Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Fans of "Because of Winn-Dixie" will really love Kate DiCamillo's new book.  Raymie Nightingale is a beautifully told story about 3 girls that meet under unusual circumstances in 1975.  All three are taking baton lessons, but the lessons are going horribly. What grows from these lessons is the friendship between the 3. Raymie is a wonderful character. She is "plucky." She is convinced that winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire beauty contest will make her famous and bring her father back (after he abandoned her and her mother to run off with the dental hygienist). This story is funny and touching and just delightful.

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

What a well written, moving story about being who you want to be.  Grayson knows "he" is really meant to be a "she." He lives with his Aunt and Uncle and does not feel it would be acceptable to live as "she" really wants to.  But then, a new girl comes to town and Grayson begins to take steps to live the life she was meant to live.  This books is amazing. Even if you have never met someone who is transgender, you will love Grayson. You will understand, cheer for and feel for this character.  I would love if everyone would read this book and maybe it would lead to more understanding for each other and the difficulties that each may be going through.

Seers by Kristine Bowe

This is a very unique book. Leesie has no memories of her life before she became a "Seer." Seers are people who can see into another's memories.  Leesie is a special kind of Seer, she not only can see memories, she can extract (remove) memories to help people. She has a handler and now she has a new mission. She is never given much information about her missions and she is starting to question this. This was a really fast read, and I believe it will  be a series because it left me wanting more.

Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

I wanted to read this again because it is coming out as a Netflix series soon.  I bought book 1 on Overdrive as an ebook, but there is also books 1-3 out as an ebook collection. It was as delightful as the first time I had read it.  This 13 book series is all about the Baudelaire children. After a house fire kills their parents, they have to go live with their evil uncle, Count Olaf.  He is really just after their fortune and he really is awful. I suggest reading this series (none of them are really long)  before watching the Netflix series...I ALWAYS suggest reading the books first.

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

I followed my own advice and decided to start the other series by the author I just blogged about.  I enjoyed Tiger's Curse as much as Reawakened.  This story is another romance wrapped in a mystery. This time it is a prince from India who has been cursed to live as a tiger for centuries. After caring for the tiger when she is working at a traveling Circus, Kelsey is found to be the one that can help him break the curse.  I enjoyed learning some myths and legends from India as I read this book.  Maybe too much romance for my taste, but still a great story.  This series has four books, so if you like this one, you have 3 more to look forward to.

Reawakened by Colleen Houck

This book is a great read for those of us that like the mythology of Egypt as well as adventure.  Lily seemed to "fall" for the Egyptian prince that has risen extremely quickly, which I found just a tad irritating. But, this did not stop me from enjoying this story as they make their way to Egypt and try to stop Seth, the god of chaos from rising and taking over the world.  The author did a great job creating a very vivid picture of Egypt. If you enjoy this book, you may want to try another by this author. She wrote the series: Tiger's Curse, which we have in the library. 

The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis and Gold Fish by Nat Luurtsema

Oh my goodness I really enjoyed both of these books.  Both were short and totally delightful.

The One Thing is about Maggie.  Maggie looses her sight when she gets meningitis. But, then, she meets Ben and, amazingly, she can see him. The fact that Maggie can see Ben is the focus of this story. Maggie and Ben are fantastic characters, they complement each other very well.  Maggie is angry and sarcastic and kind of mean, at times.  Ben is ever the optimist. He is generous and funny. You will like this book if you like books about overcoming difficulties.

Gold Fish is laugh out loud funny.  I really, honestly, laughed right out loud in several places.  Lou (Louise Brown) is hoping to be an olympic swimmer, but her hopes are dashed when she does poorly at the time trials.  Her friend, however, makes it to the High Performance Training Camp.  Lou isn't quite sure what to do with herself without her friend and without swimming.  Just like Maggie, in the story above, Lou has a pretty sarcastic sense of humor.  She decides to help a group of boys try out for a tv show doing underwater dancing and the results are pretty funny.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

What a heart wrenching book!  This is by the author of Between Shades of Gray, which I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED.  If you like historical fiction, than Ruta Sepetys is the author for you! This one tells the story of 4 people all affected in different ways by WW II.  All are making their way to the coast as they try to board ships to safety and freedom.  As the refugees make their way, their lives converge.  This tells the tragic story of the worst tragedy in maritime history: the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff ship.  You MUST read the author's notes after this book, she is such a thorough researcher that these notes are so informative!  I now will probably look for a nonfiction book about this topic to learn more about it.

