What do you think?
Rate this book
Thrillogy #1
Wish You Were Dead
I'll begin with Lucy. She is definitely first on the list. You can't believe how it feels to be in the cafeteria and turn around and there she is staring at me like I'm some disgusting bug or vermin. Does she really think I WANT to be this way? I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.
The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy's friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.
As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic.
Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he's sharing?
The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d's blog.
In the spirit of stories like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Todd Strasser updates the teen thriller for the techno age with Wish You Were Dead, the first installment in a new "thrill"-ogy.
The day after anonymous blogger Str-S-d wishes the popular girl would die, Lucy vanishes. The students of Soundview High are scared and worried. Especially frightened and wracked with guilt is Madison Archer, Lucy's friend and the last person to see her the night she disappeared.
As days pass with no sign of the missing girl, even the attention of Tyler, an attractive new student, is not enough to distract Madison from her growing sense of foreboding. When two more popular students disappear after their names are mentioned on Str-S-d’s blog, the residents of Soundview panic.
Meanwhile, Madison receives anonymous notes warning that she could be next. Desperate to solve the mystery before anyone else disappears, Madison turns to Tyler, but can she trust him when it becomes clear that he knows more than he's sharing?
The clock is ticking. Madison must uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances . . . before her name appears in Str-S-d's blog.
In the spirit of stories like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Todd Strasser updates the teen thriller for the techno age with Wish You Were Dead, the first installment in a new "thrill"-ogy.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
189 people are currently reading
5483 people want to read
About the author
Todd Strasser
221 books797 followersTodd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 564 reviews
February 24, 2017
"Book, you have the right to a speedy trial" review
THE DEFENSE
- So many mysteries throughout the book, it's fun trying to solve them all.
- Author does an excellent job building tension and atmosphere.
- Glimpses into the guilty party's psychology are genuinely frightening.
- Fast-paced and rather brief in length. the book never overstays its welcome.
- Mysteries have a (mostly) satisfying solution.
THE PROSECUTION
- Characters are rather one-dimensional...and that one dimension is usually a cliché, besides.
(Gossipy girl, check! Brooding loner, check! Can't believe hooker with a heart of gold didn't make an appearance...)
- Dialogue sometimes falls flat.
THE VERDICT
A chilling murder mystery that often feels like a classic horror movie, Wish You Were Dead may not be quite as effective as the original "Halloween"movie, but it's certainly better than all the disappointing sequels...and the Rob Zombie remake...and the Rob Zombie remake of the disappointing sequel...seriously, Hollywood, are you even trying anymore?!?
THE DEFENSE
- So many mysteries throughout the book, it's fun trying to solve them all.
- Author does an excellent job building tension and atmosphere.
- Glimpses into the guilty party's psychology are genuinely frightening.
- Fast-paced and rather brief in length. the book never overstays its welcome.
- Mysteries have a (mostly) satisfying solution.
THE PROSECUTION
- Characters are rather one-dimensional...and that one dimension is usually a cliché, besides.
(Gossipy girl, check! Brooding loner, check! Can't believe hooker with a heart of gold didn't make an appearance...)
- Dialogue sometimes falls flat.
THE VERDICT
A chilling murder mystery that often feels like a classic horror movie, Wish You Were Dead may not be quite as effective as the original "Halloween"movie, but it's certainly better than all the disappointing sequels...and the Rob Zombie remake...and the Rob Zombie remake of the disappointing sequel...seriously, Hollywood, are you even trying anymore?!?
May 20, 2015
Rating: 4/5
The Thrillogy by Todd Strasser is a trilogy of standalones, which means you can read whichever story seems to pique your interest, even if it's not the first one. But I highly recommend you read all three of them because these books are amazeballs.
Wish You Were Dead is a very intriguing story about teenagers going missing after a blogger, Str-S-d, wishes they were dead. One after the other the bullies of Soundview High are nowhere to be found and Madison finds herself filled with guilt because she is the one person they see or talk to last. But the mystery of the kidnapper is not the only one Madison will have to solve. She needs to find who her mysterious cyber stalker is and if the new guy she is falling for had anything to do with the missing kids.
I adored this book. It had everything a good thriller book should. A ton of mysteries to solve, a few red herrings, multiple (and usually messed up) PoVs, and a nail-biting ending.
I was glad after all that this was a standalone, because I could wait a minute longer to find the answers to all the mysteries. I really enjoyed the blog posts of Str-S-d, and the different PoVs, it just gave you an insight on everyone's mind. Also that ending was like a good old horror movie.
All in all I loved it. That being said, this is my least favorite of the Thrillogy, which just means that the next books are simply amazing!
The Thrillogy by Todd Strasser is a trilogy of standalones, which means you can read whichever story seems to pique your interest, even if it's not the first one. But I highly recommend you read all three of them because these books are amazeballs.
Wish You Were Dead is a very intriguing story about teenagers going missing after a blogger, Str-S-d, wishes they were dead. One after the other the bullies of Soundview High are nowhere to be found and Madison finds herself filled with guilt because she is the one person they see or talk to last. But the mystery of the kidnapper is not the only one Madison will have to solve. She needs to find who her mysterious cyber stalker is and if the new guy she is falling for had anything to do with the missing kids.
I adored this book. It had everything a good thriller book should. A ton of mysteries to solve, a few red herrings, multiple (and usually messed up) PoVs, and a nail-biting ending.
I was glad after all that this was a standalone, because I could wait a minute longer to find the answers to all the mysteries. I really enjoyed the blog posts of Str-S-d, and the different PoVs, it just gave you an insight on everyone's mind. Also that ending was like a good old horror movie.
All in all I loved it. That being said, this is my least favorite of the Thrillogy, which just means that the next books are simply amazing!
November 29, 2009
Wish You Were Dead is one of the most unique stories I have read recently. It was also one of the creepiest. It definitely wasn’t in the same category of creepy as The Devouring but it was really scary in its own way and what is worse is that it was way more realistic. The stuff that happened in Wish You Were Dead could very well happen in real life and that was what made it so hard for me to read.
From the summary you can tell that teenagers are being kidnapped based on the writings of an anonymous blogger. What you don’t find out from the summary is that there is a lot more going on in the book than just that. And you don’t really find out all the stuff until the very end when it’s revealed who the kidnapper is. It definitely wasn’t predictable and I never would have guessed. It was a real shocker for me. Probably for everyone else who reads the book too.
The story is told from Madison’s point of view, at least most of the time. Sometimes it switched around to the other teens involved but not often. It also switched when one of the teens was being kidnapped. It was written from their point of view when it was happening. It made the book seem a lot scarier because you saw what they were going through and you saw how helpless they were to fight. It was horrible.
The one thing that didn’t really make sense to me was Madison’s cyberstalker. It is revealed at the end who it is but I don’t get why it had to be part of the book. It didn’t really add anything to the story and it wasn’t really clear why the person was stalking her. It just confused me a little. It wasn’t needed and there was already enough going on in the book without that.
Overall, Wish You Were Dead is one of those books I recommend reading when you aren’t home alone. It creeped me out but it was definitely in a good way. If you haven’t read any of Todd Strasser’s books this is a good one to start with. =]
Oh and I just now found out that this is going to be a trilogy. I think this one could stand alone but now I can't wait for the next one!
