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Killing the Dead
Set in a girls' boarding school in Massachusetts a haunting and sinister story YA story for World Book Day from prize-winning author Marcus Sedgwick.
1963. Foxgrove School near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. One of the oldest and finest academies in the country - but what really goes on behind closed doors? Nathaniel Drake, the new young English teacher, Isobel Milewski, the quiet girl who loved to draw spirals, her fingers stained with green ink, Jack Lewis, who lent Isobel books - just words, just ink on paper, Margot Leya, the girl with those eyes - who are they, what part have they played in killing the dead?
Follow the dark, dark path
Into the dark, dark woods
To the dark, dark bridge
By the dark, dark water.
Linger.
Let the ghosts of heaven tell their story.
A stylish and creepy story for World Book Day from prize-winning author Marcus Sedgwick.
1963. Foxgrove School near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. One of the oldest and finest academies in the country - but what really goes on behind closed doors? Nathaniel Drake, the new young English teacher, Isobel Milewski, the quiet girl who loved to draw spirals, her fingers stained with green ink, Jack Lewis, who lent Isobel books - just words, just ink on paper, Margot Leya, the girl with those eyes - who are they, what part have they played in killing the dead?
Follow the dark, dark path
Into the dark, dark woods
To the dark, dark bridge
By the dark, dark water.
Linger.
Let the ghosts of heaven tell their story.
A stylish and creepy story for World Book Day from prize-winning author Marcus Sedgwick.
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2015
18 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Sedgwick
107 books1,582 followersMarcus Sedgwickwas a British writer and illustrator. He authored several young adult and children's books and picture books, a work of nonfiction and several novels for adults, and illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
October 17, 2020
I enjoyed this quite a bit and I think this time of year is the perfect time to read it as its dark academia and eerie.
I liked the writing style however think the story could have benefited by being longer.
I liked the writing style however think the story could have benefited by being longer.
June 17, 2016
This book wasn't as creepy as I was hoping it to be but the ending was excellent. I really like how each chapter begins with a character's name and how this was used to piece the story together. The writing style was not really my favorite but it did give some character to the plot.
June 19, 2015
I bought this book randomly at my local ASDA, I read the synopsis and found it really intriguing. I'm so glad I bought this book, it was really good! A creepy mystery. I liked the different perspectives and I couldn't predict what was going to happen.
June 8, 2015
the story didn't really speak to me, but i did like the writing style.
September 4, 2020
i really enjoyed this short story. It was full of mystery, intrigue and suspense. It had an almost psychological element to it and I did not expect the ending. I also really liked that it was from multiple povs.
January 20, 2025
The book was laid out well in terms of plot and overall was an alright read. Got through it very quickly, which I think served it well in some aspects (as a short spooky read) and poorly in others as it felt rushed.
I also found that the character who the book opens with and who I assumed to be a main character? Was honestly very irrelevant. His only purpose was the new teacher who wasn't aware of what bad happened the previous year, so he was, to an extent, a guide through finding that out.
That being said, his main presence felt to just be a creep who objectifies women which was not relevant to the story whatsoever and was very gross to read.
Wouldn't read it again, but it served fine as an eery one time read.
I also found that the character who the book opens with and who I assumed to be a main character? Was honestly very irrelevant. His only purpose was the new teacher who wasn't aware of what bad happened the previous year, so he was, to an extent, a guide through finding that out.
That being said, his main presence felt to just be a creep who objectifies women which was not relevant to the story whatsoever and was very gross to read.
Wouldn't read it again, but it served fine as an eery one time read.
March 31, 2015
Actual rating - 2.5
This wasn't awful, but I couldn't get interested in it, so I felt bored through most of it. I'm really glad it was only short!
This wasn't awful, but I couldn't get interested in it, so I felt bored through most of it. I'm really glad it was only short!
December 3, 2022
What a creepy little novella. Devoured the audiobook in one sitting
August 24, 2017
Follow the dark, dark path
Into the dark, dark woods.
To the dark, dark bridge
By the dark, dark water.