The Edge by Roland Smith

Peak was one of my favorite novels.  It is about a boy whose father wants him to be the youngest person to summit Mt. Everest.  The Edge is another climbing adventure about Peak.  This time Peak and his mother are flown to Afghanistan to take part in a climb to promote peace. Peace is something they do not find when their climbing party is kidnapped.  This book is a suspenseful adventure that is hard to put down.  

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (READ THIS BEFORE THE MOVIE COMES OUT)

Yes, this is being made into a movie and I can't wait to see it because I really liked the book.  Conor is 13 and dealing with his mother having cancer. A monster, in the form of a yew tree, comes to help him. The monster in this book is scary, but also protective and at times funny in his dealings with Conor.  He won't tell Conor directly why he is there to help him, he tells stories to help Conor figure out why he called the monster.  You might be interested to know that the author, Patrick Ness, was asked to write this story based on an idea of another author, Siobhan Dowd, after she died of cancer at age 47.

What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott

WOW!  This is like a horror movie in book form!!  Kids lost in the woods, ghost stories told that seem to be coming true, creepy laughter that seems to be following and taunting them.  This fast paced novel will keep you  reading...I was surprised by the twist it took at the end.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

If you liked Mr. Lemoncello's Library you will really like this book. Emily's family lands in San Francisco (they move almost every year in a quest to live in all 50 states). This move brings Emily a new friend AND an adventure. San Francisco is the home to Emily's hero...the founder of "Book Scavenger." Book Scavenger is a game where books are hidden, clues are given and points are earned for finding the books.  Emily and her new friend, James, get embroiled in a new hunt that no one else knows about.  This is just a fun little book, and if you like puzzles and ciphers, you are going to love it.

Other books I have read this summer...

I have been reading, reading, reading, but haven't stopped to blog, so I'm a bit behind.

Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore: What a fantastic, motivational memoir of this young man's life.  After moving to a new town after the death of his father, Wes starts making some bad choices.  He starts stealing, skipping school and hanging out on the street.  His mother decided to send him to military school and it made all the difference to this Wes Moore.  I say "this Wes Moore," because Wes becomes aware of another man with his name, that grew up with a similar background when he was young, but his life couldn't have turned out more differently.  Some of my favorite quotes of this book: " The written work isn't a chore. It can be a window into new worlds."  In speaking about a history teacher he had: "He had no interest in excuses-effort and hard work were all that mattered." And, my favorite: "Through my own experiences, I've become convinced that you have the potential to control your own life, even if the odds are against you."  I think everyone should read this book, it shows that hard work and effort can pay off.

The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold: Why do some people get miracles and others do not?  That is the question that Iris asks in this novel.  Her best friend, Sarah, has died. Her family has moved and she meets Boris. She finds out Boris is a medical miracle.  If he gets a miracle why not her? Iris is a great character. She tries very hard to put on a brave face as she handles the grief of loosing her friend.

I Love, I Hate, I Miss My Sister by Amèlie Sarn: This book has been translated from the original French novel. This is the heart wrenching story of Sohane, who looses her sister to a horrible hate crime.  It's Sohane's story of trying to be who she wants to be and accepting her sister for who she wants to be, but feeling she failed at this. Sohane's story is told in alternating chapters of "before the crime" and "after the crime."  This book was part of the Mosaic collection of multicultural literature.  Sohane and her sister are Muslim. Sohane wants to wear her headscarf to school, her sister wants to be more "western." In 2004, France passed a law that prohibited students from wearing religious symbols or religious attire.

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel:  Maisie is involved in a horrible accident that has left her badly burned. Because of this, her family decides that she should be the recipient of a face transplant. Everyone tells her how lucky she is, but Maisie doesn't feel lucky.  She doesn't even recognize her self. Great story about reinventing and re-finding yourself.