From the summary you can tell that teenagers are being kidnapped based on the writings of an anonymous blogger. What you don’t find out from the summary is that there is a lot more going on in the book than just that. And you don’t really find out all the stuff until the very end when it’s revealed who the kidnapper is. It definitely wasn’t predictable and I never would have guessed. It was a real shocker for me. Probably for everyone else who reads the book too.
The story is told from Madison’s point of view, at least most of the time. Sometimes it switched around to the other teens involved but not often. It also switched when one of the teens was being kidnapped. It was written from their point of view when it was happening. It made the book seem a lot scarier because you saw what they were going through and you saw how helpless they were to fight. It was horrible.
The one thing that didn’t really make sense to me was Madison’s cyberstalker. It is revealed at the end who it is but I don’t get why it had to be part of the book. It didn’t really add anything to the story and it wasn’t really clear why the person was stalking her. It just confused me a little. It wasn’t needed and there was already enough going on in the book without that.
Overall, Wish You Were Dead is one of those books I recommend reading when you aren’t home alone. It creeped me out but it was definitely in a good way. If you haven’t read any of Todd Strasser’s books this is a good one to start with. =]
Oh and I just now found out that this is going to be a trilogy. I think this one could stand alone but now I can't wait for the next one!
February 24, 2011
Revenge for the high school downtrodden was an interesting premise but overall the book didn't fully work for me. I do give credit to the author for being willing to kill off a couple of the kidnapping victims rather than having them all miraculously survive. Especially since the heroine was close to one of those who didn't make it.
But I just didn't like the way too many coincideces/gaps combined. The teacher leaves behind the job listing so the victim's brother knows where she is heading next. Not a stack of potential jobs in multiple states, but conveniently narrowed down so he knows exactly where to find her? Meanwhile the brother is on the run from the FBI, who think he's the killer, but so far he's made like Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive and evaded them.
How great a forger was the new student or how slack was the school administration? New guy waltzes in, he's got to have transcripts, test scores etc. in order to be admitted. Since he'd already graduated from high school, he either successfully created a fictitious history that fooled the administration or they were lax in checking his records. He didn't seem to have any trouble getting accepted.
Our killer teacher, despite just moving to the area, manages to find the perfect hideout to stash her victims that no one ever checks, despite the several massive manhunts for the missing students.
And, of course, the heroine has to go off by herself to the middle of nowhere without leaving anyone a clue where she is, but gets help from an unexpected source in order to survive.
Finally, the cyberstalker was a waste. He was more of a cyberwhiner and since it had been going on for a year before anything happened it was an obvious red herring. And why did it taker her so long to figure out the guy had to be a classmate?
Overall, good idea but not totally sold on the end result.
But I just didn't like the way too many coincideces/gaps combined. The teacher leaves behind the job listing so the victim's brother knows where she is heading next. Not a stack of potential jobs in multiple states, but conveniently narrowed down so he knows exactly where to find her? Meanwhile the brother is on the run from the FBI, who think he's the killer, but so far he's made like Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive and evaded them.
How great a forger was the new student or how slack was the school administration? New guy waltzes in, he's got to have transcripts, test scores etc. in order to be admitted. Since he'd already graduated from high school, he either successfully created a fictitious history that fooled the administration or they were lax in checking his records. He didn't seem to have any trouble getting accepted.
Our killer teacher, despite just moving to the area, manages to find the perfect hideout to stash her victims that no one ever checks, despite the several massive manhunts for the missing students.
And, of course, the heroine has to go off by herself to the middle of nowhere without leaving anyone a clue where she is, but gets help from an unexpected source in order to survive.
Finally, the cyberstalker was a waste. He was more of a cyberwhiner and since it had been going on for a year before anything happened it was an obvious red herring. And why did it taker her so long to figure out the guy had to be a classmate?
Overall, good idea but not totally sold on the end result.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2014
4 stars - YA Horror
Wow, not bad. Definitely what I wanted and expected from Wish You Were Dead , I succeeded in scaring myself shitless! Although I didn't like the beginning of the book because it focused on heroine's crush towards a new boy in school instead of the problem but that changed as the story goes. It got creepy and I liked it.
The story is brilliant because the person who's a serial killer is the least I expected. I was freaked out every time I read from the killer's perspective. Honestly, I didn't see it coming once I learnt the truth. It was quite a shock. The deaths were devastating and heartbreaking. If I were one of the affected, direct or indirect with the event, the memory probably would haunt me forever.
Since romance is included in this book, no matter even it's bits of it - frankly, it's a disaster. In my opinion, it's not necessary. This book is still a go, with or without romance, truly.
The level of gruesome and gore is medium as the target audience is young adult. Too bad it's not adult horror/thriller. Bet it would extreme and guaranteed with nightmares.
Consider this is a YA book, I decided to just cool with the way these teens think. They're annoying, dramatic, gossips here and there, crush on boys and girls, judgmental and all that attitudes associate with teens. I was once a teen, so go figure.
Just so you know if you decided to read this book and/or any book with this kind of genre, I've got a message for you: Be suspicious because every character is suspect. Hope Book 2 is as scary as this. Or more, please.
Recommended.
Wow, not bad. Definitely what I wanted and expected from Wish You Were Dead , I succeeded in scaring myself shitless! Although I didn't like the beginning of the book because it focused on heroine's crush towards a new boy in school instead of the problem but that changed as the story goes. It got creepy and I liked it.
The story is brilliant because the person who's a serial killer is the least I expected. I was freaked out every time I read from the killer's perspective. Honestly, I didn't see it coming once I learnt the truth. It was quite a shock. The deaths were devastating and heartbreaking. If I were one of the affected, direct or indirect with the event, the memory probably would haunt me forever.
Since romance is included in this book, no matter even it's bits of it - frankly, it's a disaster. In my opinion, it's not necessary. This book is still a go, with or without romance, truly.
The level of gruesome and gore is medium as the target audience is young adult. Too bad it's not adult horror/thriller. Bet it would extreme and guaranteed with nightmares.
Consider this is a YA book, I decided to just cool with the way these teens think. They're annoying, dramatic, gossips here and there, crush on boys and girls, judgmental and all that attitudes associate with teens. I was once a teen, so go figure.
Just so you know if you decided to read this book and/or any book with this kind of genre, I've got a message for you: Be suspicious because every character is suspect. Hope Book 2 is as scary as this. Or more, please.
Recommended.
October 8, 2010
Wish You Were Dead
Wish You Were Dead explains a story about kids that go missing in one of the nicest towns. The main characters in this book are Madison, Lucy, Adam, Whitney, and Tyler. Lucy was the first one to go missing. It wasn’t long until the others started to disappear as well. It was only the popular kids who started to disappear, no one else. Nobody knows where the children have went, and Madison thinks it’s up to her to try and save them, until she becomes locked with the same situation as her friends.
What I liked about this book was that there was a lot of suspense. Suspense is one of my most favorite types of books read, also with a little romance in there. What I thought was unnecessary about this book was the way they said what Lucy looked like. It made my stomach feel sick. No one needs to be tortured like that. If you need a mood for the book, I’d say you’d have to be in the reading mood because once you read the first word of the beginning of the book, you’re not going to want to get out of it. This is one of my favorite books, and needs no changes to make it better.
