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Dead on Town Line
After being murdered by a classmate, young Cassie becomes stuck in a realm between the living and the dead, thus turning to others in the same predicament for guidance, Cassie learns that she will have to face her past and, despite her reservations, must finish all unresolved issues with the living in order to move forward on her journey into the afterlife. Reprint.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Connor
11 books432 followersFrom the author's website:
My life began suddenly (you can even ask my mother) in an antique farmhouse outside of Cleveland, Ohio. I was born right on the family room floor ~ no time to get to the hospital! I swear, I’ve been in a hurry ever since.
When I was in fourth grade we moved to a neighborhood full of kids outside of Schenectady, New York. My Dad worked for a company that sold some of the finest printing papers in all the land. He often brought home big, beautiful, heavy books that pinned me to my chair when I held them in my lap, and I loved to turn the pages, look at the photography and illustrations and smell the ink.
As a kid I took dancing lessons and did gymnastics. I could be found upside-down in odd places like the middle of the stairway, not that I recommend it! My bedroom was a messy nest full of paint sets and paper scraps, embroidery threads and sewing projects. In school I was good at some things and not at all good at others. Still, I found my passions. I went to college, first at SUNY, Cobleskill, where I received an associate’s degree in agriculture, and later at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Ct. where I earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art.
At first, I was interested in children’s books from an illustrator’s point of view. But the writing part surprised me ~ came up from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. I realized that my head and heart were very full of stories and that I should pay attention! My ideas come from everyday life, and I write for readers of all ages.
I live in the Connecticut woods with my husband and three children. (Well, the kids are getting big and they all drive cars now so they come and go a lot these days.) We keep our bird feeders full, do a little gardening and stack a lot of firewood. I hike the trails near my home almost every morning. Then I make a pot of tea and get to work. Usually, my loyal Writing Dogs are right by my side. (Sometimes I even borrow dogs from my neighbors. You can’t have enough dogs.)
I love making artisan pizzas and pots of soup and my favorite treat is dark chocolate. I also love to ride my bike down to the diner to meet my friends for breakfast and more tea. (Hmm...that’s a lot of eating, isn’t it?)
Life is fine!
My life began suddenly (you can even ask my mother) in an antique farmhouse outside of Cleveland, Ohio. I was born right on the family room floor ~ no time to get to the hospital! I swear, I’ve been in a hurry ever since.
When I was in fourth grade we moved to a neighborhood full of kids outside of Schenectady, New York. My Dad worked for a company that sold some of the finest printing papers in all the land. He often brought home big, beautiful, heavy books that pinned me to my chair when I held them in my lap, and I loved to turn the pages, look at the photography and illustrations and smell the ink.
As a kid I took dancing lessons and did gymnastics. I could be found upside-down in odd places like the middle of the stairway, not that I recommend it! My bedroom was a messy nest full of paint sets and paper scraps, embroidery threads and sewing projects. In school I was good at some things and not at all good at others. Still, I found my passions. I went to college, first at SUNY, Cobleskill, where I received an associate’s degree in agriculture, and later at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Ct. where I earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art.
At first, I was interested in children’s books from an illustrator’s point of view. But the writing part surprised me ~ came up from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. I realized that my head and heart were very full of stories and that I should pay attention! My ideas come from everyday life, and I write for readers of all ages.
I live in the Connecticut woods with my husband and three children. (Well, the kids are getting big and they all drive cars now so they come and go a lot these days.) We keep our bird feeders full, do a little gardening and stack a lot of firewood. I hike the trails near my home almost every morning. Then I make a pot of tea and get to work. Usually, my loyal Writing Dogs are right by my side. (Sometimes I even borrow dogs from my neighbors. You can’t have enough dogs.)
I love making artisan pizzas and pots of soup and my favorite treat is dark chocolate. I also love to ride my bike down to the diner to meet my friends for breakfast and more tea. (Hmm...that’s a lot of eating, isn’t it?)