Linger.
Let the ghosts of heaven tell their story
An excellent creepy & haunting novella which, while not aimed at my age group, nevertheless made quite an impression on me (though to be completely honest I didn't particularly like the poem at the end.)
As it's aimed at children - albeit "older" readers, 13/14ish? I don't know - I was surprised at the sexual innuendo between the promiscuous Margot & her teacher - I guess kids today are more worldly than us that were 13 in the early 70's! Whatever, this is one older reader who will happily read more by this author :o)
Into the dark, dark woods.
To the dark, dark bridge
By the dark, dark water.
Linger.
Let the ghosts of heaven tell their story
An excellent creepy & haunting novella which, while not aimed at my age group, nevertheless made quite an impression on me (though to be completely honest I didn't particularly like the poem at the end.)
As it's aimed at children - albeit "older" readers, 13/14ish? I don't know - I was surprised at the sexual innuendo between the promiscuous Margot & her teacher - I guess kids today are more worldly than us that were 13 in the early 70's! Whatever, this is one older reader who will happily read more by this author :o)
March 17, 2017
The dead never come back, do they?
A little novella about an all girls boarding school in the 1960s, which is still haunted by a girl who died there almost a year before.
I admit that I wanted to read this mostly because boarding schools and ghosts are two things that really speak to me, so I figured this would be perfect. But, as I once again found out too late, it’s not really supposed to be a ghost story. At least not the kind of ghost that floats around at night and scares people.
The characters are for the most part a nice little collection of clichés – the quiet girl who reads a lot and doesn’t have any friends, the group of Mean Girls and their leader, the young English teacher whose only goal is to sleep with the students – and they interact in exactly the way you’d expect them to.
But it’s interesting to see the different ways in which most of them are still dealing with Isobel’s death, even though nobody knew her all that well and the whole thing happened almost a year ago.
It’s story that I feel like I’ve heard a thousand times before, but with enough weird little details that it doesn’t become boring.
Writing ★★★★☆ (if I forget about that one chapter where the author couldn’t decide whether to use people’s first or last names)
Characters ★★☆☆☆
Plot ★★★☆☆
Pacing ★★★★☆
February 13, 2020
Nice short story. Not a lot of character development
August 30, 2024
Written from the perspectives of a cast of teachers, the 'housemother', a small handful of locals from Stockbridge, and various students, this is a haunting story of the ramifications of the death two years previous of a quiet and shy girl named Isobel.
Set in the early 1960s, Foxgrove is an elite American girl's boarding school:
It's a short book and I'll spoil it if I continue, but it's really well done - I should have clued into something sooner than I did, though it would have spoiled the eerie fantasy aspect of this haunting story early on. The one spoiler I will give is that the ending is tragic but mundane - the supernatural horror doesn't extend to the end. I noticed that some reviewers were disappointed with that, as I was, whereas others seemed to relish the concrete circumstances. Either way, it's eerie, and it's depressing on a human beings fundamentally suck basis, which is probably partly why it's a book "for older readers" (apart from themes of ). It would make a very unpleasant movie, with some cheap jump-scares to boot.
It's also just depressing, because the late Isobel is so relatable and likeable, and there's another very minor subplot that will make any true bibliophile seethe with quiet rage as well. The real hero of the story (who I've decided is ) doesn't win out, either. It's distressingly realistic.
The characters are excellent. It's even managed to be compared with The Lottery by Shirley Jackson in my mind - it's a dark, short story, and everyone on the pages has such depth of character. Very deftly written.
This is just about the perfect World Book Day book, too, for that reason - I have Sedgwick languishing on my (impossibly large) 'to read' list, and now his books are going to get a big bump. I hope they're all this well-written.