I think I learned that you need to be careful of what you wish for. What you wish for might actually come true. This book has no relation to me what so ever. This book has probably helped me grow and mature as a person; to not wish for people to be dead, even when you’re the slightest mad at them. Reading this book would help you understand like me, you’re never going to want to put it down.
Wish You Were Dead explains a story about kids that go missing in one of the nicest towns. The main characters in this book are Madison, Lucy, Adam, Whitney, and Tyler. Lucy was the first one to go missing. It wasn’t long until the others started to disappear as well. It was only the popular kids who started to disappear, no one else. Nobody knows where the children have went, and Madison thinks it’s up to her to try and save them, until she becomes locked with the same situation as her friends.
What I liked about this book was that there was a lot of suspense. Suspense is one of my most favorite types of books read, also with a little romance in there. What I thought was unnecessary about this book was the way they said what Lucy looked like. It made my stomach feel sick. No one needs to be tortured like that. If you need a mood for the book, I’d say you’d have to be in the reading mood because once you read the first word of the beginning of the book, you’re not going to want to get out of it. This is one of my favorite books, and needs no changes to make it better.
I think I learned that you need to be careful of what you wish for. What you wish for might actually come true. This book has no relation to me what so ever. This book has probably helped me grow and mature as a person; to not wish for people to be dead, even when you’re the slightest mad at them. Reading this book would help you understand like me, you’re never going to want to put it down.
September 1, 2016
Wow, so where do I begin? As a writer myself, I know what it feels like to get a two star review, so I don't give them out very often, but that's the best rating I could manage for this book. Based on the summary, I was excited to read this book. It had such a good concept, and I loved the amount of suspense that the author was able to keep throughout the story.
However, it bothered me that the story randomly jumped POVs between first person and third. It wasn't always clear which character the story was focused on, and sometimes, the focus on a character seemed unnecessary. A lot of the characters, like Lucy, Madison, and Courtney, seemed really flat and predictable. I could guess what the MC was going to do in most cases before she did it.
The ending was rushed and summed up things that I thought should've been actually shown in the book such as the MC's online stalker admitting who he was. This is only the first book of the series, and I do wonder what other plot lines the author has in mind, but at the same time, I'm not going to make finishing the rest of these books a priority.
However, it bothered me that the story randomly jumped POVs between first person and third. It wasn't always clear which character the story was focused on, and sometimes, the focus on a character seemed unnecessary. A lot of the characters, like Lucy, Madison, and Courtney, seemed really flat and predictable. I could guess what the MC was going to do in most cases before she did it.
The ending was rushed and summed up things that I thought should've been actually shown in the book such as the MC's online stalker admitting who he was. This is only the first book of the series, and I do wonder what other plot lines the author has in mind, but at the same time, I'm not going to make finishing the rest of these books a priority.
March 5, 2018
Wish You Were Dead By: Todd Strasser is about this girl that is writing a secret blog about the people she hates or strongly disowns. As she continues to write blogs about what goes on in her daily life at school, she has people commenting and replying to her, either agreeing to what she says, or trying to make her feel better, or disagreeing to what she has to say.
In this book, it has drama, romance, and hatred. There have been connections with guys and girls, just mostly drama. Later on in the story, a girl falls for the wrong guy and doesn’t know what to do. Also a girl goes missing after and party and the girl that is writing the blog hates her. She’s been missing for days and the police and everyone is trying to solve her case.
I’m really enjoying this book so far. I can make connections to this story and realizing not everything I want can’t happen. I definitely recommend this book to freshmen. Especially girls that are going through a rough time.
In this book, it has drama, romance, and hatred. There have been connections with guys and girls, just mostly drama. Later on in the story, a girl falls for the wrong guy and doesn’t know what to do. Also a girl goes missing after and party and the girl that is writing the blog hates her. She’s been missing for days and the police and everyone is trying to solve her case.
I’m really enjoying this book so far. I can make connections to this story and realizing not everything I want can’t happen. I definitely recommend this book to freshmen. Especially girls that are going through a rough time.
January 30, 2010
stupid. bunch of whiny high school kids, I almost wished they would all end up dead. oh that wasn't very nice. tiresome, unsupervised teens in peril from a mysterious person who is making them disappear one by one. Has some dialogue from the culprit that makes it a little edgy, but in the end, I didn't really care whether they were found or not. I completely lost interest when the main character said for the third time, "THERE ARE LIVES AT STAKE!!"
August 23, 2022
2.5 ⭐️- this book was PAINFULLY predictable. there were no big plot twists so it was just plain and boring all the way through. the only thing that was good was that the author wasn’t afraid to kill off a character.. but that’s really it🤷🏼♀️
September 11, 2014
Nope. Just nope. Didn't enjoy it. Didn't care.
Didn't like it.
T'is all for now.
Didn't like it.
T'is all for now.
October 28, 2015
This is just... terrible. POV is all over the place, red herrings that don't make ANY actual sense and the antagonist seems to be a reallllly appallingly written schizo. Just. What.
January 18, 2013
I read a book “Wish you were dead” by Todd Strasser. This book explains about anonymous blogger Str-S-d writes about what happens to her and wishes someone dead. It wishes Lucy Cunningham dead because she’s popular and being rude so it has something to do with a past.”I hate you Lucy,I really hate you. you are my number #1 pick. I wish you were dead.” I think this book is amazing because it gives a suspense and a mystery. The main character is Madison, she’s different from Lucy.I don’t like Lucy because she has a bad attitude and being very low. But for Madison, she’s rich like Lucy but she’s a nice person.In a beginning, a anonymous blog explains that he/she wants Lucy dead. After a blog, Lucy Cunningham was kidnapped and was nowhere to be seen. A main character named Madison needs to figure out who it is and who is doing the kidnapping. I mostly enjoy the mystery because i’m anxiously wonder who it is and why someone would do that. Seven days later since Lucy was kidnapped, Adam Pinter, Madison’s childhood friend and Lucy’s ex boyfriend was missing. The another blog user Str-Sd also wished Adam should die, it got me curious to know who is writing a blog, at first i thought it might be a Ste-Sd kidnapping but in a book, but didn't know what’s going on. In a middle through a book, It reveals that it was Maura, a unpopular, timid girl think some people being rude to her, including Lucy, Adam and Courtney that are the top 3.
The book “Wish you were dead” is different, comparing to another book “The deadly sister”. “The Deadly sister” has an ending twist that a Main character is the killer to set up her sister, While the other book “Wish you were dead” has to be a teacher named Ms. Skelling. The first book is all about her sister Maya being accused of murder so Abby is helping her to prove she’s innocent but turns out she’s the one a killer. The second book i read last year is more different because it has a different plot of the story. Instead of one person murdered, It’s being kidnapped and being murder days or weeks later. One has the love relationship problems in a story while the other has to do something with bullying. I think i like “Wish you were dead” better than “The deadly sister” because i’m disappointed to read that a main character would set up sister in jail so she can protect herself.
I rate this book “Wish you were dead” a 4 because it gives more mystery and drama. It makes me anxiously to know what’s happening each time you read. I like this book but sometimes i feel sad when people died in a book.
