Grave Images

Gr 5–8—Thirteen-year-old Bernie wishes her artwork could help her family's business, Alpine Monuments. Lately, it seems that every aspect of her life revolves around the graveyard. Her father never stops sandblasting headstones, her grandmother takes comfort baskets to the bereaved, and her mother unceasingly grieves the loss of her baby son, Thomas, sparing little attention for her living child. To add to Bernie's mounting troubles, sinister Abbot Stein arrives, offering his services as an expert gravestone artist, except that he often completes his etchings before his subject actually dies. Bernie reluctantly agrees to investigate the mounting death toll with her pesky neighbor, Michael. The final confrontation with Abbot Stein takes place in the graveyard with a death-defying escape scene. Bernie's narration clearly shows her misery over her family's grief and the support the small-town inhabitants provide. Slang dialogue sometimes clashes with her voice, but Goebel sensitively conveys the teen's emotional turmoil as well as the humor in her sarcastic comments. Goebel's own experiences as a headstone artist may have informed detailed descriptions of carving and the strange mixture of commerce and comfort Bernie's family provides to customers. The light romance between Bernie and Michael will please readers who like character development mixed with delicious creepiness. Fans of books by Mary Downing Hahn or Peg Kehret will find this a good match. While the cover and page length may suggest younger readers, this book targets middle schoolers.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT