The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

by Katie Alender

Overview

IN THIS ASYLUM, YOUR MIND PLAYS TRICK ON YOU ALL THE TIME ...

Delia's new house isn't just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females -- an insane asylum nicknamed "Hysteria Hall." However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.But the house still wants to keep "troubled" girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia becomes trapped. And that's when she learns that the house is also haunted.Ghost girls wander the hallways in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia learns that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, too, harbors shocking truths within its walls -- truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free. And she'll need to act quickly -- before the house's power overtakes everything she loves.Katie Alender brings heart-pounding suspense, gorgeous writing, and a feminist twist to this tale of memories and madness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545640008
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	533,142
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Katie Alender is the acclaimed author of several novels for young adults, including the Bad Girls Don't Die series, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer, Famous Last Words, The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, and The Companion, which won the Edgar Award for Young Adult Fiction. Katie lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Read an Excerpt

From THE DEAD GIRLS OF HSYTERIA HALLI got up off the bed, knocking over the little wood stool. It rolled away. As I grabbed it and set it upright, I got a glimpse of the underside of the seat. There was a pair of sentences scratched into it. Or, more accurately, one and a half sentences. ONCE I WAS HUMAN BUT THEY HAVE TAKEN MY HUMANITY. ONCE I WAS ALIVE BUT THEY It ended there. That was all it said. My heart pounding, I gently set the stool upright. But as soon as my fingers had let go of the smooth, round edge, it knocked itself over...and started rolling toward me again. At first, I watched in silence, not really able to believe what my eyes were seeing. Then it bumped up against my foot. I scrambled backward, running into the bed. Something came loose behind me. When I turned, I saw what I had dislodged -- a leather strap, complete with buckles, bolted to the bed frame. When I lifted the bedspread, I found two more -- one for ankles, and a big one that would fit perfectly across a torso. Don't freak out, I told myself. Just go. Get your things and go. I grabbed my bookbag, double-checked to make sure I had my phone and charger, and started into the hall. The bathroom door gaped open, and I caught a flash of lightning through the window. I paused, wishing I'd thought to bring a raincoat, when a high-pitched scream filled the air. It was the kind of sound that stops your heart and overloads your brain, leaving you blank except for the sudden, all-consuming awareness of a person in horrible distress. Janie! My parents' footsteps thundered down the hall, but I reached Janie first. I gasped at the sight that greeted me -- She was strapped to the bed.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall:* “Alender creates a fascinating, eerie world… A really scary and original ghost story.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review“A chilling tale of forgotten tragedies and family secrets. Strong female characters anchor the story.” – School Library JournalPraise for Famous Last Words"Katie Alender spins a killer ghost story that will haunt your heart." -- Margaret Stohl, #1 NYT bestselling co-author of Beautiful Creatures"A compelling supernatural thriller." -- Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer"All the flavor of a macaron, bound by a ganache of sweet, supernatural grit." -- Kirkus Reviews "A story that mixes slice-of-life teen drama with supernatural menace, infused with the sights, sounds, and tastes of a Paris that comes to life in the process." -- Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—When her Great Aunt Cordelia Pevin dies, "little namesake" Delia inherits her home, which was once the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females. The family heads there once school is out to get the place ready to sell, but Hysteria Hall (as it was nicknamed) has other ideas. And, Delia can't help but think that her parents might actually want her there because of her failed attempt to run off during Spring Break. Very quickly, the teen senses something is dreadfully wrong with the house, but can she escape in time to save her family? The protagonist's path is fraught with challenges and her eventual understanding and acceptance is hard-won. Alender has created a chilling tale of forgotten tragedies and family secrets. Strong female characters anchor the story and its suspenseful tone is carried throughout. The author adeptly imbues the atmosphere with hints that something sinister is lurking just beneath the surface. VERDICT A great choice for fans of horror or suspense novels.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

School Library Journal

★ 2015-05-12
A rebellious 16-year-old becomes trapped in a definitely haunted old insane asylum, possibly forever. This superior ghost story keeps the creep factor high, presenting readers with what appears to be a just-normal-ghost-folks mystery storyline before turning into a suspensefest. When Delia inherits a house—a notorious former insane asylum—from a namesake aunt, her whole family goes to stay there. It doesn't take long for Delia to realize the place is seriously haunted, but although the house will release her family, it kills her rather than let her go. Stuck there, she meets a variety of ghosts, most of whom seem quite pleasant but none of whom can leave the premises. Delia seems to be making progress in uncovering the secret evil of the house, but her investigations threaten both her and her family. Plus, the initially friendly ghosts might not all be as they first seem. Alender creates a fascinating, eerie world that turns on a nicely original use of time and features constantly interesting characters. Delia is likable and sympathetic even as she strikes out, and the house itself becomes a character, as readers wonder who or what is at the root of the evil that lurks there. The final confrontation will have readers curling their toes. A really scary and original ghost story, well told. Read it with the lights on. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews