A (Dead) Thing Like Me

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Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
14+
Release Date
August 18, 2026
ISBN
978-0823461066
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A teenage ghost in love with life becomes bound to the house of the grieving artist who summoned her via Ouija board in this darkly funny YA paranormal.

One hot dog with banana peppers. That’s all Hot Dog wants. An invisible teenage ghost, she haunts a food cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Until one night, she’s accidentally summoned via Ouija board to a house party in Florida . . . where finally finally finally, people can see her.

All the party guests scatter, except for Logan: the cool artist girl who doesn’t just see Hot Dog, she actually wants to talk to her. Logan, who isn’t scared of Hot Dog’s stitched mouth or chattering dress. Logan, who’s grieving her own dead BFF—and called Hot Dog by mistake.

Hot Dog wants to prove it’s not a mistake.

She can be Logan’s new best friend. She can go to Logan’s Halloween party. She can eat snacks, have sleepovers, and hang out. She can definitely smile without scaring people. Exactly like a real, human girl.

There’s one problem: Hog Dog’s not a real, living human girl, and something in Logan’s sprawling house knows it. It scratches like rats in the walls. It opens a secret door in Logan’s attic. It wants to drag Hot Dog into the nothingness where dead things go. And unless Hot Dog can confront the dark truth of how she died, it will unmake Logan too.

Gorgeously strange and stunningly written, this YA paranormal masterfully melds camp and creep into a beyond-the-grave coming-of-age.

Editor review

1 review
YA Paranormal
(Updated: July 01, 2026)
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
A (Dead) Thing Like Me by E. G. Young is a YA paranormal book that blends teenage grief with supernatural elements.

The story begins with “Hot Dog,” a teenage ghost who haunts a hot dog cart in New York City—until a Ouija board summons her to a house in Florida. There, she meets another teen named Logan, who is grieving the death of her best friend and was hoping the Ouija board would connect her to her bestie, Avery. “Hot Dog” is thrilled that Logan can see her and thinks this is finally her opportunity to have a normal teenage friendship. As the story develops, she learns her real identity and what it takes to fight off an evil force that threatens them both.

What I Liked: This book brings the creepy vibes! Young builds an eerie atmosphere with demons and hidden rooms. As a reader, I felt a lot of nervous anticipation when Hot Dog heard scratching from a hidden room and I wasn’t sure what it was. It was just the right amount of tension to keep me hooked.

The mystery of Hot Dog’s life before becoming a ghost is a major storyline that propels the book forward. At first, I found it frustrating that we knew so little about her, including her own name, but I quickly realized that discovering her identity and how she died was pivotal to the plot.

This isn’t just a story about a ghost haunting the living; it’s about wanting to belong and be seen for who you are. When Hot Dog realizes Logan can see her, she is ecstatic. That longing to be seen by someone is so relatable and gives the story a really human element.

Readers who enjoy spooky and mysterious books will love A (Dead) Thing Like Me.
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User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
3.0(1)
Characters
 
3.0(1)
Writing Style
 
4.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A(0)
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A (Dead) Thing Like Me Review
(Updated: July 01, 2026)
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
3.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
A (Dead) Thing Like Me is a strange but interesting mix of paranormal mystery and emotional story. It follows a teenage ghost known as “Hot Dog,” who haunts a hot dog cart near the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She does not remember much about her life before she died, and she mostly just watches the world go by. Everything changes when a Ouija board accidentally summons her to a house party in Florida, where for the first time, people can actually see her.

That is where she meets Logan, a teenage artist who is dealing with the loss of her best friend, Avery. Logan was hoping the Ouija board would help her talk to her friend again, but instead she ends up meeting Hot Dog. Unlike everyone else at the party, Logan is not scared of her and is actually willing to talk. Hot Dog quickly becomes excited about the idea of having a real friend and doing normal things like hanging out, going to parties, and feeling like a regular teenager again.

What I liked most about the story is how it mixes creepy moments with emotional ones. There are some spooky parts, especially when strange things start happening inside Logan’s house, like scratching sounds in the walls and hidden doors that lead to darker secrets. At the same time, the story is also about loneliness and wanting to be seen by someone who understands you. Hot Dog’s excitement when someone can finally see and talk to her makes the character feel very human, even though she is technically a ghost.

The mystery about who Hot Dog really was before she died is also a big part of the story. As the book goes on, pieces of her past slowly start coming together, and that helps move the story forward while building suspense.

If I had one small criticism, it would be that the story takes a little while before the main mystery really gets going. At the beginning, there are moments where things move a bit slowly while the characters are being introduced. However, once the darker mystery starts unfolding, the story becomes much more intense and interesting.

Overall, A (Dead) Thing Like Me is a unique YA paranormal story with emotional themes, and a main character who just wants to feel like she belongs somewhere. It is a good choice for readers who enjoy spooky mysteries with a bit of heart and comedy.
Good Points
Unique idea with a ghost as the main character

Good balance of creepy moments and emotional themes

Interesting mystery about Hot Dog’s past

Explores grief, friendship, and wanting to belong
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