By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead »

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for “completers”— www.through-the-light .com.

While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it?

National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters shines a light on how bullying can push young people to the very edge.

VOYA

The first time Daelyn tried to kill herself she was ten years old. As an obese youngster, she had been bullied and abused by children and adults well into adolescence. Now fifteen, Daelyn's latest attempt at suicide has left her temporarily mute, in a neck brace, and ironically sans her excess weight. Nevertheless after a lifetime of debasement, Daelyn still considers herself fat, ugly, and worthless. So much so, she is never able to share with anyone her deepest, darkest, most humiliating experiences. That is, until she discovered the Web site Through-the-Light. Here Daelyn is not only able to confide her secrets to an audience of like-minded strangers, but she also receives tips and handy how-to instruction on the various methods of suicide. Determined that this next attempt will be her last, Daelyn chooses the minimum timeframe of twenty-three days as her final "Date of Determination"—her last day on earth. Already considered a "loner and a freak" by her classmates, Daelyn has little trouble cutting ties at school, until she is befriended by Santana, a strange, persistent boy who tells her she is mysterious and beautiful. Even though she does everything she can to dissuade him, Santana awakens feelings within her she never knew existed. As such, and with very little time left, Santana proves to be far more of an obstacle than she ever could have anticipated. Any teen fortunate enough not to relate to the subject matter should read this book, which turns the old adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me," on its ear. Powerfully portrayed in the first person, the protagonist's account offers compelling insight into just how spiritually andemotionally devastating bullying can be. The title is intriguing enough that teens may pick it up on their own, but they could find it a tough read as a result of the negative and depressing context. Although some pushing will be required for the uninitiated audience, anyone who has been the victim of this type of abuse will not only readily embrace its contents, but also potentially learn from it. Reviewer: Judith Brink-Drescher