was and that in the end, the money didn't matter, letting go did

[Lanie]

A collection of short stories I picked up to start my Halloween tradition of reading scary stories.

Was not impressed. A rather dull, confusing first story that leaves me with no desire to finish the book. :/ I think it's just my intense dislike of short stories coming through, because the actual novels I've read by this author I've liked.

Not this.

I think I'll go try a zombie apocalypse book now.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy collection of short stories. The first story, "Drop by Drop," was my favorite. Brenda is sullen and unpleasant to be around when her parents decide to move to a new house in a tiny little town. Brenda's mood does not improve when a dripping girl who no one else can see appears in the house.

Not gory, just creepy.

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being Dead, another book of creepy short stories by Vivian Vande Velde, will not disappoint the many fans of her horror fiction. Ghosts are the theme of each of these seven stories -- ghosts who may or may not really want to haunt the living. And the living are (mostly) not thrilled to be haunted. This is one of the author's best efforts.

[Jun]

this is like one of the best ghost story books i read. some actully sounds so real that it give me night mares. but it is a good book after all. so if you are not sacred of reading scared things or love to read scary things, you should go pick up one of this book and read it yourself. you can read it to your friends as ghost stories and get them sacred!

[Abby Cavenaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. My favorite stories were "Drop by Drop," which had a fantastic teen voice that reminded me of the YA I'm writing, and "October Chill," which was a very cool teenage-girl-in-love-with-a-ghost story. All of the stories were creepy and very well written. I'd recommend to anyone who loves a good ghost story! :)

[Syanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished a scary, mysterious book called Being Dead by Vivian Vande Velde. This book tells some scary, short stories. They are all about people finding ghosts in there houses, ghosts talking to people and more. I really like scary or mysterious stories, hopefully you do to if you are thinking about reading this book.

[Melissa Aguirre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd recommend this book to middle school aged children who are wanting to read ghost stories. It is comprised of several short stories that are interesting to read. There's nothing really gruesome in the book and there's no vulgar language. The stories are entertaining and could be creepy to younger readers. I enjoyed the book.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pese a que son cuentos aparentemente sencillos, que siguen una misma temática cliché, la manera en la que se trabajan las historias, y el final de cada una, vuelven a esta compilación una de las más entretenidas que he leído en los últimos meses.

[Stultuscaudex · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it. The short stories were wonderfully written, and most had some very unexpected twists to them!

[Amanda G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is really scary but cool and its wow now im in the begin of the story but its sound so good to read tonight

[Kenzie Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book of short stories, but so sad 😭

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply morbid short story collection that I think about all the time, since first reading it over twenty years ago. Do middle-grade books go this dark anymore?

This anthology is made up of seven ghost stories. All of them deal with death head-on, and often in a way that's more sad than scary. Reading this book in elementary school was the first time it really sank in for me that children die sometimes. I think there should be more books aimed at kids that address that.

"Drop by Drop," the first story in the collection, is one I still think about all the time. Like, at least once a week. A teenage girl who's just moved into a new home with her family is confronted by the ghost of a missing girl, who seems to want something from her. At eleven years old, it singlehandedly scared me out of drinking and driving more effectively than any PSA ever did. The imagery of the big reveal was seared into my mind, and it's still disturbing all these years later.

"October Chill" is the other story that really stuck with me. A teenage girl with terminal cancer meets a ghost boy she likes. An extremely formative story for me. Incredibly sad and a little ambiguous. I also think about those last lines like once a week.

I didn't really remember any of the others, but I liked most of them on this read. "Dancing with Marjorie's Ghost" and "The Ghost" are shorter and more lighthearted, and are placed between some of the heavier stories to break things up a little. "Dancing with Marjorie's Ghost" is about a recently deceased woman who gets well-deserved vengeance on her terrible husband. "The Ghost" has a teeny tiny twist at the end that's pretty fun.

"For Love of Him" is about a boy who becomes fixated on the tombstones of two long-dead young lovers. This was the creepiest story to me. There's a real slow-building dread as the main character loses control over himself, and a lot of tension over exactly how it will end. Thankfully, there's a surprisingly heartwarming reprieve.

