Absent

After Paige dies during physics class, she's stuck haunting her high school. The afterlife is not much different from her previous life, it turns out: she and fellow teen ghosts Brooke and Evan spend their time attending class and gossiping. When popular Kelsey speculates that Paige's death was suicide, not an accident, Paige is so desperate to stop the rumor from spreading that she begins to inhabit the bodies of other students in order to dispute it. (And why not take a little revenge on Kelsey while she's at it?) These changes of perspective, however, reveal some unpleasant truths: Kelsey's not quite the lying bitch Paige would like to believe; Lucas, the boy Paige was hooking up with prior to her death, is definitely not a nice guy; and Paige isn't entirely sure that she didn't kill herself. This compelling combination of ghost story, mystery, and unconventional romance builds to a dramatic, well-supported twist ending. Williams's ghostly realm has fascinating parameters -- Paige is only able to inhabit others while they're thinking of her; it requires conscious thought to hover over the earth rather than sink into it; and if she tries to leave the school grounds she immediately returns to the spot where she died. While not always likable, Paige is certainly relatable, and her eventual redemption is satisfying. katie bircher