Shock Point by April Henry:  Another fantastic mystery by the author of Girl, Stolen and The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.  Cassie's step father sends her to a "boot camp" for kids who, according to their parents, are out of control. But Cassie is not out of control, she just knows something that her step father doesn't want others to know. This is a fast moving, exciting mystery!!

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin:  I couldn't put this one down.  It is an alternative history. History is full of "what-ifs." This story addresses what might have happened if Hitler and the Axis powers would have won WWII.  Yael was sent as a child to one of the concentration camps and experimented on.  Through chapters from THEN and NOW, we find out all about Yael's story.  How she escaped and became a member of the resistance movement against Hitler. Each year a motorcycle race is held to commemorate the "Great Victory." It becomes Yael's job to win this race and kill Hitler.

Last two Golden Sowers!!! Historical fiction stories of two strong girls!

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  Ada and her brother live in London with their awful mother at the very start of WWII. Ada was born with a club foot and her mother has NEVER let her out of the house.  (SHE IS AWFUL) When Londoners become worried about bombing, they send their children off to live with others to be safe. Ada and Jamie go to live with Susan.  This was a heartwarming story of what family can be.  Sometimes families are MADE by choices not always by blood.  Ada is a fantastic character...she is strong and determined.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper.  This book takes place in the segregated south of North Carolina in the 30's.  Stella and her family are African American, so in Bumblebee, NC, she can go into some of the stores but not all of them.  Stella and her brother JoJo witness a secret Ku Klux Klan meeting one night.  It brings their community together. This is just Stella's story. Stella wants so badly to be a good writer and she works hard to practice that as she tells her story of what's happening in her little corner of the world during this tumultuous time. Stella, like Ada, is strong and brave.  She asks great questions (which all of you know I LOVE).

4 Golden Sowers I read earlier in the year.....

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm: this was NOT what I was expecting.  This little story had the unexpected surprise of some science fiction.  11 year old Ellie hates change, that is why her parents kept replacing her goldfish when they died.  She is definitely NOT ready for the change that shows up in the form of a crabby, bossy teenage boy, ESPECIALLY when that boy turns out to be her grandfather!!  This was a very funny, entertaining story.

Beneath by Roland Smith is fantastic! Smith is the author of another of my favorite books, Peak. Pat's brother has gone missing.  Pat misses him, but hasn't been worried about him because that is just how Cooper (Coop) is. That is, until, Coop begins sending Pat recordings about what he is finding UNDER the streets of New York City.  I love reading about "counter cultures." A "counter culture" is one that exists outside what is considered "normal." Obviously, living UNDER the streets of a major city is not the norm.  This book was intriguing and exciting and I just couldn't put it down.

Loot: How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson is an exciting mystery.  Alfie McQuinn's father is a master cat burglar. Unfortunately, he has fallen from a roof top after his latest job.  His last words to Alfie are "find Jewels." Alfie is determined to find out what "jewels" his dad was talking about and whether or not his dad's "accident" was an accident or MURDER!!

This is a supernatural thriller that I think many of you will enjoy.  Do not read this if you don't like murder mysteries, and a little bit of gore.  Willa can communicate with the "beyond." He new house in L.A. is haunted and she is pretty sure the ghost is the victim of a serial killer that is plaguing the city.

Another 3 Golden Sower Nominees....more stories about people with "grit"

El Deafo by Cece Bell: This is the first time, that I remember, that a Golden Sower has been a graphic novel.  This is a great one!  Cece lost her hearing after an illness when she was 4. Now that she is starting school, she has to wear a LARGE hearing aid.  She doesn't want people to really know about it and she doesn't like talking about her deafness. This book is based on the author's own life.

Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury: I read this right after I had finished Dash.  It is also historical fiction. It is another view about what was going on in the world around the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Zenji is an American born in Honolulu but of Japanese descent.  He is asked to become an intelligence officer for the US Army because he speaks both Japanese and English.  This story is based upon a true story.  It was an incredible story. If you like this, you may want to now read Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand.  