Life is fine!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
April 13, 2015
Rating: 2.75* of five
The Publisher Says: Of all the revelations her afterlife brings, perhaps the most startling thing Cassie Devlin discovers is that being dead isn't being done. Murdered by a classmate, Cassie finds herself stuck on the edges of the world she once knew and a realm whose tug she feels but can't quite find her way to. And . . . she is not alone. There's another like her, who arrived earlier and who, like Cassie, has some unfinished business. Beautifully crafted in electrifying free verse, Dead on Town Line offers teens an emotionally provocative, can't-put-it-down reading experience that will linger long after the last page is turned.
My Review: I read this because Stephen-from-Ohio read it, it's poetry, and he liked it. That concatenation of events has not occurred before, so I felt it incumbent upon me to investigate. It's a story, a cohesive story, told in free verse.
That should have been enough for Uncle Cynical here to stop the reading process. But no. I want to remain open to things I don't instantly “take to” because otherwise stuff gets past me that shouldn't...Pride and Prejudice, f/ex, which I re-read because of Stephen-in-Vegas. And loved. Damn his eyes.
This book, well, not so much. I don't adore poetry. I really, really, really don't adore adolescent girls. I find YA books wibble-wobble and clank and judder at me, all unintentional steampunk. But the story, a cross between Single White Female and The Lovely Bones, kept me turning pages. Not that this was some major feat, the book is less than 140pp long including full-page illos.
And what awful illos they are. Drawn in grease pencil on old newspaper, by the look of it. Ugly, smeary blotches that did nothing whatever to enhance my experience of the text.
So clearly I'm not going to be recommending the book, right? Wrong! Give it to every 13-16 year old girl you know. Her kohl will be dripping down her cheeks inside a half-hour! Wads and wads of Kleenex all snotted up! She'll have the time of her life, in other words.
UNLESS she's African-American, in which case ix-nay on is-thay. There is an African-American caricature in here that came so close to making me set the book alight...well, it's from the liberry and I can't. It did, however, knock an entire star off my rating.
So, that caveat in mind...
The Publisher Says: Of all the revelations her afterlife brings, perhaps the most startling thing Cassie Devlin discovers is that being dead isn't being done. Murdered by a classmate, Cassie finds herself stuck on the edges of the world she once knew and a realm whose tug she feels but can't quite find her way to. And . . . she is not alone. There's another like her, who arrived earlier and who, like Cassie, has some unfinished business. Beautifully crafted in electrifying free verse, Dead on Town Line offers teens an emotionally provocative, can't-put-it-down reading experience that will linger long after the last page is turned.
My Review: I read this because Stephen-from-Ohio read it, it's poetry, and he liked it. That concatenation of events has not occurred before, so I felt it incumbent upon me to investigate. It's a story, a cohesive story, told in free verse.
That should have been enough for Uncle Cynical here to stop the reading process. But no. I want to remain open to things I don't instantly “take to” because otherwise stuff gets past me that shouldn't...Pride and Prejudice, f/ex, which I re-read because of Stephen-in-Vegas. And loved. Damn his eyes.
This book, well, not so much. I don't adore poetry. I really, really, really don't adore adolescent girls. I find YA books wibble-wobble and clank and judder at me, all unintentional steampunk. But the story, a cross between Single White Female and The Lovely Bones, kept me turning pages. Not that this was some major feat, the book is less than 140pp long including full-page illos.
And what awful illos they are. Drawn in grease pencil on old newspaper, by the look of it. Ugly, smeary blotches that did nothing whatever to enhance my experience of the text.
So clearly I'm not going to be recommending the book, right? Wrong! Give it to every 13-16 year old girl you know. Her kohl will be dripping down her cheeks inside a half-hour! Wads and wads of Kleenex all snotted up! She'll have the time of her life, in other words.