Set in the early 1960s, Foxgrove is an elite American girl's boarding school:
This is a school among schools; two First Ladies, a noted actress who married royalty in Europe and three Olympians are among the girls who, like every girl who has ever been to Foxgrove, swept around the lawn on Procession Day in the Spiral Dance before sweeping out into the world that would give them everything they expected it to give.We are introduced to young and cocky Nathaniel Drake (Cornell; parents' summerhouse on Cape Cod, Uncle's on The Board of the school), the newest teacher and one of only two male staff members alongside Jack Lewis, Head of English (former solider, serving in Chartres in '44). Miss Grant, the grand dame Head of School, is only the second Head (and is, therefore, ancient):
Miss Grant is a lady from another world. Another time. But that's why she is perfect as Foxgrove's Head of School. That's why she's been in charge for nearly half a century. Her predecessor, Ida Siegelton, who founded the school, was another such lady. A lady with a particular vision of how young women should be educated and how they should be made. Siegelton was a linear descendant of that same strong family who settled in Stockbridge, having moved from Plymouth and having bought a parcel of land from the Natives, to which they added over the years. Foxgrove stands on Siegelton land, land that runs away to the west until it reaches the Housatonic and to the north up to Stockbridge itself, taking in all the woodland in between, with Agawam River and the infamous covered bridge, site of a dozen drownings in a little over two centuries.Now of course you can see where the dilemma(s) come into play. Schoolgirls are people after all.... We have a varied cast of girls, all very well drawn by Sedgwick. Margot is a key player, a rich and powerful beauty from NYC. Tomiko and Mei Ling are both new and outsiders, offering unique perspectives on a still grieving student body - Becky was the late Isobel's roommate. Jennifer, Sarah, Evangeline, and Mary all have roles to play and allegiances and attitudes...
It was Ida Siegelton's interest in old English customs that had seen her recreate the Spiral Dance each May to celebrate the 'Procession' of her latest batch of girls out into the waiting world, an idea that Miss Grant thoroughly approves of, although she is utterly ignorant of its true, pagan origins. If she, or the parents, or the Board knew they were watching an ancient fertility dance every Procession Day, they might not be so pleased, because none of these girls should have anything to do with fertility yet. Not for a long time, until they meet the right man with the right prospects and get married and have the right kind of children. Girls, preferrably, who can come back to swell Foxgrove's future intake. Of course, over the years, there has been the occasional incident. The odd indiscretion, and once or twice even some consequences to be dealt with, to the shame of school and parents and girl alike.
It's a short book and I'll spoil it if I continue, but it's really well done - I should have clued into something sooner than I did, though it would have spoiled the eerie fantasy aspect of this haunting story early on. The one spoiler I will give is that the ending is tragic but mundane - the supernatural horror doesn't extend to the end. I noticed that some reviewers were disappointed with that, as I was, whereas others seemed to relish the concrete circumstances. Either way, it's eerie, and it's depressing on a human beings fundamentally suck basis, which is probably partly why it's a book "for older readers" (apart from themes of ). It would make a very unpleasant movie, with some cheap jump-scares to boot.
It's also just depressing, because the late Isobel is so relatable and likeable, and there's another very minor subplot that will make any true bibliophile seethe with quiet rage as well. The real hero of the story (who I've decided is ) doesn't win out, either. It's distressingly realistic.
The characters are excellent. It's even managed to be compared with The Lottery by Shirley Jackson in my mind - it's a dark, short story, and everyone on the pages has such depth of character. Very deftly written.
This is just about the perfect World Book Day book, too, for that reason - I have Sedgwick languishing on my (impossibly large) 'to read' list, and now his books are going to get a big bump. I hope they're all this well-written.
June 26, 2017
This deserves just under 3 stars, the slow build of the story does interest enough to keep reading, but almost nothing seems to resolve. It's not always clear which character we're seeing, and there are several grammatical issues that were distracting for me. I guess it was short, so not much time wasted.
March 29, 2015
Killing the Dead, by Marcus Sedgwick, is one of this year’s World Book Day £1 books for young adults. Having read and enjoyed The Ghosts of Heaven I noted the spiral on the cover and was eager to get hold of a copy before bookshops sold out. These specially produced offerings are only available for a short time.
