First off, I love the title: I Heart You, You Haunt Me. There's something so beautiful about the simple symmetry in the title. I have read novels in verse before, but I never really enjoyed them. I don't even think I could list any that I have read because none of them stand out in my mind the way that I Heart You, You Haunt Me does. The language that Schroeder uses is phenomenal and realistic. It creates Ava's voice and defines her character, without being lofty as some readers would expect of poems. I Heart You, You Haunt Me, is a fast read, but full of love and loss, guilt and hope, friendship and family. I had to put the book down several times because I did not want to finish it too quickly, but the ending was just as enjoyable as the rest of the novel.
About the Book:
Fifteen year old Ava Bender is in love. With a ghost. Her boyfriend, Jackson, has just died and now Ava is seeing him in her house, hearing him in her head, and dreaming about him at night. She knows this isn’t normal, she knows her friends and family would tell her she’s crazy if they knew about it, but Ava isn’t ready to let go of Jackson just yet. Or is she? Will Jackson’s presence help her cope with his death or will she become even more attached to him? What happens when Ava meets another boy who is interested in her? I Heart You, You Haunt Me, is a novel in verse, written from Ava’s perspective, which allows Ava to tell her story without sacrificing her emotions in favor of plot. I Heart You, You Haunt Me is about coping with loss and learning to move on; it is also about love and how love transcends life.
On Teaching:
Novels in verse are not taught enough in classrooms. I Heart You, You Haunt Me can be used to teach a number of literary concepts and writing styles, namely imagery, word choice, and voice. I don't know that many boys would enjoy this novel, as it is told from Ava's perspective and is pretty mushy in some spots, but even segments of poems and entire poems can be pulled and used as examples of the literary concepts.
Book Extras:
Other Books by the Author:
Falling for You
The Day Before
Chasing Brooklyn
Far From You
Author's Website:
http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/
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