Dead Girls Don't Write Letters

"Dead Girls don't Write Letters" By Gail Giles

In this book, "Dead Girls Dont Write Letters", Gail Giles quickly caqtures your attention by introducing you to a very vulnerable character. Sunny Reynalds grabs your heart as a very young girl that has somewhat just been pushed aside by her parents and everyone in her community. Living in the shadow of her older, dead sister.

Sunny's older sister,Jazz,had it all, the good looks, great personality, and intelligence that Sunny would kill for. Her parents thought the world of her along with the rest of thier town and family. This was just not enough for Jazz. Shortly later she ran away to New York, and shortly later was killed in an apartment fire. Secretly relieved, but not Sunny is stuck forever in the shadow of her dead sister right? Not even close, Sunny gets a letter from her sister revealing that she is not dead and is coming home for a visit. Sunny and her parents are completely shocked to say the least.

This book was not as good as I was hoping it would be. I think it had a very good plot and storyline, it was just not written very well. As I was reading it I found myself wanting more details about the characters and the evens that were occuring. Over all I felt that the book could have been much better if it was written differently.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great read.

When I heard about the book Dead Girls Don't Write Letters, the title captured me. Once I got it, I could not stop reading it. It has suspense, mystery, and a twist. I loved it!

I LIKED IT

I liked this book, it was fast paced, and short for those that don't like long books. It was a little scary though,I could never imagine losing someone in my family and then have someone coming to me claiming to be them. I would have loved to read more into Sunny's story, about what happens after she gets the letter at the end,for a minute towards the end I was beginning to think Sunny did it all herself. Sunny gets a letter in the mail one day addressed to her and her family supposedly from her dead sister Jazz. The letter had said there was a mistake and Jazz had never died in the apartment fire. Soon her mom and dad are getting ready for Jazz to return home, but when she does it isn't Jazz. Sunny and her dad can automatically tell it's not Jazz,but Sunny's mom is beside herself with happiness. Sunny starts getting clues real quick on this imposter Jazz and learns the truth about the girl pretending to be her.

Reviewed by Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" for TeensReadToo.com

What do you do when your older sister, believed to have been killed in an apartment fire months before, suddenly sends you a letter claiming to be alive and well? If you're Sunny Reynold's, a girl who has always lived in the shadow of her older, much-beloved sister, you wait and day before you tell your parents that their most loved daughter is coming home.

Jazz Reynolds was the "it" girl--popular, outgoing, loved and praised and admired by everyone. When she up and left after high-school graduation to take on New York, leaving only a letter explaining her actions behind, her parents were devastated. But when they got word that dear Jazz had died in an apartment fire, devasted gave way to destroyed. Sunny's mother is incapable of taking care of herself, her father has turned into a raging drunk, and there's no one to take care of Sunny but herself.

But even though the prodigal daughter has returned, there's something wrong. Even though the girl claiming to be Jazz looks a lot like her, Sunny is convinced that this girl isn't Jazz. She's too nice, too sweet, too un-Jazz to be Jazz. Her father seems to agree, and together they set out to figure out what's going on.

I admit this book has a pretty interesting mystery, but it wasn't my favorite book by Gail Giles. Overall though, it's a pretty quick, entertaining read.

Spine-Chilling Story!

"Dead Girls Don't Write Letters" was really a suspenseful read. I enjoyed the twists in the writing. What I did not enjoy however, was how the story began and had no intro to the characters. It was confusing to have to get to know the main characters as the story went along. Even when I was finished the story I still did not feel like I knew a lot about Sunny or how Jazz treated her. Other than that, the book was great! I would recommend this to teens that are looking for a story that will really keep their attention and give them a scare! I would have to applaud Giles for the ending of the story! It was completely unexpected, and leaves the reader with ideas of what will happen! I give this story 4 out of 5 stars!

Dead girls dont write letters

This book wasnt the best choice to read. The author didnt give enough details to make it intriguging. The chapters in the beginning of the book were boring, but then the last maybe 2 chaters i read, it got a little better. This book wasnt the the worst book ive read, i just wouldnt reccomend it.