UNLESS she's African-American, in which case ix-nay on is-thay. There is an African-American caricature in here that came so close to making me set the book alight...well, it's from the liberry and I can't. It did, however, knock an entire star off my rating.
So, that caveat in mind...
February 15, 2013
Because Waiting for Normal was so beautifully written, I gave it five stars. Usually when I find a book the caliber of a four-five star read, I seek others by the same author.
This is a haunting story of Cassie who is dead, but her spirit lingers. Killed by the brother, and at the direction of a jealous, angry classmate, Cassie's body is stuck in the middle of a crevice along town line.
Town line is analogous to the south side of any small town. The side where all those of small minds talk about, and few like to visit.
Written in a poetic free verse, it works to convey the spirit of Cassie who discovers another spirit, that of a long dead black woman grieving the wrong done to her at the hands of a minister man.
As caring citizens search for her body, observantly Cassie watches and waits.
I liked this book. I liked the poetic nature and the analogies of leaves floating and swirling, lacking direction, but hoping to land safely. While it is not a five-star read, the lilting quality is very lovely.
Recommended. Three and 1/2 stars.
This is a haunting story of Cassie who is dead, but her spirit lingers. Killed by the brother, and at the direction of a jealous, angry classmate, Cassie's body is stuck in the middle of a crevice along town line.
Town line is analogous to the south side of any small town. The side where all those of small minds talk about, and few like to visit.
Written in a poetic free verse, it works to convey the spirit of Cassie who discovers another spirit, that of a long dead black woman grieving the wrong done to her at the hands of a minister man.
As caring citizens search for her body, observantly Cassie watches and waits.
I liked this book. I liked the poetic nature and the analogies of leaves floating and swirling, lacking direction, but hoping to land safely. While it is not a five-star read, the lilting quality is very lovely.
Recommended. Three and 1/2 stars.
November 9, 2016
I'm not really that into poetry but I enjoyed the overall concept of Dead on Town Line.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
I had to lower the rating on this book, not because it wasn't a good story (it's a very beautiful, poignant one) or because of the style of the writing (the book is written in free verse). I did it because, after buying a hardcover book, it took me fifteen minutes to read it.
Cassie Devlin lived a pretty good life--a loving mother, friends at school, a wonderful boyfriend named Kyle, outstanding ability to write music and play the piano, and a group of like-wise minded musical players at school called Composer's Workshop. Everything was wonderful, until Gail Sherman entered and world and, ultimately, ended her life.
DEAD ON TOWN LINE is a hauntingly beautiful story, tellling the story of Cassie's death and how she realizes that being dead doesn't mean you're finished with things here on Earth. She meets another young girl like herself there in the in-between, and together they work to right the wrongs that have been done to them.
I had to lower the rating on this book, not because it wasn't a good story (it's a very beautiful, poignant one) or because of the style of the writing (the book is written in free verse). I did it because, after buying a hardcover book, it took me fifteen minutes to read it.
Cassie Devlin lived a pretty good life--a loving mother, friends at school, a wonderful boyfriend named Kyle, outstanding ability to write music and play the piano, and a group of like-wise minded musical players at school called Composer's Workshop. Everything was wonderful, until Gail Sherman entered and world and, ultimately, ended her life.
DEAD ON TOWN LINE is a hauntingly beautiful story, tellling the story of Cassie's death and how she realizes that being dead doesn't mean you're finished with things here on Earth. She meets another young girl like herself there in the in-between, and together they work to right the wrongs that have been done to them.
April 30, 2010
A creepy and eerily similar plot to The Lovely Bones, Connor details the story of two young women, both murdered on the town line. They must, as ghosts, shake the branches and leaves so that the police will uncover their bodies or else they will float in limbo forever. Birdie has been there for decades, killed by the man who raped her when she was pregnant with their baby, and Cassie was just killed by her enemy's brother. Told in verse, this is exciting and leaving anyone wishing for more.
I said, Maybe a loser is only a loser because everyone else thinks so.