The book “Wish you were dead” is different, comparing to another book “The deadly sister”. “The Deadly sister” has an ending twist that a Main character is the killer to set up her sister, While the other book “Wish you were dead” has to be a teacher named Ms. Skelling. The first book is all about her sister Maya being accused of murder so Abby is helping her to prove she’s innocent but turns out she’s the one a killer. The second book i read last year is more different because it has a different plot of the story. Instead of one person murdered, It’s being kidnapped and being murder days or weeks later. One has the love relationship problems in a story while the other has to do something with bullying. I think i like “Wish you were dead” better than “The deadly sister” because i’m disappointed to read that a main character would set up sister in jail so she can protect herself.
I rate this book “Wish you were dead” a 4 because it gives more mystery and drama. It makes me anxiously to know what’s happening each time you read. I like this book but sometimes i feel sad when people died in a book.
November 1, 2009
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
If you are looking for a good thriller, look no further. WISH YOU WERE DEAD by Todd Strasser has everything you're looking for.
When a popular teen from a wealthy, gated community disappears right off her front lawn, everyone is scared. Then, when two more teens disappear within the same week, panic sets in.
Madison has always liked being part of the "in" crowd, but she hesitates and tries to distance herself when they start bashing the less fortunate students in her affluent high school.
When her friend, Lucy, disappears after being dropped off at her house by Madison and her Safe Ride partner, she feels guilty. The rules of Safe Ride state that the person being dropped off should be witnessed entering his/her home. Madison was pretty annoyed with Lucy and her better-than-everyone attitude that night, and when Lucy stubbornly continued to hang around on her front walk, Madison and Tyler just left her.
Now Lucy is gone. Did she run off with her boyfriend? Is she just trying to scare everyone? Or was she kidnapped? When there is no demand for a ransom, people begin to suspect more sinister motives are involved.
Madison is not the only one feeling guilty. The creator of a blog known as Str-S-d is having second thoughts about her actions. Frustrated with the ever-popular Lucy and her superior attitude, Str-S-d admits that she wishes her dead. Could someone have read her post and taken it seriously enough to actually kill the girl? And is it coincidence when Str-S-d expresses similar death wishes about the other two missing teens?
Add in the attractive yet mysterious new student, Tyler, and the strange messages Madison keeps finding from someone known only as PBleeker, and the suspense builds quickly.
Todd Strasser is at his best in WISH YOU WERE DEAD. It provides just the edge-of-your-seat action teens love. Happily, it appears to be the first of three similar stories. Can't wait to get a look at the next one.
If you are looking for a good thriller, look no further. WISH YOU WERE DEAD by Todd Strasser has everything you're looking for.
When a popular teen from a wealthy, gated community disappears right off her front lawn, everyone is scared. Then, when two more teens disappear within the same week, panic sets in.
Madison has always liked being part of the "in" crowd, but she hesitates and tries to distance herself when they start bashing the less fortunate students in her affluent high school.
When her friend, Lucy, disappears after being dropped off at her house by Madison and her Safe Ride partner, she feels guilty. The rules of Safe Ride state that the person being dropped off should be witnessed entering his/her home. Madison was pretty annoyed with Lucy and her better-than-everyone attitude that night, and when Lucy stubbornly continued to hang around on her front walk, Madison and Tyler just left her.
Now Lucy is gone. Did she run off with her boyfriend? Is she just trying to scare everyone? Or was she kidnapped? When there is no demand for a ransom, people begin to suspect more sinister motives are involved.
Madison is not the only one feeling guilty. The creator of a blog known as Str-S-d is having second thoughts about her actions. Frustrated with the ever-popular Lucy and her superior attitude, Str-S-d admits that she wishes her dead. Could someone have read her post and taken it seriously enough to actually kill the girl? And is it coincidence when Str-S-d expresses similar death wishes about the other two missing teens?
Add in the attractive yet mysterious new student, Tyler, and the strange messages Madison keeps finding from someone known only as PBleeker, and the suspense builds quickly.
Todd Strasser is at his best in WISH YOU WERE DEAD. It provides just the edge-of-your-seat action teens love. Happily, it appears to be the first of three similar stories. Can't wait to get a look at the next one.
March 12, 2010
Reviewed by my brother, Gregory.
Oh boy, Wish You Were Dead is capital-C Creepy! I loved it and was sucked in from the first pages.
An anonymous blogger starts talking about the kids that are mean to her at school. Then it escalates to wishing those kids are dead, and guess what? They go missing.
Our protagonist, Madison, feels responsible since she had taken the first girl, Lucy, home the night she was kidnapped but didn't watch her go in. That's when Lucy got snatched. When other kids start disappearing too, Madison begins investigating.
The chapters are short which helps to move the story along at super speed. The point of views change from the anonymous blogger, to Madison and then best of all, we get to hear what the kidnapper/killer is saying to his or her captives (we don't know who the killer is until the end).
Man, that puppy is psycho. The dialogue with his/her captives gives you goosebumps. The poor kids get not only physical torture but psychological as well.
Madison and Tyler are good characters who seem to follow a logical path on their investigation. There are a couple of subplots that play out well in the end, a few red herrings and interesting twists. And as far as relationships went, they were portrayed well.
Strasser also does a good job of making you feel ambivalent about the kids who get kidnapped. I mean, you start thinking that if they hadn't been such jerks, perhaps they wouldn't be in this mess. It gets you thinking.
No fantasy in this one. Just nasty nutso serial killer stuff. The pace is fast and I was flipping pages well into the night to finish it. Trouble was I was the only one up and jumped every time a weird noise rattled the house. Had to be a windy night, right? I brought one of the dogs in my room for backup. Don't laugh!
I don't want to give too much away so I'll just say this is a wonderful creepy thriller filled with suspense and nail biting moments. A fun who-dun-it!
The Cover: Totally fits the content. Creepy!
Oh boy, Wish You Were Dead is capital-C Creepy! I loved it and was sucked in from the first pages.
An anonymous blogger starts talking about the kids that are mean to her at school. Then it escalates to wishing those kids are dead, and guess what? They go missing.
Our protagonist, Madison, feels responsible since she had taken the first girl, Lucy, home the night she was kidnapped but didn't watch her go in. That's when Lucy got snatched. When other kids start disappearing too, Madison begins investigating.
The chapters are short which helps to move the story along at super speed. The point of views change from the anonymous blogger, to Madison and then best of all, we get to hear what the kidnapper/killer is saying to his or her captives (we don't know who the killer is until the end).
Man, that puppy is psycho. The dialogue with his/her captives gives you goosebumps. The poor kids get not only physical torture but psychological as well.
Madison and Tyler are good characters who seem to follow a logical path on their investigation. There are a couple of subplots that play out well in the end, a few red herrings and interesting twists. And as far as relationships went, they were portrayed well.
Strasser also does a good job of making you feel ambivalent about the kids who get kidnapped. I mean, you start thinking that if they hadn't been such jerks, perhaps they wouldn't be in this mess. It gets you thinking.
No fantasy in this one. Just nasty nutso serial killer stuff. The pace is fast and I was flipping pages well into the night to finish it. Trouble was I was the only one up and jumped every time a weird noise rattled the house. Had to be a windy night, right? I brought one of the dogs in my room for backup. Don't laugh!
I don't want to give too much away so I'll just say this is a wonderful creepy thriller filled with suspense and nail biting moments. A fun who-dun-it!
The Cover: Totally fits the content. Creepy!