Set in an exclusive girls’ boarding school in the nineteen-sixties the story explores the aftermath of a pupil’s apparent suicide. Like the four stories in The Ghosts of Heaven it contains references to spirals and suggestions of superstition. The writing is taut with undercurrents of mystery and unanswered questions. The atmosphere evoked is spooky in places but always believable.
At just over 100 pages this book can be quickly read but is a complete and thought provoking tale. Within the confines of dormitory life what impact does one girl’s actions have on others? What secrets do they keep? While teachers continue to believe that the beautiful and clever are good how can those who go unnoticed survive the casual cruelty inflicted by the entitled? The denouement brings home how lonely and difficult life can be for those who do not fit within society’s view of that which one should admire and to which one should aspire.
This is the third book that I have read by the author and cements my admiration for his style of writing. He spins a compelling tale that is hard to put down.
“The most important person in this story is the one you will never meet. She is gone and yet she lingers, in the memories of those who knew her and lived with her. This is how the dead survive; they live in our memories, and some of the times that is a good thing and beautiful, and other times it is not good, and then the dead are like a virus in the blood, an infection of the mind. Then, although we might wish to get rid of them forever, we cannot. We might even wish to kill them, but that is a mighty and nigh impossible thing, for killing the dead is very hard to do.”
Set in an exclusive girls’ boarding school in the nineteen-sixties the story explores the aftermath of a pupil’s apparent suicide. Like the four stories in The Ghosts of Heaven it contains references to spirals and suggestions of superstition. The writing is taut with undercurrents of mystery and unanswered questions. The atmosphere evoked is spooky in places but always believable.
At just over 100 pages this book can be quickly read but is a complete and thought provoking tale. Within the confines of dormitory life what impact does one girl’s actions have on others? What secrets do they keep? While teachers continue to believe that the beautiful and clever are good how can those who go unnoticed survive the casual cruelty inflicted by the entitled? The denouement brings home how lonely and difficult life can be for those who do not fit within society’s view of that which one should admire and to which one should aspire.
This is the third book that I have read by the author and cements my admiration for his style of writing. He spins a compelling tale that is hard to put down.
“The most important person in this story is the one you will never meet. She is gone and yet she lingers, in the memories of those who knew her and lived with her. This is how the dead survive; they live in our memories, and some of the times that is a good thing and beautiful, and other times it is not good, and then the dead are like a virus in the blood, an infection of the mind. Then, although we might wish to get rid of them forever, we cannot. We might even wish to kill them, but that is a mighty and nigh impossible thing, for killing the dead is very hard to do.”
March 1, 2024
Haunted by the death of a classmate the year before, Foxglove school is starting to move on and prepare for the end of the term events which hadn't happened in the face of death the year before.
Each character builds and waves a story of each person who was involved in the lead up to the girls death, Jack Lewis, the teacher who leant books to the girl, Margot Leya who for all purposes is the mean girl and then Isobel Milewski, the girl herself who died, the girls who lives on in the shadows of the schools memories, a quiet girl who liked to draw spirals and had green ink stained fingers.
Marcus Sedgwick has created a ghost story of chills and fear. A story of history and stories coming back to haunt them, within its pages, a poetic flow moves through them.
Each character builds and waves a story of each person who was involved in the lead up to the girls death, Jack Lewis, the teacher who leant books to the girl, Margot Leya who for all purposes is the mean girl and then Isobel Milewski, the girl herself who died, the girls who lives on in the shadows of the schools memories, a quiet girl who liked to draw spirals and had green ink stained fingers.
Marcus Sedgwick has created a ghost story of chills and fear. A story of history and stories coming back to haunt them, within its pages, a poetic flow moves through them.
August 3, 2015
This was a great story. I felt that it could have been expanded and more complex - I realise that would alter the target audience and purpose of this book.
Considering how short it was the characters were 3D, well developed and relatable. The plot was a little predictable, again because of the intention of the book.
Sedgwick dealt with death and the lingering after effects on those still living really well.
Set in a girls boarding school the year after a tragic death of a student. Strange events have the story unfolded to a new teacher that was not appointed when tragedy struck.