"Shadow Brother" is the darkest story in the collection by far. A girl's older brother is pressured to fight in the Vietnam War by their father. When her brother dies, her father starts insisting he's being haunted by his dead son, who seems to want revenge. A deeply sad story about how grief can shatter a family. It leaves a lot of room for ambiguity; is the father simply being haunted by his own guilt? Or has Kevin really come back to take his dad to the grave with him? There are no easy answers in the end, and I'm surprised this one didn't stick with me more. It really got under my skin as an adult. I honestly think my baby brain didn't have the capacity to fully process it at the time.

I do remember not caring for the final story of the collection, also called "Being Dead." It's still my least favorite. It's about a newspaper boy who is accidentally killed during the Great Depression, and wants to get the last bit of money he earned back to his family. It comes after "October Chill," which is extremely melancholy and ends on a sentence that's been rattling around in my head for decades. "Being Dead" has an incongruously irreverent tone that seems intended to give the readers a reprieve from the despair of the previous story. It's clearly meant to end the book on a relatively lighter note, but it just didn't work for me. And rather than letting the reader sit with uncertainty like the previous stories did, this one has the main character interacting with the voice of God, who keeps interrupting scenes to explain the Ghostly Rules to him. It honestly feels insulting, after all the other stories treated the reader so maturely. It does end with a touching moment, and the rest of the collection definitely makes up for its weaknesses.

I'd still recommend this book to middle-grade readers looking for something a little darker, that requires a little more patience than they may be used to.

This was really fun to revisit. I forgot how solid most of the stories were. And it was very validating to confirm that "Drop by Drop" and "October Chill" were exactly as good as I remember, and deserve the permanent place in my consciousness they occupy.

[Kelly Poirier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure - I first read this book in middle school (very on-brand, if I do say so myself). When I got a "free book" reward from Thriftbooks, I decided to look it up to see if there was a copy online I could get, because I have been wanting to revisit it. It's a great horror anthology for young adults whose stories all vary in tone, but remain interesting and accessible. There is no relying on gore or violence to sell the horror aspects (likely due to the younger audience), but they also do not dumb anything down. Each is great in its own right:

Drop By Drop - This story about a girl being haunted by a decaying ghost embedded itself so deeply into my brain as a tween that over the years, somehow I convinced myself that it happened in real life and I saw the story on the news. The last few pages hit you with a fantastic surprise ending that makes it worthy of its spot as the first story.

Dancing With Marjorie's Ghost - a quick standard ghost tale of a bad husband wishing for more time with his dead wife.

Shadow Brother - A seriously good commentary on the generational divide during the beginning of the Vietnam War and how a father's treatment of his son can come back to haunt him. Literally.

The Ghost - Another quick story with a pretty funny twist. I went back and read it again after the ending to appreciate how it was written to trick you.

For Love of Him - A cool setting of a cemetery with an emotional ghost affecting a kid cutting through the cemetery on his way home. An interesting take on how ghosts can affect your perception of reality with a neat twist ending.

October Chill - A girl with terminal brain cancer begins seeing the ghost of a Revolutionary War-era boy. The way it deals with a teen's views on their own end of life is very nuanced and commendable for a book aimed at young adults.

Being Dead - The eponymous story deals with a newsie in the 1920s who meets an untimely end. The story itself is a little childish, being told through the eyes of a younger kid, but the ending is very touching and I believe the perfect ending to the book.

Ultimately, if you or your kid is looking for a collection of horror stories that isn't all blood and guts, but instead written so realistically that I, a 34 year old woman, can convince herself that they could actually have happened, look no further than this fun little book.

[Brea Lanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drop by Drop was a good one. A family moves out of a big city to the country, where the daughter starts being haunted. She begins investigating why and the discovery is a bit shocking. 4/5

Dancing with Marjorie’s Ghost is basically about a man who was not a good husband at all. He treated her like crap and so, in her death, she got her revenge. 3/5

Shadow Brother
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Vietnam war and a young son/brother is drafted into the war. His father thinks he should proudly go fight in a war he was against, so he does. And dies. Dad begins being haunted by his son who he believes is trying to harm him. Is he overcome with guilt and grief or is his dead son truly trying to kill him? 4/5

The Ghost
Just your average ghost story. 2/5

For Love of Him
Dead couple gets lonely, but more powerful nearing the anniversary of their death. They feed on your energy, weaknesses and come looking for company. 3/5

October Chill
A dying girl meets a ghost love interest. 4/5

Being Dead
Johnny the paperboy gets an extraordinary tip during the depression era which he’s excited to bring back home to his struggling family; mom and baby sis, but luck did not stay on his side and he died while trying to make it back home. His scum boss sneaks his large earnings from his pocket to try and keep for himself. Johnny figures out how to haunt others to try and get his money back for his mom and sis. 4/5

[Collin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual in a short story collection, there were ups and downs, but Vande Velde is such a good author there were far more ups than downs.