May 26, 2010
I picked this up simply because it was a Strasser book and I'm fond of him. It wasn't a let down, but I am left kind of saying "Meh." Frankly, it's probably just coming from the fact that this book is targeted at a lower reading level (I'd say younger audience but frankly the subject matter is a bit too heavy for that).
This book is a bit of a hybrid; it switches between focusing on a blog written by one of the characters (we don't know who) complaining about the popular people at school and a narrative focusing on Madison Archer, a rich, semi-popular girl who has always treated everyone nicely. The book is set in a quiet, private, affluent suburb with no crime or weird events. That is, of course, until the most popular and snotty girl in the school disappears shortly after she is dropped off by Safe Rides, a volunteer program that Madison works for. And wouldn't you know it? Our blogger just happened to wish that she would disappear...
Things get weirder and weirder- the anonymous blogster names names and then, poof, they're gone. Eventually, she gets scared that she's cursed- clearly someone is reading what she writes and acting on it. In the mean time, Madison is seeing people who she has been close to her whole life disappear and desperately trying to make the connection to who could be responsible. Worse than anything, she fears that her new man of interest who just moved into town mysteriously could be involved in some way. Not to mention she's been getting weird anonymous notes on the computer, and now she's finding messages left for her warning her that it's not safe. Clearly someone she knows is involved in this, but who?
It's a dark book that's written in a very light, easy to read way. This is good and bad. It's good because I can think of a few reading-challenged teens who could get into this. It's bad because I think this could have been a great in-depth story that I would have loved. It does have a nice twist ending which didn't let me down by falling into standard book stereotypes. Recommended if you need something nice and quick to chew on.
This book is a bit of a hybrid; it switches between focusing on a blog written by one of the characters (we don't know who) complaining about the popular people at school and a narrative focusing on Madison Archer, a rich, semi-popular girl who has always treated everyone nicely. The book is set in a quiet, private, affluent suburb with no crime or weird events. That is, of course, until the most popular and snotty girl in the school disappears shortly after she is dropped off by Safe Rides, a volunteer program that Madison works for. And wouldn't you know it? Our blogger just happened to wish that she would disappear...
Things get weirder and weirder- the anonymous blogster names names and then, poof, they're gone. Eventually, she gets scared that she's cursed- clearly someone is reading what she writes and acting on it. In the mean time, Madison is seeing people who she has been close to her whole life disappear and desperately trying to make the connection to who could be responsible. Worse than anything, she fears that her new man of interest who just moved into town mysteriously could be involved in some way. Not to mention she's been getting weird anonymous notes on the computer, and now she's finding messages left for her warning her that it's not safe. Clearly someone she knows is involved in this, but who?
It's a dark book that's written in a very light, easy to read way. This is good and bad. It's good because I can think of a few reading-challenged teens who could get into this. It's bad because I think this could have been a great in-depth story that I would have loved. It does have a nice twist ending which didn't let me down by falling into standard book stereotypes. Recommended if you need something nice and quick to chew on.
May 1, 2010
Lucy Cunningham is the most popular girl attending Soundview High. She is drop dead gorgeous and stunningly attractive - everyone wishes to stand in her shoes. That is, until one night Lucy is mysteriously kidnapped after receiving a ride home.
Madison Archer is wrecked by feelings of guilt and anxiety - after all, she was the last person to see Lucy before she disappeared. Thankfully, she has a new crush to keep her preoccupied. Tyler is the new, secretive guy at her school who always dons a black trench coat. But when their relationship begins to form, two more notorious students are abducted. Madison takes matters into her own hands and tries to find the missing students - before it is too late.
The cover of Wish You Were Dead is absolutely appropriate. The book was creepy, disturbing, yet alluring: after reading a little bit I didn't want to put the book down until I had finished the entire thing. Its main strong point was the kidnapping/serial killer plot line, which was the sole factor that kept me interested through the duration of the novel.
What would have made the book even better was if Strasser decided to develop his characters more, or remove some of the unnecessary scenes that didn't relate to the kidnappings. Parts of the book were boring and detracted from the suspenseful feel of the novel, making it lose some of its overall appeal.
Recommended for teens who enjoy a suspenseful mystery.
Madison Archer is wrecked by feelings of guilt and anxiety - after all, she was the last person to see Lucy before she disappeared. Thankfully, she has a new crush to keep her preoccupied. Tyler is the new, secretive guy at her school who always dons a black trench coat. But when their relationship begins to form, two more notorious students are abducted. Madison takes matters into her own hands and tries to find the missing students - before it is too late.
The cover of Wish You Were Dead is absolutely appropriate. The book was creepy, disturbing, yet alluring: after reading a little bit I didn't want to put the book down until I had finished the entire thing. Its main strong point was the kidnapping/serial killer plot line, which was the sole factor that kept me interested through the duration of the novel.
What would have made the book even better was if Strasser decided to develop his characters more, or remove some of the unnecessary scenes that didn't relate to the kidnappings. Parts of the book were boring and detracted from the suspenseful feel of the novel, making it lose some of its overall appeal.
Recommended for teens who enjoy a suspenseful mystery.
February 13, 2012
The book "Wish You Were Dead" is a similar version of another story written by Lois Duncan, "I Know what you did Last Summer". Madison Archer, a student of Soundview High school suddenly gets mysterious death threats after her best friend had disappeared. In addition, a blogger called Str-s-d posts up blogs of how much he/she wants the popular kids to drop dead. Time is running out. Madison needs to find out who is behind this whole puzzle scheme before she is next!
This book was very interesting! I decided to read this because of it's cover. My first reaction was " Whoa". It's cover looked so suspenseful and creepy. Turns out, the story itself was creepy as well! It made my heart racing every time I flip each page of the book! Strasser's writing is amazing! Each chapter is a different perspective of the mystery blogger and protagonist! I love how it transitions because it makes the story connected and flow in a way! Overall, this book was amazing! If I would've rate this book on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7 because of it's thriller plot and brilliant writing skills!
This book was very interesting! I decided to read this because of it's cover. My first reaction was " Whoa". It's cover looked so suspenseful and creepy. Turns out, the story itself was creepy as well! It made my heart racing every time I flip each page of the book! Strasser's writing is amazing! Each chapter is a different perspective of the mystery blogger and protagonist! I love how it transitions because it makes the story connected and flow in a way! Overall, this book was amazing! If I would've rate this book on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 7 because of it's thriller plot and brilliant writing skills!
September 16, 2017
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was a good thriller in the sense I didn't know who was the kidnapper, but a few things bothered me. The main character was really naive, a bit careless (she ALWAYS thought about Tyler and it got annoying real quick), and just really plain to me. I don't know. I didn't connect with any of them. Fast read and pleasing, I suppose.
August 14, 2021
Tyler don't give a shit about you Madison plz stop going after him like a lovesick puppy. I'm getting second hand embarrassment. Your friends are shit, all of them. Not a single likable character. I don't think I even liked Madison properly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2015
A thriller? No, more like a sleeping pill.
November 8, 2024
ngl this kinda slapped
December 28, 2023
I read this to vet it for my middle school students- age wise, I think a mature seventh grader could handle it, but would recommend for grade 8 and up.
The story itself had some nice plot twists, although the concept of a blog figured prominently and seemed outdated. I’ll definitely read more Strasser!
The story itself had some nice plot twists, although the concept of a blog figured prominently and seemed outdated. I’ll definitely read more Strasser!