Considering how short it was the characters were 3D, well developed and relatable. The plot was a little predictable, again because of the intention of the book.
Sedgwick dealt with death and the lingering after effects on those still living really well.
Set in a girls boarding school the year after a tragic death of a student. Strange events have the story unfolded to a new teacher that was not appointed when tragedy struck.
May 30, 2018
1,5 stars
March 28, 2015
From reading other reviews it is my understanding this book was intentionally short. So, for what it was intended it was quite good. The character development was not extensive, but once again it was short. I found it dark, weird, and I would have liked it to be a bit longer. At the end I didn't quite understand The motivation behind their actions, other than just being cruel. I would really need to read something else by this author to have an opinion on his writing.
August 24, 2017
Another reread before I go to sleep
Still don't understand what is happening in this story at all and I don't think I care to know either. Why did I reread this book? The cover is kinda cool and the title intrigued me, not sure why when I've already read this book but I gave it another chance and that's all that matters :)
Still don't understand what is happening in this story at all and I don't think I care to know either. Why did I reread this book? The cover is kinda cool and the title intrigued me, not sure why when I've already read this book but I gave it another chance and that's all that matters :)
July 26, 2016
Christ, this book was a roller coaster from start to finish.
Even at the beginning it had me wondering what the big secret was, at first I thought it was like the anime 'another' where class would be dead or something. But the outcome was even better than expected!
Tragic tale with different focuses which were very well done, I will definitely look into more of his work.
Even at the beginning it had me wondering what the big secret was, at first I thought it was like the anime 'another' where class would be dead or something. But the outcome was even better than expected!
Tragic tale with different focuses which were very well done, I will definitely look into more of his work.
January 10, 2016
I love the writing style of Marcus Sedgwick and the way his story flows together. A gripping,suspenseful although short book; enjoyed it quite a lot! It is very admirable how he left no mysteries unsolved, furthermore making the shocking reveals of the novel, unexpected and intriguing.
June 19, 2016
Spooky and haunting. It didn't have the same feel as Ghosts of Heaven, but it was just as good. Reminded me a bit of We Were Liars. I wanted to know more about the spirals, it did tie in a lot of spirals from Ghosts of Heaven, wood shavings, rope, were there more?
March 3, 2015
Shivery, atmospheric, mysterious - a gripping read for World Book Day 2015.
April 17, 2015
Really liked the logical explanation in the end and the fact that the writer never said that the logical explanation was the cause of everything....
February 19, 2016
Intriguing dream like tone that possibly tries too hard to wrap up the ending by grounding the story conventionally. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
August 22, 2016
It was an okay read, but I didn't find it very interesting.
January 9, 2017
Haunting and lyrical, a very good story.
December 9, 2019
Reading this book was like watching a trainwreck. In the 10 first pages, after the girls were described as barely younger than their young male teacher, I was already thinking: he's not going there, right? Please tell me he's not... But yes! He is! And it's gross.
Nathaniel Drake is a predator but it's ok because Margot is provocative and basically asks for it... Right? Nathaniel's internal dialogue after he basically assaulted his students is so similar to what men who sexually abuse teenage girls that it's not even funny. I mean... "she led him to it", "mature and immature, all at once"... It was so unnecessary to see once more Margot through the eyes of Nathaniel during the procession. Just for the context, the author has been a teacher.
Let's not talk about the murder... I mean they were playing a prank, they didn't mean to kill Isobel. Nevermind she would probably have to deal with ptsd after that event, if she had lived.
I am not a prude and I think teenagers can understand dark and heavy stories and shouldn't be underestimated. There could have been a story here about an adult abusing his power over an overconfident teenager. There could have been a proper exploration of bullying and its implications and how sometimes the bullies aren't aware of the impact they have on their victims. There could have been a painting of how suicide affects teenagers, especially when they live together.
But no... We have the fantasy of an adult man about teenage girls, the glamourization of sexual assault, a ridiculous prank gone out of hand and a girl on acid.
