Home → Book Reviews
Optimists Die First
Optimists Die First
Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: September 14, 2017
Review
Petula De Wilde is 16 years old and carrying a heavy burden. Her younger sister died in a strange way and Petula believes it was all her fault. Now she is an only child and she is trying to compensate for her guilt by going to great lengths to keep her parents happy. She is also keeping a scrapbook of bizarre deaths and she is overly cautious in every aspect of her life; avoiding construction sites for fear something will fall from the sky and strike her dead, eschewing public toilets so as not to contract a deadly disease, using copious amounts of hand sanitizer. Just when she begins to let down her guard and experience a bit of happiness, horrible things begin to happen and she realizes that she was right in being a pessimist; optimists die first because they are not careful enough in their everyday lives. Unpredictable and at times humorous, this will make a good addition to YA collections.
Overall Book Score: very good
About the Book
Author:
Nielsen, Susin
Illustrator: ,
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: realistic fiction
Audience: grades 10-12
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780553496901
Price: 17.99