December 10, 2009
Okay- this book was creepy. In many different ways was it creepy but I really liked it- partly because of that. The premise is great- a different take on the whole who done it kind of thing and what I really enjoyed about this book was how many different aspects of current times it incorporated. The use of blogs- something that seems innocent and just gets it out there- and how just saying anything can come back at you was a big portion of this entire premise. The movie Juno came in to play a few times, as did the idea of how gated communities and towns with low crime rates aren’t always as safe as they seem.
This plot kept me enthralled from start to finish. This is a pretty quick read- made faster by how much I wanted to find out what happened. With each additional missing student, my curiosity grew. The majority of the actual story is told in Madison’s perspective, but it is broken up by the blog posts that are in some way tied to everything along with the perpetrator’s voice, telling the reader what is happening with the missing students as though they are talking to them and responding without ever giving away whom it is.
Strasser painted several different people as potential suspects, at least in the eyes of Madison. Who to trust and who to avoid were big themes, made worse with the increased fear that came with each missing student. He threw out many postulations, all with strong reasons to be true. I never had any sure line to follow- I didn’t have any more insight into things than Madison did was something I definitely enjoyed. I was as curious and wondering as she was.
I really enjoyed the tight nit community this book was set in. Of course there were the usual high school cliques, the popular people and the jocks, then the outcasts and the losers but everyone pulled together when things got rough. The parent’s concern for their kids as well as the others actually was a big feature that I thought helped run things along even better. Protect your own first but worry about the others too- basic survival instincts that are more prevalent in some areas than others and that was almost refreshing for me.
Madison was a well done character. She was popular but different than the others- something that came more into play than I initially thought. She developed well, given the situation she was in and there were only a few instances where I questioned what she was doing and why.
The ending tied everything up, weaving it together nicely without any of it actually feeling like it was done just for the sake of being able to do it or to ties up the loose ends. The ultimate motivation and driving force behind this was a unique take on something often done and the specific way it was carried out was even better. Something I can completely see- despite how inhumane it was.
Overall, I give this one 4 stars. It was gripping, it had a pretty strong lead character, and it was a unique take on an often done general story line. The incorporation of blogging, the perp’s voice, and some other more modern things all made it a refreshing read and I look forward to more in this series- I am especially curious where it is going to go because this novel could stand alone. The writing was easy and not at all hard to follow- not outstanding but never did I find myself distracted from the writing because I felt it was poor. It wasn't a defining feature of the book for me as, say, the writing in The Monstrumologist was, but in no way did I think it was poor or lacking.
June 3, 2016
“If you've never known someone your own age who's died, you can't imagine what it feels like. It's as if you were walking on a glass floor and it suddenly shatters and now you're falling and falling and there's broken glass in the air all around you and no bottom in sight.”
Madison, the main character, was a little bit boring (she doesn't really have anything special about her... I mean not a hobby or anything) but perfect for the storyline: she was in the popular clique still she wasn't mean or a bully so with other words people liked her. The whole story begins with the blog where a bullied girl writes about how badly people treat her. After we can read how Lucy (one of the most popular girls) gets kidnapped and then we read about what happened before Lucy got out of Tyler's car and here comes the story from Madison's point of view.
After Lucy more teens start to disappear starting with Adam, Lucy's boyfriend. Madison realizes betrayals and cheating and soon discovers what is flawless on the outside isn't always perfect beneath the surface. Soon Courtney, Madison's best friend disappears encouraging her for further investigation, she won't stop until she finds the truth.
First I thought that Tyler is a little bit strange (the rich bitch comment and how he acted all along the car drive) There was a time when I hated him he left Madison in trouble which was caused by both of them, he acted like it was all Madison's fault. He did other questionable things too, but these became totally understandable after we get to know his story still I never really forgave him for making Madison take the guilt.
After a time it became totally obvious who writes the blog so when it got out it wasn't a big surprise. Why didn't she stopped the blog or at least the wishes, when one girl has already disappeared?
When they went to the house where the kidnapper kept the victims it was clear who will it be.
This story tells us how many bad things can happen on the internet, how cruel and crazy some people are, how from a "little bullying" can come something so bad like you couldn't imagine before, how little things can affect people's life. Everyone should be more careful what things they write on the internet because anyone can read it after they uploaded it.
So all in all it is an amazing book, a quick read and I'm looking forward to read the two other books in this trilogy. Hope I can give five stars to those :).
The story idea: 5/5
The realization of the story: 4/5
The characters: 4/5
The cover: 3/5
All in all: 4/5
Madison, the main character, was a little bit boring (she doesn't really have anything special about her... I mean not a hobby or anything) but perfect for the storyline: she was in the popular clique still she wasn't mean or a bully so with other words people liked her. The whole story begins with the blog where a bullied girl writes about how badly people treat her. After we can read how Lucy (one of the most popular girls) gets kidnapped and then we read about what happened before Lucy got out of Tyler's car and here comes the story from Madison's point of view.
After Lucy more teens start to disappear starting with Adam, Lucy's boyfriend. Madison realizes betrayals and cheating and soon discovers what is flawless on the outside isn't always perfect beneath the surface. Soon Courtney, Madison's best friend disappears encouraging her for further investigation, she won't stop until she finds the truth.
First I thought that Tyler is a little bit strange (the rich bitch comment and how he acted all along the car drive) There was a time when I hated him he left Madison in trouble which was caused by both of them, he acted like it was all Madison's fault. He did other questionable things too, but these became totally understandable after we get to know his story still I never really forgave him for making Madison take the guilt.
After a time it became totally obvious who writes the blog so when it got out it wasn't a big surprise. Why didn't she stopped the blog or at least the wishes, when one girl has already disappeared?
When they went to the house where the kidnapper kept the victims it was clear who will it be.
This story tells us how many bad things can happen on the internet, how cruel and crazy some people are, how from a "little bullying" can come something so bad like you couldn't imagine before, how little things can affect people's life. Everyone should be more careful what things they write on the internet because anyone can read it after they uploaded it.
So all in all it is an amazing book, a quick read and I'm looking forward to read the two other books in this trilogy. Hope I can give five stars to those :).
The story idea: 5/5
The realization of the story: 4/5
The characters: 4/5
The cover: 3/5
All in all: 4/5
December 11, 2015
Wish You Had Read It Sooner
Overall, the book Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser is an amazing book that should be read by all, for what awaits the reader are engaging mysteries, interesting perspectives, and great suspense. First of all, the story has several captivating mysteries that keep the reader hooked, such as when someone left the main character a note saying, These mysteries keep readers intrigued, making them resistant to stop reading because they want to know what is happening. Second of all, the book has many different perspectives that reveal small bits of information that keep the story compelling; short accounts like, While in the book is mostly narrated by Madison, the main character, short narratives can also be see throughout the story from other important characters. With these short bits of information given, the reader becomes more interested and will probably not want to put down the book anytime soon. Lastly, Strasser uses great suspense mechanisms when writing dialogue and descriptions The tension Strasser includes in his writing really gives an eerie and unnerving feel to the book, which is great for a thriller. In conclusion, Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser is a great book overall for those who like thrillers because of its many mysteries, perspectives, and great suspense.
