By Gail Giles
Fourteen-year-old Sunny always lived in the shadow of her eighteen-year old sister, Jazz. She was a popular cheerleader who everyone wanted to be around, and everyone wanted to be like. Sunny was known as "the sister of Jazz".
When Jazz unexpectedly left after graduation to live in New York City, Sunny was overwhelmed with happiness! Then one last time Jazz steals the spot light from her sister; she is presumed dead after a massive fire burned an entire apartment building to the ground. Family life for Sunny crumbles because of the loss of her parents' favorite daughter. Sunny is left alone to take care of her parents who turn to alcohol and pills to soothe their pain. Although Sunny had some guilt for not being entirely sad about her sister’s death, things felt better without Jazz around.
Six months later, a familiar handwriting appears on a letter in the mail; it appeared that Jazz was out of town working for a theater when the fire occurred, and was returning the next day by bus.
When Jazz dramatically makes her entrance, Sunny knows it’s an IMPOSTER! This girl, Not Jazz as Sunny says, resembles Jazz and knows details, but it isn’t her! But if this girl isn’t Jazz, then who is she? What does she want? Dad figures it out just as fast, but doesn’t want to break the news to Mom; he thinks it might just send her over the edge for good.
Discover the shocking truth behind who the "Not Jazz" really is through the investigations of Sunny and her Dad.
Other Books By This Author:
-Playing in Traffic
-Shattering Glass
-What Happened to Cass McBride
-What are You Afraid of
3 comments:
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
This novel is not of the same quality as Giles's Shattering Glass (Roaring Brook, 2002), and the ending is truly a bolt from the blue. Readers' reactions may range from shock to frustration to confusion to anger that they've invested time in this book. The plot is intriguing, but the ending is just too unclear.
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Mystery Master Response:
I cannot comment on the first portion of this review because I haven’t read Giles’s Shattering Glass, so I am not able to compare it with Giles’s Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters. However, I can identify with the expression ‘the ending was a jolt from the blue’ because I was shocked by the entire ending! I finished wanted to know more, battling with my own thoughts and frustrations about how it ended! I want to write the author and ask her to explain the meaning of what happened. After my frustrations ended, I realized that Giles’s was brilliant in her writing skills and mystery techniques. The ending was definitely a mystery!
Editorial Review #2
From Booklist
This book is a page-turner with sharp dialogue and psychologically intriguing viewpoints. Readers are continually kept off balance as Jazz and her motives change like shapes in a fun-house mirror. But when Sunny asks her final question, "What have I done?" readers might wish for a clearer answer. - Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association
This article is bang on when it states that the book is a ‘page turner’ because I couldn’t put the book down. I was intrigued to keep reading as the mystery of who ‘Not Jazz’ really was thickened. I wanted to know what she wanted, how she knew so much about Sunny’s family, and what she was going to do next. I also agree that the viewpoints in the book were interesting to read about: Sunny who knows it’s not her sister, Mom won’t let go of her ‘daughter’, and Dad who knows it’s not Jazz but wants to hold onto to her as long as possible. The viewpoints in the house were exciting to compare.
Well said.
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