My Life and Death by Alexandra Canarsie

Fifteen-year-old Allie and her divorced mom move once again, this time back to the small town where her mom grew up. It's their last chance: mom to break free of low-paying jobs, and Allie to settle down in school and make something of her math talents. Allie is a loner; in this town, she picks up the habit of going to the burials of strangers. She attends the graveside service of a boy her own age, who would have been in her math class. She becomes convinced he has been murdered. Through her sleuthing, the story of the town and its families becomes known. Allie attacks everything with her wry sense of humor and caustic attitude, except--typical to teenage behavior--herself. The reader can check off Allie's growth toward maturity and individualism as she interacts with a kind teacher who sees through her bravado, and also with the best friend of the boy who died. In the end, Allie has "come of age", and so has mom, the murder is solved, and it's a good, hearty read that gets you there.

Alexandra Canarsie, a.k.a. Allie, has the strange obsession of visiting cemeteries during funeral services, funerals of people that she doesn't even know. Having just moved to a new town and into a trailer, Allie feels alone. After hearing about the death of a student from her school, Jimmy Muller, a boy she might have known and become friends with if only he hadn't died, she becomes positive that his death was no accident at all and sets out on a search for the truth. Alexandra Canarsie is not unfamiliar with getting into trouble; in fact, it happens quite often. She can't seem to keep her mouth shut when it would really help, doesn't always make the greatest or smartest decisions, but still comes out with incredible character and is easy to identify with. She makes you squirm and wince in embarrassment on her behalf, but by garnering this reaction from the reader, the author has accomplished something great. I identified with this character (something that is very important). She was real, bitter, sarcastic, funny, very flawed, and very likable. Her journey to find the truth about Jimmy Muller leads her to some unexpected places, friends, allies(not meant as a pun), and some realizations about herself. If anything, she is a heroic character, who has made plenty of mistakes, yet feels an intense need to seek justice. She had my admiration and frustration as a reader, and her own situation, her loneliness and even Jimmy Muller's story were heartbreaking. All at once sad, funny, and hopeful, Susan Heyboer O'Keefe's book should not be overlooked. This is an excellent read. I feel privileged to have read this. Sometimes I find things that I completely hate, like just a little, or really love, which is rare. I loved this book, and consider myself extremely lucky to have found it.

this book was awesome. the main character is really easy to relate to and u can't stop turning the pages until you know what happened. it's one of those books that at the end your like "so what happened next?" she should totally write a sequel!

This is a great read for middle-graders on up. Smart-mouthed but insecure Allie puts on a good self-defense act and alienates herself from family and those who might become friends. Her obsession with funerals (of people she doesn't know) and trying to unravel the mystery of what or who really killed Jimmy Muller will keep you turning pages as fast as you can read.

This was an excellent book. It had everything, love , suspense, and a happy ending. It also had that one lovable/annoying character (in this case the english teacher)that every succesful book has to have. I had a great time reading it and reccomended it to all of my friends. I guarrantee you will love this book!