Ballad for a mad girl
Record details
- ISBN: 1925355292
- ISBN: 9781925355291
-
Physical Description:
309 pages ; 20 cm
print - Publisher: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia : The Text Publishing Company, 2018.
- Copyright: ©2017
Content descriptions
Summary, etc.: | Everyone knows seventeen-year-old Grace Foley is a bit mad. She's a prankster and a risk-taker, and she's not afraid of anything except losing. As part of the long-running feud between two local schools in Swanston, Grace accepts a challenge to walk the pipe. That night she experiences something she can't explain. The funny girl isn't laughing anymore. She's haunted by voices and visions - but nobody believes a girl who cries wolf. As she's drawn deeper into a twenty-year-old mystery surrounding missing girl Hannah Holt, the thin veil between this world and the next begins to slip. She can no longer tell what's real or imagined - all she knows is the ghosts of Swanston, including that of her own mother, are restless. It seems one of them has granted her an extraordinary gift at a terrible price. Everything about her is changing - her body, her thoughts, even her actions seem to belong to a stranger. Grace is losing herself, and her friends don't understand. Is she moving closer to the truth? Or is she heading for madness? |
Target Audience Note: | For young adults. |
Awards Note: | Inky Award longlist, 2018. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Teenage girls Juvenile fiction Life change events Juvenile fiction Families Juvenile fiction Teenage girls Fiction Life change events Fiction Families Fiction Ghosts Fiction |
Genre: | Young adult fiction. Ghost stories. Thrillers (Fiction) |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Southbury Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southbury Public Library | TEEN 2. WAKEFIELD pb (Text) | 34019143791606 | Teen Fiction | Available | - |
School Library Journal Review
Ballad for a Mad Girl
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 9 Up-Grace Foley: a bold girl, a funny girl, but maybe a mad girl. During a dangerous dare against students from a rival school, Grace experiences something that looks from the outside like a hysterical breakdown or an elaborate joke. For Grace, though, it's the beginning of something terrifying and unstoppable: a dive into the cold case of a missing girl and the truth behind her own mother's death. This quiet psychological suspense follows a teen down the rabbit hole of madness. It is unclear at any given moment-even for Grace-how much of what she sees is real or delusion, but the narration makes it easy to understand her choices. The portrayal of mental illness from the inside, particularly the ways it can sweep someone off their feet before they can fight it or ask for help, is powerful but never ostentatious. The balance between a character having a mental illness and a character being led by ghosts is a difficult one, but Wakefield validates Grace's genuine issues without completely losing the otherworldly mystery and appeal of her dreams and delusions. The conclusion of the mystery is less compelling, coming off too clean and unlikely. The result squashes the intriguing uncertainty that drives most of the book. VERDICT Beautiful language and a fascinating narrator make for an affecting read, though some will find the end unsatisfying. An additional purchase where there are many budding psychological suspense fans.-Amy Diegelman, formerly at Vineyard Haven Public Library, MA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
BookList Review
Ballad for a Mad Girl
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Seventeen-year-old Grace Foley is a prankster and daredevil extraordinaire. After all, mirth and adrenaline-pumping fear are emotions she can deal with; they mask the struggles of a mother killed in a freak accident, a father consumed by grief, and a distant best friend. One night, Grace's signature stunt racing across a pipe stationed above a gaping quarry goes horribly awry. At first, she doesn't remember much. Then she starts receiving clues, cravings, even hallucinations from something, or someone? clawing within her. Grace is certain her possession is linked to the decades-old disappearance of local teenager Hannah Holt. Her friends are certain this is another one of Grace's overblown pranks. Are the disturbances real? Or is it all another product of Grace's grief-stricken mind? Told from Grace's unraveling first-person perspective, Wakefield's bone-chilling supernatural thriller, originally published in Australia, blurs the line between perception and reality, often folding in shrewd discussions of mental illness along the way. With whirlwind pacing, dynamic characterizations, and out-of-this-world spook appeal, Wakefield's writing is a possessive force of its own. Readers, ready your nightlights.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2018 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Ballad for a Mad Girl
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
The past catches up to the present in this paranormal mystery from Australia.Fearless Grace Foley is grounded again, but that doesn't stop her from sneaking out to defend her position as the record holder for the fastest time crossing the 40-meter pipe running 15 meters above a gully at the local quarry. The pale, hazel-eyed 17-year-old has made this crossing more than 100 times, but this time she freezes halfway, paralyzed with fear. A strange blue mist has crept in, and she sees a hand reach out through the haze. In the following days, Grace experiences odd behavioral, emotional, and physical changes. She's no longer the fun-loving prankster she was. Meanwhile, over two decades ago, blonde, blue-eyed teenager Hannah Holt disappeared without a trace, and it's rumored that she's buried in the gully. Grace is positive Hannah's ghost got under her skin that night and has possessed her. What does she want? Grace embarks on an investigation to discover the truth about Hannah, but what can she discover that hasn't already been found? Searching for answers could cost Grace her lifeis it worth it for someone she never knew? Evocative descriptions will make readers feel Grace's fear, frustration, and confusion, with sights, sounds, and scents that are as palpable as words on a page can be.Mesmerizing, haunting, and hopeful. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.