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff: This is a realistic fiction story about Albie.  Albie is just "almost." He is not great at anything, he is just "almost." This is Albie's story of fitting in and finding a way to "stand out."  

3 more Golden Sower Nominees...

The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz: I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Nina decides to spend her summer doing 65 small "good things" for others. She does small, nice things anonymously.  I love this whole concept.  We live in an "everyone gets a trophy society" these days, people EXPECT to get praised and noticed for EVERYTHING they do.  This is a wonderful concept of just doing nice things to help people because its nice and will make them feel better without wanting anything back for yourself.  This book shows that "niceness" spreads.  Nina's efforts take on a life of their own throughout her neighborhood.  This story just makes you feel good.  I hope it inspires everyone to go out and just be nice...the world needs kindness right now.

Dash by Kirby Larson: Dash is a work of historical fiction.  Mitsi is an American citizen who just happens to be of Japanese descent.  She has never even been to Japan.  This doesn't matter to the US government after the bombing at Pearl Harbor.  They make Japanese-Americans leave their homes and enter internment camps.  Mitsi is forced to leave her dog Dash with a neighbor, and it breaks her heart.  Stories like this hurt my heart.  Blaming an entire group of people for the wrongs of others. Unfortunately, it is still happening in our world today.  Makes you want to be like Nina in the previous book and be kind for the sake of being kind.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt:  Ally can't read and she does everything in her power to make sure people don't know it.  She ends up getting in trouble at school and picked on at school.  Then, Mr. Daniel shows up as her new teacher and Ally finally gets help.  Ally is a great character, and I love Keisha and Albert, her two classmates who become fierce friends with her.  This is a great reminder that people are smart in different ways.  You can be "smart" without always getting A's in classes.  What's important is sticking with something, having the "grit" to continue to try.  Kindness would have gone a long way to helping Ally and her friends.  I hope as we read these three books, it helps us realize that we have the power to tear others down BUT we also have the power to build each other up.  We need to celebrate our differences, otherwise, what a boring world this would be.  

Life on Mars by Jennifer Brown

Life on Mars is a Golden Sower nominee for this school year.  12 year old Arty is convince he will be the one to discover life on Mars.  He is a great character, as are his best friends Tripp and Priya.  As he stargazes, he notices his creepy new neighbor carrying a bag into the woods every night.  Arty and Tripp are pretty sure he is some kind of vampire, or face-eating zombie.  I like the way this book is told, it is just like Arty is speaking.  It's very conversational and I liked that for this story.  This is a great story about "not judging a book by its cover."

Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver

I chose to read this right after I was done with Trials of Apollo, because I was in a mythology kind of mood.  This one was very different.  Although it was an adventure, it did not involve the GREEK gods as I was thinking it would.  This book takes place in Ancient Greece, but it takes place in the Bronze Age which was long before the Ancient Greece of the gods and goddesses we are so familiar with in the Percy Jackson series.  It was still a great story with a boy on the run for his life. Hylas has escaped the "Crows" and in the process has lost his sister.  He continues to search for her as he hides from these powerful warriors.  He finds himself helping the daughter of a High Priestess.  Together they try to stay safe from the Crows, figure out why they are after Hylas AND find his sister.  Lots going on in this book, I haven't even mentioned Hylas' new friend, the dolphin he names Spirit!  I have purchased the 2nd and 3rd book in this series for the Irving Library and I look forward to seeing how Hylas' adventure progresses.

The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Well, Mr. Riordan has done it again.  This is book one of a new series: The Trials of Apollo.  It is just as good as his others!  The god, Apollo, has been made human, again (apparently this has happened twice before). He must make his way to Camp Half-Blood with his new friend, Meg.  Meg is a demi-god with the power to throw rotten fruit.  Not the best power, but pretty humorous.  Getting to the camp is only half the adventure for Apollo.  Once he gets there he has to find a hidden oracle and stop an evil trying to take over the world!  I really enjoy Riordan's books and this one did not disappoint!  Looking forward to the next one.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Another "high fantasy" for the Golden Sower Nominees of this year.  Kestrel is the daughter of a general.  She has led a very privileged life, but at what cost to others?  Kestrel lives the way she does because her society waged war on another and enslaved them.  Kestrel has now bought a slave and is beginning to build a relationship with him and realizing how their ruling society may not be as wonderful as she thinks.  Kestrel may not have to worry about being in the ruling class for much longer, however, because their is a rebellion brewing.  This is the first book in a trilogy and I have the second one in the library ready to go.

