Scarlett Dedd by Cathy Brett

Title: Scarlett Dedd
Author: Cathy Brett
Publisher: Headline
Published: Sept 2010
ISBN: 978-0755347872
http://cathybrett.blogspot.com/

Rating 4/5

The cover on the Amazon picture for this looks rather dull.  In the flesh, the yellow you can see is actually luminous, giving the book a spookier feel to it then you might otherwise think from the picture above.

From the start Scarlett Dedd is fast paced and upbeat, even about death.  Cathy Brett uses dry humour all the way through, which I think represents teens really well....and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Scarlett and her family are the oddities of their community, whilst Scarlett doesn't accept this fact about herself, she hangs out with what I would term as Emo friends, and her family has "secondhand everything and are pathetically poor" (Scarlett's words).  I enjoyed the fun illustrations throughout the book which emphasized the storyline further. I think it's fair to say that Scarlett is very self centered.

The running joke is Scarlett's last name, and one that she lives up to in the book.  The storyline touches on death (but oddly, not really grief in any depth).  It is a laugh out loud book with some of the antics Scarlett and her family get up to, bordering on the obsessive for Scarlett as she tries to remain with her friends so she doesn't feel lonely.  I enjoyed Vladimir and Luan, the two brothers and both their mannerisms and their accents.

I enjoyed the ending where everyone gets their comeuppance. This is a great book to sit down and take it as it is, a light hearted teen reflection on friendships and death.  There's nothing heavy within the pages although it's a bit dark and macabre sometimes, especially with Scarlett's obsession with not wanting to leave her friends.

Book synopsis:
"You're dead Scarlett...

Previously a poor taste jibe from school enemies, now a statement of fact.

Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself while trying to get out of a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her.

Life as a ghost is pretty dull - if only some of her friends were dead too..." 

Source - A review copy was received in return for an honest review.