Over My Dead Body

This sequel to Dying to Meet You, the first book in the 43 Old Cemetery Road Series, which I shall now be forced to purchase, is the most inspired bit of lunacy I've read in quite a while! It continues the story of the odd little family consisting of a grumpy old child-hating (he thought) author, a frustrated, never published author ghost, and an eleven-year-old boy illustrator, abandoned by his parents. After some initial problems the trio became more than friends and collaborated on an Internet serial ghost story that became wildly popular. Everything was going along swimmingly until their living arrangement came to the attention of a government busybody by the name of Dick Tater, neither the first, the last, nor the worst of the soul crushing puns contained herein. I. B. Grumply's attempt to straighten out this little misunderstanding with the government results in his being committed to the insane asylum and Seymour Hope being carted off to the orphanage while Dick Tater plots the abolition of Halloween and the banning of all ghost stories with Seymour's vile parents. In the end it falls to the (usually) invisible member of the trio, Olive C. Spense, ghost writer in residence, to save the day. I cannot speak for the first book, but the gimmick of having the story told entirely through written communication works fairly well in this one since the main characters spend most of the book separated from each other. As others have noted, this gimmick makes for a pretty quick read, and I'm trying to interest my 7-year-old in it. After tracking down the first book, I shall be eagerly awaiting any future volumes in this delightful series!

This is the sort of book I wish I had around when I was in school some thirteen years ago. First off I must give credit to the author for providing a quick back story into the world that is 43 Cemetery Road at the very beginning of the book, far too many authors just neglect to consider that this may be the first book of the series that the reader has picked up. With this little bit of information provided at the beginning really lays the way for what is to come. I found the writing style in this book to be very smart, witty, and just clever. Not the least bit suggestive as this is something I carefully look for in children's books as some authors don't seem to know when they are writing for children or adults. And the fact that it is written in a odd format to some people (graphic novel), it keeps you interested the entire length of the book. The lack of defined chapters also allows for easy pick up and set down leisure reading, perfect for the adult who gets interrupted constantly or the child who can't sit still for two seconds (like me). The actual story architecture is very creative and well defined, something that is lacking in children's books. I am not going to dive into the book too much because this book is just too good to blow the story for you. This is a great book for anyone of any age who enjoys Halloween, ghost stories, anything that is a little bit spooky, or just a darn good well written piece of work! Can't wait for book 3! Pros: Well paced, didn't seem like they were rushing the story even an ounce. Fantastic illustrations. Layout is very creative. Well designed characters. Comical writing. If you aren't paying attention you'll just miss some of the more hidden tidbits of writing genius. Cons: None! It's a awesome book!

From page one, this little book was a pure delight! The format was fresh and humorous, the language was silly, the pictures had character, and the story was lots of fun to watch unfold! This story about an old house, an abandoned boy, a writer, and his ghostly love interest play out through dialogues written in different typefaces, a local newspaper, letters, and illustrations, and the reader has the benefit of seeing multiple perspectives, all quite humorous. The author has a flare for short snappy dialogues that get right to the point, and even with all the wordplay and absurd happenings, you happily suspend disbelief. This is a book that is accessible for children of all ages (and of course, fun for adults), and while I didn't have the benefit of reading the first one, I look forward to more in the series.

Over My Dead Body is probably a children's book. One of the heroes is an 11 year old boy. There are a lot of illustrations. The language is simple. It doesn't talk down to anyone, but it's simple. Obviously written for children. However, as someone who's been an adult for a LONG time, I loved this book. It's a quick read - took me about an hour, which included interruptions by the kittens. It is about the aforementioned 11 year old (Seymore Hope), a grumpy older writer (Ignatius Grumply) and a ghost writer (Olive C. Spence). It's written as a collection of letters and newspaper articles, which gives it a sense of whimsy. There are characters named Dick Tater, M Balm, Fay Tality, and Judge Clare Voyant. The main story is about a horrible adult, Dick Tater, an evil control freak. He has Seymore sent to an orphanage and Ignatius sent to a "Home for the Deranged". He writes to Seymore's horrible parents to have them pick him up. (Seymore's parent's apparently abandoned him in book 1.) Through letters and newspaper stories, we learn how Seymore, Iggy, and Olive save the day. Beneath the charming story, there's a serious message about censorship, but it's told in an entertaining way. This is a good one. I'm looking forward to more from these authors.

OVER MY DEAD BODY: 43 OLD CEMETERY ROAD--BOOK 2 by sisters Kate Klise and illustrated by M. Sarah Klise has changed the way a child's storybook can be told. The story is explained through letters, newspaper articles, transcripts, and illustrations, among other things, that the characters in the story write/draw to each other--all created through the Klises' imagination. In OVER MY DEAD BODY, readers are reacquainted with an unusual trio, a 91-year old ghost named Olive C. Spence, a 64-year border named Ignatius B. Grumply, and an 11-year old boy named Seymour Hope--characters from the first book Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road -- who are living at the old mansion located at 43 Old Cemetery Road. They have joined forces and are writing a series of ghost stories to fans, but encounter a problem when a killjoy by the name of Dick Tater, who doesn't believe in ghosts, wants to shut down Halloween and get rid of all the books dealing with ghosts. He splits up the trio by sending Seymour to an orphanage (the 11-year old was abandoned by his parents) and committing Grumply to a mental institution. So it's up to Olive to save the day! If you haven't already caught on, there are clever play on words with the character names and young readers should have an enjoyable time going through all the letters and articles in the book. Even though there's lots to explore in the story, it's a quick read since some pages are just letters written from the characters to each other--which is how they communicate--so OVER MY DEAD BODY doesn't get boring or bogged down with junk. The story isn't scary and it does have a heart-warming ending. I haven't read the first book and I didn't feel lost reading this one. I do plan on getting the previous 43 CEMETERY ROAD because I love the storyline and the clever way the Klise sisters have presented the book. Recommended for readers 8-12 but I think it's great for kids of all ages!