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Oh my gosh, this Golden Sower Nominee made me soooo nervous.  I am not a fan of storms, and this is about a storm that produces a tornado, which terrifies me.  The author did an amazing job of putting you right there with Jersey as she literally looses everything.  This story was heart wrenching, but very well done.  I HAD to keep reading it just to find out what happens to Jersey.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and Thrones & Bones: Frostborn by Lou Anders

Two great fantasies on the Golden Sower nominees list!  Red Queen is a fantastic, exciting read about a society where the color of your blood determines your lot in life.  Silver bloods rule in a god-like fashion because of their special powers.  But, now, there is Mare.  Mare is a red blood, but she has powers too.  Will she live long enough to save her kind?

Thrones and Bones: Frostborn is also about another world.  This one has two equally enthralling main characters each with their own strengths.  Karn doesn't want to be part of his families farming world, he wants to be left alone to play his favorite board game, Thrones and Bones.  Thianna wants to be a
full part of her world but because she is only 1/2 frost giant she is not always accepted.  The two meet and become thrust into a battle of wits and brawn to help both their families.

Both of these fantasies are exciting and easy to read because you are so anxious to see how they work themselves out.  The nice thing about both of them is that you will want  to read the 2nd one of each series, and, luckily for you, I have them both in the Irving library collection!!

No Summit Out of Sight: The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits by Jordan Romero

Because 7th grade has been reading "Everest" and "Peak," I thought I would give this book a go.  I recently watched a documentary on the Sherpa community on the Discovery Channel so I was excited to start reading.  This book was less about climbing and more about setting a goal and sticking with it till you made it.  It still had interesting information about the different mountains and things I never thought of before (like what DO you do with "human waste" when you are on a mountain) but it was more of how Jordan was inspired to do what he did and what kept him going.  This was a pretty inspiring read.  I hope it inspires YOU to go out and do something you have a passion for and stick with it!!

Jackaby by William Ritter

This is another Golden Sower nominee for next school year.  It is a good one, also.  It is very "Sherlock Holmes-y."  The story takes place in 1892 in New Fiddleham, New England.  Abigail Rook has just arrived from Europe. She is running away from boring life as a "proper lady" in England.  She is looking for adventure and she finds it when she meets R.F. Jackaby.  Jackaby is an investigator.  Unlike the police, Jackaby can see the supernatural to help him solve crimes.  A killer is on the loose in this story and Jackaby KNOWs it has a supernatural twist.  This is a great mystery.

Beneath by Roland Smith

This is a GOLDEN SOWER nominee for next year and it is fantastic!  Pat's brother has gone missing.  Pat misses him, but hasn't been worried about him because that is just how Cooper (Coop) is. That is, until, Coop begins sending Pat recordings about what he is finding UNDER the streets of New York City.  I love reading about "counter cultures." A "counter culture" is one that exists outside what is considered "normal." Obviously, living UNDER the streets of a major city is not the norm.  This book was intriguing and exciting and I just couldn't put it down.

Siren by Kiara Cass

Fans of her Selection series will love this book!  I love all siren stories!  This one was fabulous and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering how things would work out.  Kahlen is bound to the sea for 100 years.  She has to serve the ocean by leading others to their watery deaths.  But now, Kahlen has met someone and their love for each other puts them both in danger.  In all the other siren stories I have read, the sirens are "born." In this story they are "made" and I find that a very interesting twist to an old tale.

Trollhunters by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus

This was a FANTASTIC addition to the horror genre!  The first words of the novel are: "You are food."  That is what humans were to trolls...food. Most had moved on to a diet of animals but there is a whole world of trolls ready to go back to the old ways of eating humans and Jim Sturges, Jr. must help stop them...and he is not happy about it.  You all know I love horror and I am excited about this story.  The artwork in the book was amazing and I found it interesting that the few pictures that were included came several pages after the scene that they showed.  I appreciated them letting me get a picture in my head before the artwork created it for me.  I also heard that this will be a DreamWorks animated series on Netflix.