I said, Maybe a loser is only a loser because everyone else thinks so.
May 28, 2020
Lyrical ghost story about two murdered girls who await the finding of their bones, and while they wait, become friends. A dark story, but full of beautiful imagery about music, love, and what happens in the Next.
February 20, 2011
This is a great book... I can't believe I got it for 50 cents at Ollies. I thought it would be a quick read and it was but it is very good
July 4, 2020
This was very beautiful and well done. After she is killed by her classmate, Cassie finds a new friend in the afterlife. Together they work to bring justice and peace to their Poor Living Ones.
“You don’t have to be like me, Gail. Just be your best—Be you.”
“It doesn’t seem right that there is anything I still need to do. I’m dead! But I’m not done.”
“You don’t have to be like me, Gail. Just be your best—Be you.”
“It doesn’t seem right that there is anything I still need to do. I’m dead! But I’m not done.”
February 2, 2025
I devoured this book but was left wanting more and needing more. I love a story in verse, but I did find the story aspect a bit lacking. The verse part was lovely. The writing and illustrations were gorgeous.
October 10, 2017
Creepy! The poetry and allusions almost make some parts sadder and more intense. It's a very quick read but I can see kids really getting into it w/ the mystery and deceit tied in.
April 11, 2018
3.5 stars
A different kind of story told through verse-- a good, quick read.
A different kind of story told through verse-- a good, quick read.
October 8, 2019
It was an interesting book but it had confused me for some parts of the book.
Read
November 19, 2020I found this book stunningly lyrical, I didn't read it, it sang itself to me.
Haunting and beautiful in the same breath.
I recommend it for adults as well.
Haunting and beautiful in the same breath.
I recommend it for adults as well.
Read
February 25, 2022Quick simple read. It pulled me along, but a pretty basic murder mystery in verse that wasn't all that mysterious. But I enjoyed it and found the writing quite lovely.
February 28, 2017
For a story of a murder in poetry form it is utterly beautiful. I'm keeping my copy with my other collection of poems. It is a piece to savor though it's quite sad but full of a completed hope in the end. Wonderfully done.
October 17, 2010
"Dead On Town Line," by Leslie Connor is a book written in poetry form. It was an okay book. In my opinion, I do not suggest this book. This book is kind of confusing unless you get into it.
The theme of this book would have to be that if you have patience, good things will come in time. The main character, Cassie Devlin, is murdered. She tells her story has she is a part of a tree. She soon finds out that there is a girl named Birdie in the tree with her. She was also murdered. She tells her story and how no one searched for her. Cassie also tells all the events that led up to her murder.
The main dynamic character is Cassie. She is, after all, the one who got murdered. She will no longer be with her boyfriend Kyle. She will no longer be able to finish her piano music. She will not be able to talk to her mother anymore, or anyone in the living world. She won't be able to live her life anymore.
I don't think there is a static character in this story. Everyone seems to be effected by Cassie's death in one way or another. Everyone is doing their best to find Cassie and hope that she is still alive. When they find Cassie's body, Cassie still can't leave the tree, she can't move on.
"Music! Mine, and hers." This is an important quote from the book. I say this because it shows how Cassie has helped her mom be able to play again. Her unfinished music becomes alive in her mother's hand. It's strange how her mother can just feel it within her with the help of her daughter.
In this book, Cassie's death effects everyone around her, but helps some. She helped Birdie move on by helping the police find her body. Cassie also helped her mother. Her music still lives on in her mother's hands. Cassie moves on in the end.
The theme of this book would have to be that if you have patience, good things will come in time. The main character, Cassie Devlin, is murdered. She tells her story has she is a part of a tree. She soon finds out that there is a girl named Birdie in the tree with her. She was also murdered. She tells her story and how no one searched for her. Cassie also tells all the events that led up to her murder.
