Dead Wednesday

Ages 10 And Up, Grades 5 And Up

Can playing dead bring you back to life? Maybe on Dead Wednesday… 

"Jerry Spinelli has created another middle grade masterpiece." —BookPage, starred review

On Dead Wednesday, every eighth grader in Amber Springs is assigned the name and identity of a teenager who died a preventable death in the past year. The kids don black shirts and for the whole day everyone in town pretends they're invisible—as if they weren't even there. The adults think it will make them contemplate their mortality. The kids know it's a free pass to get away with anything.

Worm Tarnauer feels invisible every day. He's perfectly happy being the unnoticed sidekick of his friend Eddie. So he's not expecting Dead Wednesday to feel that different. But he didn't count on being assigned Becca Finch (17, car crash). And he certainly didn't count on Becca showing up to boss him around! Letting this girl into his head is about to change everything.

This is the story of the unexpected, heartbreaking, hilarious, truly epic day when Worm Tarnauer discovers his own life.

About the Author

JERRY SPINELLI is the author of many beloved novels for young readers, including Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Milkweed; The Warden's Daughter; Crash; Wringer; and Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal; along with Knots in My Yo-Yo String, the autobiography of his childhood. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, poet and author Eileen Spinelli.

Author Residence: Media, PA

Author Hometown: Norristown, PA