H2O by Virginia Bergin

This was creepy to read when it has been raining so much lately!  Because of a space bacteria from an exploded astroid, the rain has become deadly to humans.  Poor Ruby is just struggling to survive. You can't touch the rain and you can't come in contact with anyone that has touched the rain.....AND you have to be very careful as the drinkable water becomes harder and harder to find.  This is a great new twist in dystopian lit.  I found it to be an exciting read.  I really liked Ruby.  I wanted her story to continue, luckily it does in Book 2 "Storm." I will be purchasing this soon!   I believe this was first published in the UK under the title "The Rain."  Right now this is an ebook available from our overdrive account, I will have a physical copy in the library this fall.  

"Game Over, Pete Watson" by Joe Schreiber and "The Leveller" by Julia Durango

I am blogging about these books together because they are both about video games, but couldn't be more different in their storylines.
Game Over, Pete Watson is a whimsical little story about a kid who is just trying to afford his new video game.  He sells what he thinks is an vintage gaming console and almost destroys the world.  I like the way Pete tells his story.  He remarks throughout the book about what it will be like when his book becomes more interactive like a game.





Leveller is completely different. It is not whimsical, it is much darker.  Nixy lives in a world where kids can access a virtual reality gaming world.  There are rules and time limits but sometimes people don't follow those rules.  Nixy's job is to go into the virtual world and bring people back.  But now, she has a much bigger job.  The creator of the virtual world's son has gone missing in the virtual world and it is Nixy's job to go find him and bring him back.  This was a very exciting book with a very unexpected ending.

I hope you enjoy both of these "gaming" books.

Lost by S.A. Bodeen

At last, a sequel to Bodeen's novel "Shipwreck Island."  In book 1, Sarah and her family were shipwrecked on an island.  This would be terrible enough, but then they start to see some very strange animals making things even more mysterious.  Book 1 left us really wanting more.  Book 2 gives us more about the strange animals, another person that is stuck on the island and some clues as to who is behind it all.  If you read Book 1, you are going to have to read book 2 and guess what, I'm positive there will be a book 3.  THERE HAS TO BE!!

Footer Davis Probably is Crazy by Susan Vaught

Fontana (who prefers to go by "Footer") wants to be a journalist.  She practices her journalistic interviewing skills by trying to solve the mystery of what happened to two neighbor kids after the shooting of their grandpa and a fire at their house.  Footer also thinks she is going "crazy" like her mother.  Her mom had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and has had to be hospitalized and Footer is worried that some "visions" she is having mean she is well on her way to being hospitalized also.  Great story, with both a good message about mental illness paired with a great mystery.  I really like Footer, she was a great character.

Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

Tara Sullivan is the author one of this year's Golden Sower nominees, "Golden Boy."  With both of these books, the author brings to life some scary issues that are happening in today's world.  In Bitter Side of Sweet, she addresses the issue of forced child labor in the cocoa industry.  Amadou doesn't even know why he is cutting down the pods off the trees and drying the seeds inside.  He has never had chocolate before.  He just knows he HAS to do his work or he and his little brother will be beat.  The world wants cheap chocolate, and this cheap treat comes at a huge price for many poor children in the nations of Africa.  This book is, at times, difficult to read because of the harsh treatment of Amadou and the other children, but he has such resilience, and his need to protect his brother and new friend are so strong that you just have to keep going.  This is currently only an ebook in our library.  Stop by if you need help getting it on your device.  

The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden by Emma Trevayne

I enjoyed this story.  Thomas Marsden helps his father, Silas, rob graves.  One night they come upon a grave that holds a body that looks EXACTLY like Thomas.  You really get to know the characters and their stories as Thomas looks to find the truth behind why he looks just like a corpse.  The end really picks up an moves at a breakneck speed as he learns the truth and hurries to reverse an age old wrong doing to help his new friends.