Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

• ISBN: 978-416960591

• Plot summary: "Alice" was abducted by Ray at the age of 10. For five years, he rapes and beats her, warning her that if she tries to leave, he'll murder her family. And so, in plain site, Alice carries on as Ray's little girl, starved by Ray to stay small and thin so he can enjoy her childish form. He likes her as a little girl, and as she grows older, Ray and Alice devise to find another young girl for them to have and Alice can teach her the ropes. Only Alice isn't sure Ray will keep her around. After all, he replaced the old Alice with her. She complies with his plan to find the new Alice, eagerly trying to find her replacement so she can leave through death (replacement) or escape. Only when Alice finally finds what they are looking for, everything goes wrong. Dead wrong.
• Critical evaluation: Living Dead Girl is the heartbreaking story of a young girl brainwashed after being kidnapped from a school field trip. Through mental and physical torture, the girl who has become "Alice" submits to who she must be now--the child to be both Ray's most precious possession and sexual toy. The abuse is absolutely terrifying and seeing the world through Alice's eyes is an effective device to allow a reader to experience what Alice feels, especially since the voice of Alice is incredibly numb after five years of being Ray's victim. The graphic nature of the novel is a hard one to swallow. It is as realistic it gets and not for the faint hearted.
• Reader's annotation: After enduring years of torture at the hands of Ray, Alice is enlisted to find her replacement. But when Alice finds their new girl, things go very wrong.
• About the author: Elizabeth Scott is the author of Bloom, Perfect You, and Stealing Heaven.
• Genre: Fiction/Graphic abuse
• Curriculum ties, if any: Psychology
• Booktalking ideas:
• How can someone be kept against their will?
• Can you think of instances of this that have been discussed in the media?
• Reading level/interest age: 16+
• Challenge issues: Graphic sexual abuse
• Why was this item included? This book was recommended to me by a teen librarian.