A review from Nicole

I think Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters, by Gail Giles was one of the best books I¿ve ever read. It constantly kept me on my toes and wanting to read more. My mom had read this book and told me how much she liked it. It sounded so good that I just had to read it. I love reading scary or suspenseful books and this one was defiantly the best. I would recommend it to anyone! The summary of the book is that a girl named Sunny Reynolds whose older sister, Jazz, was a star student, a girl everyone loved and something Sunny was not .One day Jazz¿s apartment building burned to the ground indicating, Jazz was dead. Sunny gets a letter from Jazz saying that she wasn¿t in the fire when her apartment burned and would be coming home. When Jazz returns home, Sunny and her Dad notice something is different about Jazz and that it may not be the real Jazz. The book kept me on my feet and wanting to read more. The plot had many twists and turns. An example would be in the beginning of the book when you believe that Jazz is really alive but the end you think different. The first turning point in the book is when Sunny reads the letter from her sister, ¿I froze, staring at the pale yellow rectangle. There¿s no way, she¿s dead. Dead girls don¿t write letters.¿ The ending becomes clear when I read the quote from Sunny¿s grandmother saying ¿But this journal. No, that¿s not Jazz, Theses are words you needed. You needed a way to give Jazz back to her parents so you could leave.¿ I liked Gail Giles writing style because she keeps you on the edge of your chair. I liked how she wrote the book in first person because it made it easier for me to understand. Although, she is a good writer this book had a confusing ending. I would recommend this book if you like fast pace reading with a psychological twist.

Thrilling

Gail Giles, Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters takes you on a thrilling journey through a family¿s tragedy. The death of a daughter and sister throws a family into turmoil. It brings out the good, bad and ugly of everyone. The intriguing tale of this family¿s ability to overcome alcoholism, depression and other effects of the loss of a loved one. For such a gloomy subject this book captures your attention from chapter to chapter and keeps you wanting more. A New York City fire takes the life of a daughter and sister. The story follows the family through the aftermath of this loss. It deeply describes how each individual in the family is affected by the death of a loved one. The story was told from Sunny¿s point of view which gave the story realism and an inside look at the family and their relationships. The death of Jazz, Sunny¿s sister, unraveled the family in many different ways. Sunny was torn from grief and content about her sister¿s death. 'She would always get compared to Jazz and she didn¿t like it' . Sunny¿s mom had a deep case of depression and couldn¿t do anything by herself. Her dad dealt with it by drinking and was never home to help Sunny. The story takes a turn when they receive a letter from Jazz saying she is coming home to visit. The family is so excited for her to come home that the neglect to take a deeper look and question what they know in their heart. Things weren¿t normal with their family, the parents were divorced and everyone thinks Sunny can¿t live up to Jazz. But to make it better, Jazz runs away to New York without telling anyone. After she runs away there is a fire at her apartment and Jazz is claimed dead by the police. Her mom goes into a depression and her dads¿ drinking becomes worse than ever, they wonder why and how. Later, they get a letter from Jazz saying she wasn¿t there and knew nothing about the fire. Sunny¿s lost and thinks how, she¿s supposed to be dead, but her mom is too excited to think about it and can¿t wait to see her. Gail Giles¿ style of writing keeps the reader interested and full of suspense. You don¿t know which direction it would turn. She gave great descriptions and insight of each of the characters. This book is a must read. It is great for all audiences it¿s deep and is mostly for teen reading.

A Great Book To Read

Dead Girls Don¡¯t Write Letters by Gail Giles is a great suspenseful and mysterious book with an amazing plot. This book is about a girl named Sunny Reynolds and about what happens when her dead sister comes back home. Sunny gets a letter one day from her dead sister and in the letter it explains that she is coming back home to see her family. Sunny is not happy about that because she never got along with Jazz, her sister. Jazz would do something to get in trouble, blame it on Sunny, and their parents would choose to believe Jazz over Sunny. When Jazz comes home, Sunny does everything to find out why her sister is so nice to her. Sunny¡¯s dad joins her in finding out the truth about the Jazz that shows up. I enjoyed reading this book because the plot kept me guessing. Even when I thought I figured something out, something else happens that keeps me guessing. When Jazz arrived at the front door I didn¡¯t expect that she would hug Sunny and be excited to see her since Sunny said that Jazz secretly hated her. The plot was really believable and I felt like I was there. The characters were well thought up and the message of the story was kind of hidden. The ending was a little confusing though. I give this book a 4 out of 5 because it kept me guessing and interested but the ending was confusing.

