43 Old Cemetery Road by Kate Klise

VG/MS Klise, Kate. Dying to Meet You. Harcourt. 2009. $15.00 147p. Series: 43 Old Cemetery Road.

Ignatius B. Grumply is a famous children author. However, he has not published for at least 20 years. Now he has a case of writer’s block and he is broke. He needs a quiet place to write his new book. After his agent rented him the house at 43 Old Cemetery Road, he realized that this is more than an empty house. A boy and a ghost actually live there as well. As part of the contract of the rent, he is the caregiver of the boy. The ghost is 92 years old Olive Spence who tried so hard to get her book published but unfortunately was reject by every publisher. She bounces to haunt this house, her house, until she published her book. Amazing things happened to Mr. Grumply and Ms. Spence; they developed a wonderful relationship and collaborate on their book. The book is written in letter format with each character communicate with each others using letters. Perfect for reluctant readers. Dora Ho, LAPL - Young Adult Librarian.


VG/MS Klise, Kate. Over My Dead Body. Harcourt, 2009. $15.00 116p. Series: 43 Old Cemetery Road.

Ignatius B. Grumply, Ms. Olive Spence, and Seymour Hope are now living together at 43 Old Cemetery Road. However, their once happy life was interrupted by, Dick Tater, the head of the International Movement for the Safety and Protection of Our Kids and Youth (IMSPOOKY). Tater commits Grumply to an insane asylum and sends Seymour to an orphanage because Tater does not believe in ghost. The same humorous and witty letter exchanges accentuate the entire incident and finally Grumply and Olive Spence officially adopt Seymour. Dora Ho, LAPL - Young Adult Librarian