I'd like to give the author the benefit of the doubt, that he didn't have the space to express all his ideas. But his choices and the lack of awareness of this novella don't givee much optimism...
Nathaniel Drake is a predator but it's ok because Margot is provocative and basically asks for it... Right? Nathaniel's internal dialogue after he basically assaulted his students is so similar to what men who sexually abuse teenage girls that it's not even funny. I mean... "she led him to it", "mature and immature, all at once"... It was so unnecessary to see once more Margot through the eyes of Nathaniel during the procession. Just for the context, the author has been a teacher.
Let's not talk about the murder... I mean they were playing a prank, they didn't mean to kill Isobel. Nevermind she would probably have to deal with ptsd after that event, if she had lived.
I am not a prude and I think teenagers can understand dark and heavy stories and shouldn't be underestimated. There could have been a story here about an adult abusing his power over an overconfident teenager. There could have been a proper exploration of bullying and its implications and how sometimes the bullies aren't aware of the impact they have on their victims. There could have been a painting of how suicide affects teenagers, especially when they live together.
But no... We have the fantasy of an adult man about teenage girls, the glamourization of sexual assault, a ridiculous prank gone out of hand and a girl on acid.
I'd like to give the author the benefit of the doubt, that he didn't have the space to express all his ideas. But his choices and the lack of awareness of this novella don't givee much optimism...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2019
I love the who-dun-it, who's responsible vibe we have, very remorseful tinged with an air of suspicion, doubt and guilt, as well as the different perspectives and the writing style. It fully emerses you into the story.
I love how one perspective tags onto the next character subtly, for example, we could be reading from the outlook of Margot and then she makes eye contact with a teacher and then it's that teacher we are now following.
Oh my goodness I wasn't sure where the story was going to go, but it was certainly haunting. I wish I could get more of the build up in a full length novel (I see a book with a similar vibe by the author that I may checkout).
I like that we got the Stockbridge poem at the end too.
We had an extract from another authors' book; Hate by Alan Gibbons. Not one of personally be interested in picking up, but it's nice to get a glimpse at other novels.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I love how one perspective tags onto the next character subtly, for example, we could be reading from the outlook of Margot and then she makes eye contact with a teacher and then it's that teacher we are now following.
Oh my goodness I wasn't sure where the story was going to go, but it was certainly haunting. I wish I could get more of the build up in a full length novel (I see a book with a similar vibe by the author that I may checkout).
I like that we got the Stockbridge poem at the end too.
We had an extract from another authors' book; Hate by Alan Gibbons. Not one of personally be interested in picking up, but it's nice to get a glimpse at other novels.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
October 29, 2023
The book starts with an amazing sinopse to attract the reader (which was what attracted me)
Then little by little it starts to unveil its gloom.
As a person who has horror and saw horror coming, was surprised about how "thin" the horror was, if you know what I mean.
The premise of it, is "let the dead speak" and besides that, the spirals and if you pay enough attention to the book, you'll see even how characters are presented to us, in spiraling events that cross each other like a spiral.
The end I thought was quite obvious, exactly who I didn't knew.
But besides that, has a certain gore and dark academia vibes
The dark part is focused on making the ghost be like Samara, the popular horror thing that should come up in a mirror when you ask you know? So that's probably why it was so light and the hauntigs, well... if you know the end you'll see the haunting were to light for what happened with Isobel.
Then little by little it starts to unveil its gloom.
As a person who has horror and saw horror coming, was surprised about how "thin" the horror was, if you know what I mean.
The premise of it, is "let the dead speak" and besides that, the spirals and if you pay enough attention to the book, you'll see even how characters are presented to us, in spiraling events that cross each other like a spiral.
The end I thought was quite obvious, exactly who I didn't knew.
But besides that, has a certain gore and dark academia vibes
The dark part is focused on making the ghost be like Samara, the popular horror thing that should come up in a mirror when you ask you know? So that's probably why it was so light and the hauntigs, well... if you know the end you'll see the haunting were to light for what happened with Isobel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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