Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

336 pages

Published: October 12th 2010 

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Format: Library copy

 Summary from Good Reads:

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising

My thoughts:

I waited a long time to read Please Ignore Vera Dietz but I am so glad I  finally gave it a try!  This mystery/supernatural/ and sorta realistic fiction novel is a quick and satisfying read.  Although Vera is the primary narrator, the alternating point of view between Vera, Charlie, Ken Dietz, and the Pagoda, is really cool.  Yes, that's right, a placed called the Pagoda  talks to us in this novel too!  I also liked the use of flashbacks that provide insight into the Vera-Charlie relationship.  

One  real strength of Please Ignore Vera Dietz is how author A.S. King says so much without a lot of description.  In an era where "too much information" is so common, I found the lack of detailed description of John and Charlie's relationship, for example, to be just as horrifying- maybe even more so because it was left to my imagination.  

The cover art of this book did not really appeal to me initially but I have to say that I like it now that I have read the book.  The lighter, the title, the to do list- they are all meaningful to the story and I found myself pondering the cover art long after finishing the book.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a Printz Honor Book for 2011 and a title that I highly recommend.