Three Quarters Dead

Richard Peck

What would you do to be popular?  Fifteen-year-old Kerry Williamson feels invisible at Pondfield High School.  Her best friend has gone to boarding school, and she has resorted to eating lunch alone at the end of the 'popular table' while she pretends to talk on her phone.  Suddenly, the three most popular girls on campus invite her to eat lunch with them.  Kerry senses that something isn't quite right, but she ignores her intuition in order to have friends and feel accepted.  Would you be willing to lose your identity and maybe even your life to part of the ‘in crowd’? 

I think Three Quarters Dead would appeal to middle school girls who like supernatural themed books (Did you know that Barnes and Noble actually has a “Teen Paranomal Romance” section?).  Throughout the novel, Kerry notices unusual occurrences, like time standing still so the girls can enjoy an extra long lunch, but she is so happy to be accepted by the ‘populars’ that she ignores all warning signs.  Kerry’s new ‘friends’ even convince her to carry out a cruel Halloween prank only to abandon her when things go wrong, but Kerry remains loyal to them.  Again, readers must ask themselves how far would they go to be popular.  

Although not my favorite Peck book, Three Quarters Dead does examine the all-too-real pressure of feeling accepted by your peers during high school.  Hopefully, Peck’s novel will inspire young girls to be true to themselves.  

Perhaps most importantly, Three Quarters Dead is a public service announcement for texting/talking while driving.  All three ‘mean girls’ die when Tanya slams into a tree while trying to phone Kerry while heading to the mall.  I guess texting and driving isn’t safe even if you’re supernatural.