The main dynamic character is Cassie. She is, after all, the one who got murdered. She will no longer be with her boyfriend Kyle. She will no longer be able to finish her piano music. She will not be able to talk to her mother anymore, or anyone in the living world. She won't be able to live her life anymore.
I don't think there is a static character in this story. Everyone seems to be effected by Cassie's death in one way or another. Everyone is doing their best to find Cassie and hope that she is still alive. When they find Cassie's body, Cassie still can't leave the tree, she can't move on.
"Music! Mine, and hers." This is an important quote from the book. I say this because it shows how Cassie has helped her mom be able to play again. Her unfinished music becomes alive in her mother's hand. It's strange how her mother can just feel it within her with the help of her daughter.
In this book, Cassie's death effects everyone around her, but helps some. She helped Birdie move on by helping the police find her body. Cassie also helped her mother. Her music still lives on in her mother's hands. Cassie moves on in the end.
May 27, 2012
This is a quick read—131 pages written in verse with lots of white space on the page. The story itself is haunting, told from the point of view of Cassie, a ghost lingering around the site of her murder and awaiting the day she will find closure for her death (note: don’t read the back blurb if you want to figure out the murderer on your own). She encounters another ghost, Birdie, this one from the 1940s, whose missing body is buried nearby. Through the narrative, Cassie learns about a ghost’s powers and limitations while forging a friendship with Birdie, recollecting important moments and people in her life.
Though I usually enjoy prose much more than poetry, the verse is effective in this book. It’s concise, poetic, and poignant. From a writer’s point of view, it’s a good study in condensing the emotion of a story into an engaging plot.
There isn’t much I can say about the book without spoiling plot for you, so I’ll leave you with the portion of the poem that was quoted on the inside book flap:
From my perch
I’m watching the dogs miss it
Over and over again.
If I could guide them
I would.
The body changes
This is a cold October.
Rot happens slowly
But it does
Happen.
Its simplicity and eloquence paired with the actual topic make it a haunting read indeed, and one that is worth your time.
Though I usually enjoy prose much more than poetry, the verse is effective in this book. It’s concise, poetic, and poignant. From a writer’s point of view, it’s a good study in condensing the emotion of a story into an engaging plot.
There isn’t much I can say about the book without spoiling plot for you, so I’ll leave you with the portion of the poem that was quoted on the inside book flap:
From my perch
I’m watching the dogs miss it
Over and over again.
If I could guide them
I would.
The body changes
This is a cold October.
Rot happens slowly
But it does
Happen.
Its simplicity and eloquence paired with the actual topic make it a haunting read indeed, and one that is worth your time.
Read
June 1, 2013Dead on Town Line is a series of short poems telling about a girl who was killed but nobody knows what happened to her so she's stuck in between life and after-death where her spirit wanders on Earth. Where she meets another woman stuck in this in-between spirit world. They soon begin to share their stories and you see not every death is just by old-age or illness. This book was unique to me in that it was written in short poems so you could sort of infer with yourself what things mean to you and you sort of had to be ready to analyze things instead of having every detail being given to you like in regular 300 page novels-- which made me like it so much. Another reason I liked this book is because my favorite genre of novels is mystery which this book had much of. But it also had it's acceptance feature which I love to read about because it gives me hope that whatever I encounter I can always overcome it.
November 27, 2011
The book Dead on Town Line was one of the first of its kind that I have read. I am into exciting and thrilling books that keep you wanting to know what happens next, but this is not that kind of a book. I knew it was different the minute that I opened the book, because the format was... Wild. Each page was like a poem, and there were no quotation marks for speech. I just thought that made it unique. Anyway, I rate this book four stars because Leslie Connor does a great job in making you feel the emotions of each character in the book, but I only gave 4/5 because it's just so depressing. The book makes you want to go sit in a corner, because it's just sad what happens in the book. But over all, I'm glad I read it.
