GRAVE MESSAGE

What would you do if you received messages from beyond the grave?

High schooler Jaylin Laws is nervous about an upcoming English test. Diagnosed with dyslexia, she is a bright and accomplished student who has support and accommodations, but Jaylin is still anxious. She’s been spending all her free time studying, which leads to her boyfriend Jamal’s feeling neglected; Jaylin has kept her dyslexia secret from him, and he doesn’t understand why she has to work so hard. After they have a fight at a party, she heads home to read Dracula for her English class, and she receives an Instagram message supposedly from her best friend, Fatima Lopez—but it’s the one-year anniversary of Fatima’s death. Someone must be messing with her, but with each additional message, the sender shares things only Fatima could know. The mysterious messenger sends Jaylin on a mission to uncover the truth behind Fatima’s death. Dredging up difficult memories, questioning those who may know something, and exposing a lie, Jaylin heads down a dangerous path. Payne effectively uses simple vocabulary and short chapters to tell a story that is full of suspense and intrigue and made even more accessible through the book’s physical design. Names signal some diversity in the cast; Jaylin’s mother uses a wheelchair.

An engaging, suspenseful tale for reluctant readers.