Drop By Drop - 3.5 stars. I doubted it would be any good until the end, when the twist punches you in the kidneys. I wish there had been a bit more foreshadowing but yikes.

Dancing With Marjorie's Ghost - 3 stars. Very short, basic ghost story.

Shadow Brother - 4 stars. Content warning for suicide but SO GOOD.

The Ghost - 4 stars. THE TWIST WAS SO GOOD. Another story where you're sort of like "Why is any of this happening" until the very end.

For Love Of Him - 3.5 stars. Again, more foreshadowing would have been good but I liked the more unique concept.

October Chill - 3 stars. I typically LOVE these types of stories (falling in love with a ghost from another time period) but the combo of Emily's terminal illness being treated oddly, plus the much clunkier writing style, plus the strange ending, made it probably the weakest story.

Being Dead - 3.5 stars. Is it bad to call a story where a young boy is accidentally killed "cute"? It was, though. Nothing fantastic, but a solid, gentle closer. Johnny's a sweet kid, and the bittersweet ending was a graceful way to finish the collection.

[Jenna Cho · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was a Children's literature/Speculative fiction book called “Being Dead,” by Vivian Vande Velde. The story I chose to write about was “Drop by Drop.” In the story, there was a main character named Brenda who had just moved from Buffalo. She is constantly vistited by a young dead girl who never spoke to her, but always showed up when Brenda was near water. Brenda tries to help this little girl and wonders why she keeps following her. In the end, Brenda finds out the real reason why she is being followed by the ghost of a young child and it will leave you with shudders. I would recommend this book because I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn’t my very favorite. I liked the chills I would get here and there. I also recommend this book to any reader who loves thrilling and horror books, like maybe fans of horror and young teens who are into suspense, because this book surely leaves you creeped out. One thing I wish this book didn’t have was 7 different short stories. I wish that it was just one huge story instead of different ones.

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Being Dead” by Vivian Vande Velde. Genre: YA Short Story Horror.

SYNOPSIS: From cautionary tales to vengeful ghosts to lovesick spirits, what happens when the dead have unfinished business? Here are some of the stories I most enjoyed:
👻Drop by Drop (a cautionary tale). In her new home, Brenda (16) hears a voice begging her to “Help me!” The she meets a dripping wet, little girl ghost.
👻Dancing with Marjorie’s Ghost (a karmic tale). Pretending to grieve, new widower Dwayne claims if Marjorie came back for just 1 night, he’d dance with her to her heart’s content.
👻The Ghost (a clever little tale) Jessica sees a slimy, half-human as they move into new housing.
👻Being Dead (1930s era) A newsboy goes after the man who robbed him.

FAVORITE BIT:
The period language. How many of you remember when a sofa was called a “davenport”? I do!

Craving a Halloweeny Read? Check this out from your local public libraryI I checked it out from the Maricopa County Library-a great resource!📚👩🏼‍🦳

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drop by Drop was by far my favorite of all the stories,i thought it was pretty sad and i liked all the plot twists.The ending of it really put the whole book together.It must’ve been pretty scary if it happened irl,If there was ever a part 2 I’d read it.The ending of it was really different,i was suprised when they said the main character unknowingly killed the little girl.This genre is horror.The authors writing is easy to understand but very descriptive.The reading level might be a little high but easy for me and most ppl to read.I disliked the dancing story it wasn’t scary but i stilll kimdsa liked it.It would appeal to horror appealers,and not for the weak minded

[Loree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Being Dead from the school library shelves, with the intention of screening some chillers for my 7th graders. This one is a keeper! Keep in mind this book is a collection of short stories.

As I read Drop by Drop, I thought that it was a little outdated for today’s students... until I came to the end. After that, I had an idea of where VVV was going. Great fast read, with more than one shocker.