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Summary
Summary
A middle grade novel about a 12-year-old girl dealing with loss, who uncovers a rather grisly scam involving a crematorium.
After her brother, sister, and father die in a plane crash, Daralynn Oakland receives 237 dolls from well-wishers, resulting in her nickname: Dolly. But dolls are little comfort to a twelve-year-old girl whose world is rocked by the dramatic changes in her life, including her angry, grieving mother's new job as a hairstylist at the local funeral home.
Dolly gets a job, too, where she accidentally invents a fashionable new haircut. But in Grounded by Kate Klise, her real work begins when a crematorium comes to town, and someone has to save a dying business, solve a burning mystery, and resuscitate the broken hearts in Digginsville, Missouri, population 402.
Author Notes
KATE KLISE is the author of the 43 Old Cemetery Road series ( Dying to Meet You and Over My Dead Body ) of epistolary novels, illustrated by her sister, M. Sarah Klise, as well as the picture book Shall I Knit You a Hat? (Holt). Her standalone fiction includes Deliver Us from Normal, which School Library Journal praised as "a superb psychological novel." She lives in Norwood, Missouri.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Klise (the 43 Old Cemetery Road series) spins an insightful story about loss and family, set in the tiny town of Digginsville, Mo., told from the plainspoken perspective of 12-year-old Daralynn Oakland. Her brother, sister, and father die in a plane crash, leaving her with her brusque mother, who refuses help or sympathy, and her senile grandmother. Her mother keeps herself busy with a new job as a hairstylist at the local funeral home, while Daralynn is stuck at home, eating frozen dinners ("After the grief casseroles tapered off, Mother lost the will to cook"), examining her life B.C. (Before the Crash) and A.D. (After the Deaths), and recording letters to her siblings and father in her Pertinent Facts & Important Information book. When the mysterious Mr. Clem opens a crematorium nearby and steals the heart of Daralynn's vivacious Aunt Josie, it poses a threat to the funeral home's business, and the town. Balancing Daralynn's family tragedy with gentle humor and an evocative late-1960s setting, Klise's writing is refreshingly matter-of-fact and studded with simple, powerful images and memorable, entertaining characters. Ages 9-13. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Daralynn Oakland's life in Digginsville, Missouri, changes dramatically when her father, older brother, and younger sister all die in a plane crash. Her mother becomes an angry widow and lets Daralynn out of the house only to accompany her to work at her beauty parlor and her stylist job at Danielson Family Funeral Home. When Clem's Crematorium arrives in town and threatens her mother's livelihood, Daralynn decides to investigate the owner, Clem Monroe (who has become involved with her aunt Josie), in an attempt to uncover secrets about him and his unusual business. This improbably lighthearted mystery, told from Daralynn's entertainingly candid perspective, deals with death and its aftermath in a straightforward style that puts the "fun back in funeral." Daralynn's complex relationships with her mother, aunt, and uncle (a recent Vietnam War veteran); her humorous descriptions of her senile, doll-loving grandmother, Mamaw; and her struggles to come to terms with her grief add depth, making the book about more than just the mystery Daralynn solves. At its core, this story is about the importance of becoming "grounded" -- of overcoming one's own loss by helping someone else -- a hopeful message to learn in trying times. cynthia k. ritter (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Dark humor melds with genuine pathos in Klise's delightful and moving novel, set in Digginsville, Missouri, during the early 1970s. Twelve-year-old Daralynn Oakland is devastated when her father and siblings die in a plane crash. Angry and heartbroken, Daralynn's mother gets a job as hairstylist at the local funeral parlor, while Daralynn comes up with the idea of a living funeral, where people can hear their own eulogy and have a chance to thank family and friends. The living funeral is a huge hit until Clem Monroe comes to town and starts a crematorium, undermining the funeral home's business. Klise loves a mystery, which the charming yet sinister Clem provides in spades. She also uses letters, newspaper articles, and journal entries to excellent effect. However, it's the journey through grief and the quirky characters (such as the senile grandma who takes to feeding and burping all of Daralynn's dolls) that stay with the reader. This quiet story illuminates and celebrates the human need for connection beyond the grave.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-When her father, older brother, and young sister died in a plane crash, Daralynn was at home, grounded for having been out fishing without her parents' permission. Her mother opens a beauty salon in their small Missouri town (population 402) and also prepares the hair of the deceased at the local funeral home. Clem Monroe suddenly appears on the scene, selling prepaid cremation plans to unsuspecting seniors and wooing Daralynn's Aunt Josie. She and many other residents are taken in by his schemes, giving him cash for a business that will never come to fruition. When Daralynn realizes that Clem is telling lies and acting suspiciously around town, she uses her journal to tell her father and siblings about the events, and the mystery is wrapped up in a unique way. The relationship between Daralynn and her mother, neither of whom has really dealt with her grief, is portrayed sensibly and tenderly. The fringe characters also shine; Clem is a slick con man, and Aunt Josie, free-spirited and kindhearted, understands Daralynn's prickly, hostile mother. The title of the book is serendipitous in many ways, and will leave readers with much to think about.-Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Historical fiction. 10-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
"Iâ€TMm alive today because I was grounded. Maybe that sounds odd to you, but itâ€TMs true." â€"from GROUNDED Excerpted from Grounded by Kate Klise All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
