3.5 out of 5 stars

I like the idea of Dead Wednesday; handing out information cards of teenagers who passed away due to preventable accidents to eighth graders in an attempt to keep them from making the same errors. We had a similar program in junior high where we went to the hospital and talked to paraplegics and quadriplegic who had been injured in drunk driving accidents. I think that Worm wouldn't have taken the day as seriously if Becca didn't show up.

Overall, an interesting book and I look forward to reading more of Jerry Spinelli's work in the future. ( )

Robbie aka "Worm" is a shy, quiet guy who likes to recede into the background of his middle school, preferring to keep to just a few friends and keeping somewhat tightlipped around them as well. When Dead Wednesday comes around, Worm like all other eighth graders must participate in his small town's unusual practice: the students are each given the name of a Pennsylvania teen who died in a preventable way (e.g., car accident) and must go through the day being ignored as though they themselves were the deceased ones. But Worm didn't bargain on 17-year-old Becca, the name he was given, coming to haunt him throughout the day!

This was an interesting book with a rather clever albeit unusual premise. While a lot of Worm's issues are familiar school story ones (e.g., not feeling like he fits in, worried about seeming cool, interested in girls who don't pay attention to him, etc.), being able to talk about them to a ghost of sorts is a different hook. Rather than having a parent or a teacher give the 'rah-rah, you can do better' speech, Worm sees how life needs to be lived fully through Becca's lively and bubbly spirit lamenting her short time on Earth.

That all being said, I felt like the end kind of fizzled out a bit. Worm and Becca in particular were such interesting characters and their dynamic was perfect. But I thought/hoped Worm would get more out of the encounter than asking a girl out. There's some glimmers that he's coming out of his shell more in general and more open to being himself, but it's not quite there. On the whole, I enjoyed the book and found the brief chapters to be page turners. But I wanted a more satisfying conclusion to it all. ( )

This came with such promise but in the end I could not get into it and I don't know any kids who would either. Dead Wednesday is an annual event when the 8th graders are assigned the name of a teen who died in the past year. It's meant for the kids to appreciate their mortality and be more careful in how they conduct themselves, but they see it mainly as a free day for fun and minor mayhem. But the ghost of Becca Finch, Worm's assigned dead teenager, appears to him and they spend the day together. A dead girl shows him how to live boldly. Okay. ( )