October 31, 2012
This book was an easy read with a very captivating storyline. This story was about a girl named Cassie that went missing,her family and friends don't know that her body is dead on town line, but in reality her soul was still around. She was murdered, by a girl that was jealous of her,the murders is Gail. Through this adventure she has a friend along with her, Birdie. Birdie was murdered in the 1400's with her unborn baby along with her. Eventually Cassie's body was found by her family,friends,and boyfriend Kyle.
January 25, 2013
Dead on Town Line was a very enjoyable book. Cassie Devlin is found dead after being murdered in her town. This book speaks her feelings and shows how the dead sees the world after dying. She followers her mother, boyfriend, killer, and even her nemesis. I really enjoyed this book. I liked that the book was in poetry format. It gave the book a omniscient tone. I also enjoyed that the book was from a dead teenage girl's perspective which was something I had never seen before. I most certainly recommend this book to poetry and non poetry readers.
December 13, 2013
I quite enjoyed this read a lot. I was pleased to read how involved the main character was with the story and with the finding of her body. It was also interesting to read about to completely different people who died many years apart could be so close simply because they were both ghosts. The writing was beautiful and it was horrible reading about who killed Cassie. I felt bad for Jory and was glad for Cassie's mom getting some sort of closure there at the end with score. I am glad to have come across this book.
June 19, 2007
the woodcuts...at least, i think they're woodcuts...are beautiful. oh, let's just call them illustrations, i guess. the story is sad, but lovely at times. i'm kinda surprised by how much the characters were developed given the length of the book and the format of the book. with poetry you've got to pack a lot more meaning into less space.
this is a book that i picked because i thought the cover was beautiful, so i now have one more data point disproving the maxim...
this is a book that i picked because i thought the cover was beautiful, so i now have one more data point disproving the maxim...
July 14, 2012
This was a neat read. It only took me a while but I felt like I was there. My only issue was the ending felt rushed. I wanted the bad people to suffer just a bit more. Sad of me I know...also, the finding of Birdie was rushed too...I needed more climax or build up...other than that...I love, love, loved it....it is written as a poem with a morbid story...very cool and modern...I would read it if I was you!!!
September 26, 2013
I've read two of Leslie Connor's middle grade novels--this is something else altogether. Sixteen year old Cassie finds herself, as you would guess, dead on town line. As she meets another lost soul, she deals with her life, her death, her reality. Told in beautiful, haunting free verse, Connor really explores some poignant questions about life and death, about owning oneself, about the nature of the soul. I read this book in about an hour and loved it. Moving and heart-wrenching and hopeful.
August 17, 2013
I'm a bit conflicted writing this review. The storyline is unique, and perhaps it'll stay with me. But I'm not sure that free verse was the best treatment for this story. Much seemed too much like prose to me. Other lines seemed forced. The imagery is this book's saving grace, especially that of the intertwining threads of the ghosts, piano strings, lines on a grid.
Either way, you won't lose your time since I read this in one sitting in about 10 minutes.
Either way, you won't lose your time since I read this in one sitting in about 10 minutes.
July 19, 2016
Dead on town line was reminded me of the lovely bones... it's basically a story about a girl named Cassie who was killed and buried on the town line where no one ever looks, in the end her body finally gets found and her mom and Kyle(boyfriend)finally have peace of mind. If you want to find out who and why they killed her I suggest you read the book and it's really short so there's nothing you can really lose from reading it.
September 4, 2015
Dead on Town Line was an unusual book, because of its writing style. When I bought this book, I didn't realize that it was written as one long poem. But I loved it! It was also interesting to hear a woman's ghost, tell the story of how she was murdered. While it is an unusual style, the language was very beautiful. I only recommend this book for people who do not space out when they are reading, because every word matters!
September 30, 2009
After being murdered by a classmate, young Cassie becomes stuck in a realm between the living and the dead, thus turning to others in the same predicament for guidance, Cassie learns that she will have to face her past and, despite her reservations, must finish all unresolved issues with the living in order to move forward on her journey into the afterlife.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews