Dancing in the Dark by P.R. Prendergast

I really devoured this book. it's all about pain and suffering and being forced to constantly keep things in you. This is about Jessie: her brother died six months ago from a head trauma when playing his beloved rugby. After the accident her parents were reduced to nothing. "Mum changed too. She breathed in and out, she spoke and asked "How was your day?" but that was it - they were the shell parents, shellmum and shelldad."
     Jessie, however, can still see James in ghost form and talks to him - though everyone thinks she is crazy.
     In her school it is all about social groups- there's the Emos, the Nerds, the Goths and her group - christened by herself and instantly regretted - the Normals. Soon she is excluded from the group. She keeps all this pain inside her and when it overwhelms her she dances to let it all out. It ends when they compete in the national school dance championship (no spoilers!!) and finally: James has to leave her and go into the world of the dead. Oh and also there's this dorky new kid called Alan and he's so sweet to her because he's really wimpy but when all her CDS and her CD player got trashed by a bully he bought her new ones and got eight hours detention for missing school. Very different to I Capture The Castle but still very good!
          Anna Rainbird-Chill 7H