Katiee's opinion ..

In my case, I wasn¿t so excited about reading during my summer vacation. Though, when it came to reading Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters by Gail Giles, I read it in two days. I usually don¿t like reading but this book kept my interest. This story contains a mystery and at the same time some very different and exciting conflicts. You want a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat? This is definitely the book for you! You won¿t be able to put the book down. The story was narrated by Sunny, Jazz¿s younger and less important sister. Sunny had been checking the mail one day when she received a letter from her deceased sister. How could this be? The letter had said that Jazz was alive and well, and that she was to be coming home. So the girl shows up at their house and immediately, Sunny realizes the girl is a fake, that isn¿t her sister. Throughout the story, Sunny and her alcoholic father try their best to figure out who the girl is and why she was there. Her mother had been going through a stage of depression while Jazz was gone. In the end, it¿s up to Sunny and her father to figure out who the fake was and why she caused so much pain towards her family? Along the way they receive help from anyone who possibly cared. This book surely is one of my top favorites. The author writes in a form that makes everything seem so realistic. As if you were actually with Sunny at the time that everything was happening. One part in particular, was when Sunny had received the letter from her sister in the mail. She had described the letter in such great detail, yellow stationary, a particular writing and the smell as well. You can actually imagine the letter in your hand. This story at times gave me the chills because I got so into the book. I adore the author¿s writing style, it was creative and lifelike. After reading the book I got a simple lesson or message from the story. Don¿t believe anything until it can be proven. Think about it, if you assume, 99% of the time, your incorrect. If it¿s proven, it¿s now a fact, you have the proof. Another part in the story that really caught my attention was when Sunny was comparing the differences between the fake and her actual sister. They both looked the same, though there were slight differences. The fake had been nice to Sunny, and Sunny knew right then and there that was not her sister. Jazz always had an attitude with Sunny and Sunny didn¿t like that. Now the fake, supposedly to be her sister, was being nice? She knew it wasn¿t the real Jazz. In my point of view, I give this book two thumbs up, there would be way more, but I only have two hands. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to be surprised and at the same time excited. I also believe that this book is a ¿Must read¿. I never knew a summer book could turn into one of my favorite books. Add it to your favorites too!

A Review from a Freshmen Point of View

A Thrilling Teenage Classic In writing Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters, Gail Giles introduces by far, the most thrilling teenage book ever written. This book has teenagers really thinking about how their life is, and how much they should cherish it. When writing Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters, Gail Giles produces a very imaginary book. I love Gail Giles¿ writing techniques. Giles really knows how to captivate an audience, and have them begging for more. I love this book, and the plot is very good. Sunny is an amazing girl, and she knows how to handle all sorts of situations, and that¿s what most readers like myself would enjoy about Sunny. It is a must read book of the year! In this particular book, Giles has more questions than answers. Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters often leaves readers pondering about the ending. In the beginning of the book, Sunny Reynolds¿ sister dies in an apartment fire. Later, Sunny and her family get a letter from her dead sister, Jazz. Soon after the letter was sent, ¿Jazz¿ showed up at Sunny¿s house. Sunny and her father knew this girl wasn¿t the Jazz they both knew and loved. Towards the middle of the book, Sunny and her father find out that this is not Jazz. In one captivating scene over the phone, Sunny and her dad had a phone conversation discussing their plot to discover who this stranger really was. This girl was friends with Jazz, and she knew everything about Jazz¿s family. Sunny tells her father, and they further investigate the situation. Meanwhile, ¿Jazz¿ is starting to catch on. In one scene, ¿Jazz¿ confronts Sunny about it in Sunny¿s computer room, and Sunny just goes along with everything until they get more information, but she always remains calm. Near the end of the book, Sunny and her father tell Sunny¿s mother everything they found out. Sunny¿s mother is very devastated, but she knows what she needs to do to keep her family safe. Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters is a very good book for teenagers in 9th grade and up because a reader might be able to relate to Sunny and her problems. This book is really made for teens that love to read mysteries. It keeps readers on their feet, and it will be a memorable reading experience. It is a must read! Definitely a two thumbs up!