Overall, the book Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser is an amazing book that should be read by all, for what awaits the reader are engaging mysteries, interesting perspectives, and great suspense. First of all, the story has several captivating mysteries that keep the reader hooked, such as when someone left the main character a note saying, These mysteries keep readers intrigued, making them resistant to stop reading because they want to know what is happening. Second of all, the book has many different perspectives that reveal small bits of information that keep the story compelling; short accounts like, While in the book is mostly narrated by Madison, the main character, short narratives can also be see throughout the story from other important characters. With these short bits of information given, the reader becomes more interested and will probably not want to put down the book anytime soon. Lastly, Strasser uses great suspense mechanisms when writing dialogue and descriptions The tension Strasser includes in his writing really gives an eerie and unnerving feel to the book, which is great for a thriller. In conclusion, Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser is a great book overall for those who like thrillers because of its many mysteries, perspectives, and great suspense.
September 15, 2016
Hat sich nicht schon ein jeder einmal den Tod eines anderen Menschen gewünscht? Hass, Mobbing, Neid - all dies können Auslöser für diesen irrationalen Wunsch sein und dennoch, manchmal sind die Gefühle, die einen antreiben so stark, dass einfach mal alles raus muss. So auch auf dem Blog "an-G-kozzt", dessen Verfasser mehr als nur einem Menschen den Tod wünscht. Fest steht, der Blogbetreiber ist noch Schüler und in der Schule ergeht es ihm nicht gut, denn das Mobbing ist offensichtlich. Zur Wehr setzt sich der Blogbetreiber über seinen Blog, hetzt gegen die Beliebten und wünscht denen, die ihm Unrecht getan haben, den Tod an den Hals.
Manchmal jedoch werden Wünsche wahr. So verschwindet nach einer Party Lucy Cunningham. Sie war eine Diva an ihrer Schule und tatsächlich macht sich nicht einmal die Polizei anfänglich Sorgen, denn verschwinden nicht immer mal wieder Teenager spurlos für ein paar Tage, um danach unbeschadet wieder aufzutauchen? Als jedoch auch Lucys Freund Alex und dessen Freundin Courtney verschwinden, scheint klar, dass an der ganzen Sache etwas ganz und gar nicht stimmt.
Auch Madison ist angst und bange, denn auch sie gehört zu der angesagten Clique und Lucy, Alex und Courtney sind ihre besten Freunde. Doch sie ist nicht bereit, sich in eine wie auch immer geartete Falle locken zu lassen und beschließt, sich selbst auf die Suche nach ihren Freunden zu machen. Dabei kommt sie dem Täter jedoch näher, als ihr lieb sein dürfte ...
Sei vorsichtig mit deinen Wünschen! Der Plot des Buches wurde spannend erarbeitet. Besonders gut fand ich die Cliquenbildung und damit einhergehenden unterschiedlichen gesellschaftlichen Schichten auf der Highschool dargestellt. Die Figuren wurden authentisch erarbeitet, doch fehlte es ihnen aus meiner Sicht etwas an Tiefe. Rückblendend betrachten wirkten sie fast alle sehr farblos auf mich, was schade ist, denn gerade das Highschool-Umfeld bietet wirklich reichlich Spielraum für jede Art Persönlichkeit. Den Schreibstil empfand ich, bis auf kleinere Längen, angenehm zu lesen, muss jedoch abschließend sagen, dass dieses Buch eines der wenigsten von Todd Strasser / Morton Rhue ist, das mich nicht ganz überzeugen konnte.
Manchmal jedoch werden Wünsche wahr. So verschwindet nach einer Party Lucy Cunningham. Sie war eine Diva an ihrer Schule und tatsächlich macht sich nicht einmal die Polizei anfänglich Sorgen, denn verschwinden nicht immer mal wieder Teenager spurlos für ein paar Tage, um danach unbeschadet wieder aufzutauchen? Als jedoch auch Lucys Freund Alex und dessen Freundin Courtney verschwinden, scheint klar, dass an der ganzen Sache etwas ganz und gar nicht stimmt.
Auch Madison ist angst und bange, denn auch sie gehört zu der angesagten Clique und Lucy, Alex und Courtney sind ihre besten Freunde. Doch sie ist nicht bereit, sich in eine wie auch immer geartete Falle locken zu lassen und beschließt, sich selbst auf die Suche nach ihren Freunden zu machen. Dabei kommt sie dem Täter jedoch näher, als ihr lieb sein dürfte ...
Sei vorsichtig mit deinen Wünschen! Der Plot des Buches wurde spannend erarbeitet. Besonders gut fand ich die Cliquenbildung und damit einhergehenden unterschiedlichen gesellschaftlichen Schichten auf der Highschool dargestellt. Die Figuren wurden authentisch erarbeitet, doch fehlte es ihnen aus meiner Sicht etwas an Tiefe. Rückblendend betrachten wirkten sie fast alle sehr farblos auf mich, was schade ist, denn gerade das Highschool-Umfeld bietet wirklich reichlich Spielraum für jede Art Persönlichkeit. Den Schreibstil empfand ich, bis auf kleinere Längen, angenehm zu lesen, muss jedoch abschließend sagen, dass dieses Buch eines der wenigsten von Todd Strasser / Morton Rhue ist, das mich nicht ganz überzeugen konnte.
August 20, 2015
German Review
4,5 Sterne
Todd Strasser alias Morton Rhue ist mir damals schon in der Realschule begegnet. Damals haben wir von ihm das Buch "Boot Camp" gelesen, was mich nicht sonderlich gepackt hatte. 2 oder 3 Jahre später haben wir uns dem Buch "Die Welle" gewidmet in der Schule. Dies faszinierte mich schon etwas mehr und ich muss auch sagen, "Wish u were dead" ist auch ein Knüller!
Cover:
Das Cover ist schon schön gestaltet und lässt auch gleich darauf schließen, dass es mit Internet und all dem Kram zu tun hat.
Inhalt:
Am meisten wird aus der Sicht von Madison Archer geschrieben. Ab und an wurden dann noch ihre Freunde kurz beschrieben, was sie taten.
Dann wurde auch noch aus der Sicht dem Täter geschrieben. Hier wurde der Text immer kursiv geschrieben.
Die Blog-Einträge wurden auch eingebracht und ist auch ziemlich gut rüber gekommen.
Morton Rhue ist schon bekannt, dass er sich mit dem Thema von den Jugendlichen beschäftig. Wie es ihnen in der Schule geht, was sie durch machen. Manchmal hab ich das Gefühl, er ist in diesem Alter geblieben ;)
In "Wish u were dead" geht es um eine junge Bloggerin, die sich in ihrem Blog, um die angesagten Kids, ausläst.
Sie wünscht der Lucy den Tod. Paar Tage später verschwindet diese mitten in der Nacht vor dem Haus ihrer Eltern. Danach bloggt sie weiter und immer mehr Kommentare bekommt sie.
Madison, aus der meist die Sicht geschrieben wird, ist in der 12 Klasse und ist in der In-Clique. Nachdem Lucy verschwunden ist, macht sie sich die größten Sorgen, weil sie mit ihr seit dem Kindergarten befreundet ist. Und dann ist da noch das Internet. Madison bekommt von einem PBleeker Nachrichten und sie bekommt Angst. Hat er vielleicht was mit dem Verschwinden zu tun oder doch nicht?