Review From a Freshman

The book Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters by Gail Giles was a good but confusing book. I did like it, but it lost me a few times. It gave a lot of information about what was happening, but it didn¿t help me, it confused me. Other than that it was a depressing but mysterious book. It was depressing because her sister died, her mom went into deep depression, and her dad became an alcoholic. It was also mysterious because they think her sister is dead but then they get a letter that she¿s alive and she¿s coming home. When she gets there, they know it¿s not Jazz, but really can¿t do anything. Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters is about Sunny whose sister dies in a fire which causes her mom to go into depression and her dad to become an alcoholic. She is busy taking care of everyone when a letter from Jazz comes, saying that she is alive and is coming to visit. When she gets there, everyone knows that it is not her but they play along to see what she does. They try to figure out who she is and what she wants but in the process Sunny gets closer to not-Jazz then she ever got to her actual sister. The author¿s writing style brought you into the book because her style was very believable and lifelike, even though you would never think something like this would happen. She wrote in the style of how a teenager would really and how a little sister would really feel. I think the message was that you always have something to offer your family, even if you don¿t think you do. The book was like a mystery because you didn¿t know what not-Jazz was going to do or what she wanted from them, or even who she was. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes a well written mystery.

Samantha E. Book Review

Samantha E 9/7/08 English Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters by Gail Giles This was a very interesting book. I liked it. It explains the life of a child living in a dysfunctional family. I never realized how terrible life is for a kid in that situation. It held my interest and had an interesting plot and series of events. In the story, a girl named Sunny had just received a letter from her sister, Jazz, but the strange thing about this is that Jazz had just died in a fire after running away from home. After Jazz died, her parents both lost touch with reality when her mom became very depressed and her father became an alcoholic. Sunny also hates Jazz because their parents had favored Jazz and never payed much attention to her. In the letter, Jazz says that she¿s alive and that she¿s coming home, but when she does arrive home, Sunny notices she looks differently than she remembered her sister. It turns out that this person may not actually be her sister, but an imposter, and after she realizes that, she starts investigating this strange person and she finds out who and why this girl is there. I think the book is very depressing because it shows how life actually is for some children in the United States. It¿s sad to think that kids actually go through this loneliness and pain. ¿ I talked out loud a lot. Otherwise, there was nobody sane to talk to'Giles 5'.¿ Sunny was really alone I life, and the only people that were there with her didn¿t care about her. ¿While I have problems feeling like part of the family, I do feel a kinship with our house'Giles 6'.¿ Her parents ignored her so much that she even feels more loved by her own house. ¿People treated me as if I were contagious, carrying the catastrophe virus, but then again, they were shot full of smug that they had dodged a bullet and I was the bull¿s-eye'Giles 8'.¿ She also didn¿t have many friends in school and she was treated in a way that she didn¿t want to be treated because of her sister¿s death. People were almost afraid of her because they knew that the rest of her family had gone crazy, so they were just waiting for Sunny to finally lose it. The plot of the book was very interesting and unexpecting. Especially when they found out that Jazz was actually dead and this was just an imposter. Gail Giles also used a unique writing style. She made the first sentence in the entire book really stand out and give you an idea of what the story will be about. The characters in the book are very gloomy people. The parents are depressed and alcoholics and Sunny is just lonely and unloved. The message of the story, that dysfunctional families can end up hurting kids, is a good message for everyone to learn so you can try to make sure your family doesn¿t end up like that. This is a must-read book. It is very interesting and unexpecting. This would be a good book for teenagers up through older adults. This book receives four out of five smiley faces.

Exciting page turner of a book!

Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters is an exciting novel about the challenges of losing a loved one and the happenings of a dysfunctional family. This highly suspenseful book is a page turner that always keeps you guessing. This novel really makes you think about what people with mental issues go through every day of their lives. Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters has so much more to offer then just excitement. It also contains mystery and appeals to teens and adults. The story takes place in a farm house in Texas where a girl named Sunny and her family live. After Sunny¿s sister Jazz dies in an apartment building fire, Sunny¿s parents go into a deep depression. Sunny is not too phased by the whole situation and is actually happy to be rid of her ¿perfect¿ sister. One day Sunny is back from school and decides to get the mail when she finds a letter from her dead sister. After opening the letter she reads that Jazz is alive and is coming home. But how can Jazz possibly be alive? Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters is clever and cunning, appealing to both young adults and anyone who loves a good mystery. This book is definitely one to put on your summer reading list. It¿s an absolute must-read with a bone chilling and perplexing ending. i give this book 4 stars

Dead or Alive?

When I read, Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters, by Gail Giles, I loved the story. It was exciting and upbeat. By reading the title you¿d probably assume someone dies in the story. Jazz Reynolds has been claimed to be dead. Sunny Reynolds, her younger sister, is living in a world where everyone knows her as ¿Jazz¿s sister.¿ The family has already been through a divorce, now dealing with depression, and also alcoholism. Sunny is left to deal with all of this and needs to take care of her mother including herself. No one has given or is giving Sunny any credit. Sunny has been taking care of her mother for awhile, and one day, out of nowhere, she finds a letter in the mail from her sister Jazz. This shocked Sunny because her sister was dead. How could Jazz write a letter and be dead at the same time? Sunny is asking herself, ¿Is this really my sister or is it a joke?¿ This book is filled with questions, emotion, and mysteries, which made me love reading it. The plot and characters were very modern, and the author¿s style was like it¿s written for a teenager to enjoy. The message of the story was meaningful it taught us that we should care for one another, and no matter what kind of family you have, they will always care for you. What I disliked about the novel was that the ending was very unclear. Besides that, this book is overall a good choice and it leaves readers wondering what happened.

Review on Dead Girls Don't Write Letters

This past summer for my English class I had to chose a book off a list to read. I chose Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters by Gail Giles, at first I was not to excited about having to read it but, then I started the book and was totally hooked. It was a real page turner. Gail Giles did a great job with the writing style it kept you on the edge of you seat but, still made you think. The whole story was great. When the main character Sunny Reynolds¿s sister Jazz was killed in a fire everyone seemed upset except Sunny. Jazz was the perfect child and Sunny well just floated in her shadow. Then one day a letter arrives in the mail from Jazz. Sunny quotes, ¿Things had been getting a little better until I got a letter from my dead sister. That more or less ruined my day.¿ Sunny just tucks it away any way dead girls don¿t write letters, or do they? The letter stated that Jazz was not dead and was coming home but, when she arrived Sunny knew the girl was not jazz. I found the book to be great and a pretty easy read. The story was so gripping the book was hard to put down. I just wanted to keep reading and try to unravel the mystery of the book. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of understanding the story. At first, I had a hard time understanding how the not- Jazz girl knew everything but, then understood that and moved on. Until I got to the ending, then I was lost did Sunny make the whole thing up as her way of dealing with the grief of her sister¿ death or did it really happen. I kind of believe she made it up because, at the end when her grandmother looked at the letter she said, ¿ You wrote this¿ and then again her new roommate looks at the letter and said, ¿ That¿s your hand writing. Sending letters to yourself.¿ The author did a great job of getting the message of how grief can cause more dysfunction in families across to the readers. Over all I found it to be a great book . I think it would best appeal to teenage girls. I defiantly give this book five stars.

Thrilling mystery - Dead Girls Don't Write Letters

Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters is a creative, edge-of-your-seat book. Things all of a sudden get strange when Sunny Reynolds gets a letter from her sister, Jazz, who the family thought died in a fire months earlier. The letter states that Jazz was actually in New York when her apartment burned down. After Jazz returns back into the Reynolds family, Sunny begins to wonder if this is the real Jazz. She knows all of the family history, but still seems out of place. After Sunny tells her Dad her opinion about Jazz, he begins to believe that it¿s not the real Jazz either. Both Sunny and her father find more information to support their theory and question Jazz about her real identity. Gail Giles in Dead Girls Don¿t Write Letters will keep you guessing the ending of the book, and when you think you¿ve guessed it, the unexpected happens. Gail Giles mostly writes the events in dialogue, helping children understand the book like they would in a conversation. She also helps children understand the results of alcoholism and dysfunctional families. I would make this book a must-read for all teenagers. I would give this book ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☺ .

WOW!!!

This was one of the best books i have ever read!!! The ending really left me thinking and wanting more!!! I wish she could write a second book so i can know what happened to all the characters!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

This is SO cool and surprising!

Dead Girls Don't Write Letters is cool and awesome. It shows how great Sunny, an all-time-ignored girl, can be.

A great book

This book shows what Sunny is capable of, I personally enjoyed it and it's a thriller that gives you chills, I reallyy recommend you read this if you want something interesting but scary and awesome at the same time!