Im Nachhinein ist es wirklich ein ziemliches gutes Buch. Es hatte keine Längen. Das Ende war zwar schon etwas abrupt, aber das machte jetzt auch nichts aus.
Rhue hat wieder mit diesem Werk gezeigt, wie gefährlich das Internet sein kann und man muss aufpassen, was man überall und nirgends postet. Denn wenn mal was ins Netz gestellt wurde, kommt sehr schlecht wieder raus.
4,5 Sterne
Todd Strasser alias Morton Rhue ist mir damals schon in der Realschule begegnet. Damals haben wir von ihm das Buch "Boot Camp" gelesen, was mich nicht sonderlich gepackt hatte. 2 oder 3 Jahre später haben wir uns dem Buch "Die Welle" gewidmet in der Schule. Dies faszinierte mich schon etwas mehr und ich muss auch sagen, "Wish u were dead" ist auch ein Knüller!
Cover:
Das Cover ist schon schön gestaltet und lässt auch gleich darauf schließen, dass es mit Internet und all dem Kram zu tun hat.
Inhalt:
Am meisten wird aus der Sicht von Madison Archer geschrieben. Ab und an wurden dann noch ihre Freunde kurz beschrieben, was sie taten.
Dann wurde auch noch aus der Sicht dem Täter geschrieben. Hier wurde der Text immer kursiv geschrieben.
Die Blog-Einträge wurden auch eingebracht und ist auch ziemlich gut rüber gekommen.
Morton Rhue ist schon bekannt, dass er sich mit dem Thema von den Jugendlichen beschäftig. Wie es ihnen in der Schule geht, was sie durch machen. Manchmal hab ich das Gefühl, er ist in diesem Alter geblieben ;)
In "Wish u were dead" geht es um eine junge Bloggerin, die sich in ihrem Blog, um die angesagten Kids, ausläst.
Sie wünscht der Lucy den Tod. Paar Tage später verschwindet diese mitten in der Nacht vor dem Haus ihrer Eltern. Danach bloggt sie weiter und immer mehr Kommentare bekommt sie.
Madison, aus der meist die Sicht geschrieben wird, ist in der 12 Klasse und ist in der In-Clique. Nachdem Lucy verschwunden ist, macht sie sich die größten Sorgen, weil sie mit ihr seit dem Kindergarten befreundet ist. Und dann ist da noch das Internet. Madison bekommt von einem PBleeker Nachrichten und sie bekommt Angst. Hat er vielleicht was mit dem Verschwinden zu tun oder doch nicht?
Im Nachhinein ist es wirklich ein ziemliches gutes Buch. Es hatte keine Längen. Das Ende war zwar schon etwas abrupt, aber das machte jetzt auch nichts aus.
Rhue hat wieder mit diesem Werk gezeigt, wie gefährlich das Internet sein kann und man muss aufpassen, was man überall und nirgends postet. Denn wenn mal was ins Netz gestellt wurde, kommt sehr schlecht wieder raus.
November 13, 2010
The way the book was narrated and presented to the readers is awesome. With a mixture of blogs, comments to the blog, notes, and the narration of Madison, its certainly a new twist to me. Though the writer is male, he had presented the point of view of a female very accurately, in fact, I had to look at the back cover of the book to ensure that the author is indeed male and not a female since I throughly believed the female narration and what goes on in the mind of the girl, esp when they're attracted to someone.
The mystery component is presented with lots of red herrings. It drove me crazy that around 100 pages into the book, I snuck a peek at the last few pages of the book to see who the perpetuator was. I spoiled myself in the process and though this is not often the case, I was utterly disappointed that I did not get to figure out who the killer was by myself. Awww.. But anyway, just look at the clues presented in the book and I'm sure you'll come up with the killer too!
The characters were stereotypical to be honest - they are the rich, young kids who are living in private school and its set in a typical YA manner - a high school. It's all right though, as Tyler offered a breath of fresh air as well as Sharon and Laurie. Not many books delve in the topic of homosexuality too.
There is a second book out, called "Blood in Her Hands." Did I say this book was the first of a trilogy? If not, well, it is! As I checked out the blurb of the second book from Amazon, I think it's not related to the first book per se - ie, the characters are the same, but nevertheless, it does look interesting too! Although the series did not get as much buzz as I thought it would be, it's a nice read for Halloween as its a thriller and a whodunit type of thing!
The mystery component is presented with lots of red herrings. It drove me crazy that around 100 pages into the book, I snuck a peek at the last few pages of the book to see who the perpetuator was. I spoiled myself in the process and though this is not often the case, I was utterly disappointed that I did not get to figure out who the killer was by myself. Awww.. But anyway, just look at the clues presented in the book and I'm sure you'll come up with the killer too!
The characters were stereotypical to be honest - they are the rich, young kids who are living in private school and its set in a typical YA manner - a high school. It's all right though, as Tyler offered a breath of fresh air as well as Sharon and Laurie. Not many books delve in the topic of homosexuality too.
There is a second book out, called "Blood in Her Hands." Did I say this book was the first of a trilogy? If not, well, it is! As I checked out the blurb of the second book from Amazon, I think it's not related to the first book per se - ie, the characters are the same, but nevertheless, it does look interesting too! Although the series did not get as much buzz as I thought it would be, it's a nice read for Halloween as its a thriller and a whodunit type of thing!
February 25, 2015
Warning! This is one scary book! I ended up staying up to finish this book because I literally couldn't sleep. Str-S-d starts a blog complaining about the popular kids in their high school and even starts to talk about how they wish some of them would die. When these popular kids start disappearing no one in the comfortable suburb of Soundview can believe this is happening in their safe little community. In the first of many twists, the story is primarily told from the perspective of "nice" popular girl Madison. She's friends with everyone who's disappeared and determined to find out what's happened to her friends before it happens to her too.
I liked that this one could have easily have become a book just about bullying or other issues of high school popularity, so I liked that when the whole story was revealed it was a little more complicated than that. At the same time, I felt like the book was such an adrenaline rush that I would have liked to go back and explore some of the social dynamics touched on in the story. Of course there's a reason that so many books, movies, tv shows, etc. are made exploring the complicated waters of high school hierarchies, so maybe we don't need another one.
It really surprised me how violent this book was, not graphically so, but events that occur are very unsettling. This is definitely a book for mature teen readers. I don't do well with horror movies and I think that's a big part of why, once I got to a certain point, I had to finish this book before I could sleep. Still, the story was solid and it wouldn't have scared me so much if it hadn't been well told. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who has the stomach for serious suspense.
I liked that this one could have easily have become a book just about bullying or other issues of high school popularity, so I liked that when the whole story was revealed it was a little more complicated than that. At the same time, I felt like the book was such an adrenaline rush that I would have liked to go back and explore some of the social dynamics touched on in the story. Of course there's a reason that so many books, movies, tv shows, etc. are made exploring the complicated waters of high school hierarchies, so maybe we don't need another one.
It really surprised me how violent this book was, not graphically so, but events that occur are very unsettling. This is definitely a book for mature teen readers. I don't do well with horror movies and I think that's a big part of why, once I got to a certain point, I had to finish this book before I could sleep. Still, the story was solid and it wouldn't have scared me so much if it hadn't been well told. I definitely recommend this one to anyone who has the stomach for serious suspense.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 564 reviews