Customer Reviews

The Funeral Director's Son

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So why would a woman old enough to be a grandmother want to read a book about the life a 12-year-old kid? Probably because it's just the kind of book I would have loved when I was a kid.

It follows the adventures of Kip, the reluctant heir to the family's funeral home, a multi-generational enterprise on the verge of being nudged out by the town's new state-of-the art, commercially successful super-mortuary. Kip can't wait to get out of Clover but really isn't in a position to do anything about it. (Think Nate Fisher on "Six Feet Under.") This is just one of many modern-day dilemmas featured in this book that are faced by families and children today - competition, bullies, the opposite sex (sigh), expectations, judgment, fairness, ambition, and friendship. Although all are touched upon, not all are treated in depth.

There are lessons to be learned, most importantly, that one's opinion of a person can be formed from a limited amount of data and then carried erroneously for years. It's a good starting point for readers to analyze their own pre-conceived opinions to see if they're based in truth, hearsay, or incorrect addition of facts.

There's an appropriate balance of supernatural and everyday experiences that allows the reader to "suspend disbelief."

The book seemed to end too quickly and too easily and was lacking an explanation of, among other things, the "weight in gold" fulfillment. That may not be a bad thing, though, since this gives the reader an incentive to ponder the questions himself rather than getting all the answers from the book and then quickly moving on to something new. A little thinking never hurt anyone.

The Charles Dickens quotes that open each chapter are very nicely placed and may encourage the reader to further investigate more of Dickens' writing.

The main thing I wanted to know looking at THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR'S SON was why the book was purple. Once I decided I couldn't figure out if the book was being marketed to tween boys or not, I dove in. I must say that I've always liked coming-of-age stories. There is just something so grand about reading about a young person coming into his or her own, and that is definitely what Coleen Murtagh Paratore has given us in THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR'S SON.

The plot centers around Kip Campbell, the only son in the Campbell & Sons Funeral Home. But Kip isn't so excited about the idea of bagging bodies and burying them in the ground. In fact, he's looking for a quick way out of his tiny New England town. Oh yes, there's one very peculiar thing about Kip: he can hear dead people talk to him (Nothing like THE SIXTH SENSE, but definitely dead people). And one of said deadies says that there's a treasure of gold waiting for Kip if he can just help the dead move on one last time. Now Kip is following clues to figure it out, all the while trying to be a good son who hates his family's job, flirting with the new girl, and just trying to survive his twelfth year of life.

The book was a fairly swift read, and pretty enjoyable too. Paratore nails down Kip's voice perfectly -- making for some very funny/sarcastic moments, as well as really working the tissue box near the end. The writing is... well, quirky. Paratore definitely has a unique style that comes across strongly.

So, while not a book I would say you have to run out and grab now, it definitely is great for a casual light read. The tween boy set may not go for it so much, but I think parents might get more enjoyment out of it than anybody else.

I LOVE the opening lines of this book:

"I spend a lot of time thinking about f-words. Food. Friends. Fun. And funerals. That's right, funerals."

So begins the story of Christopher "Kip" Campbell, who is the son in Campbell and Sons Funeral Home, slated to take over the family business. He's 12 now, and looking to chart a new course a la Christopher Columbus...not be surrounded by dead people.

This coming-of-age story is a fresh take on our main character figuring out what to do with his life and how to go about it. The spin comes in Chapter 4 when the reader learns that Kip can hear dead people and their wishes so as to move on to the other dimension of life.

Kip becomes this messenger to relieve the dead of their unresolved issues, but Paratore has done this in a light-hearted and easy to digest fashion. It's not gory. It's not spiritual. It just is what it is.

The whole "dead people talking to me" thing was getting to him and he swore he was done. Well, it seems there was another plan and the temptation of his weight in gold (he tries to bulk up in weight when he finds out what the cost of gold is) motivated Kip to help one last soul.

As the story unfolds, the reader is reminded of the crossroads of the early teen years to decipher what one wants and what one's family wants and the intersection of the two. Paratore makes the writing seem easy in her seamless tale about growing up and making decisions.

I found this book to be a wonderful stepping stone to some truths that are hard to explain to younger children. This book may be the first time your child considers the concept of death. The view of death as sailing away on a ship allows an adult to talk about the seperation that happens at the death of a pet or loved one. I also liked the idea that there are things people leave undone when they pass on.

The mystery allows Kip to realize that everyone is valuable and we only have to get to know their story to understand them. The fantasy of the four leaf clover pin allowing him to hear the dead is very clever, and the promise of payment encourages him to solve the mystery. Kip also finds that his family will support him whether he becomes a funeral director or not. He is more to his family than just the next in line. Finally he finds that he and his family are a very important part of Clover.

This is not just a fun book but allows a child to learn a lesson and gives a parent or teacher a chance to open some of the doors that are waiting for a child to open. All in all a very cute read, that they will enjoy either by themselves or being read to a child. I recommend this book.

Kip Campbell doesn't see dead people -- he just hears them. They share their final wishes with him, and he then helps them (sometimes reluctantly) complete unfinished business. Kip's story begins in The Funeral Director's Son and continues in Kip Campbell's Gift, both of which are suitable for upper elementary and middle school readers.

Being the son of a funeral director has given Kip plenty of grief - no pun intended. When the series begins, he has yet to share his gift with his family members or his friends, preferring to help the dead in his own quiet way. While listening to the requests of the dead and the concerns of their loved ones, Kip learns that there's more to people than meets the eye. More than once, his opinion of a person changes for the better after he reaches out to them. In the first book, he befriends an eccentric elderly woman while helping an angry old fisherman move on; in the second, he attempts to appease a recently deceased mother by passing along messages to her son - who just so happens to be the classmate that bullies Kip on a regular basis.

The living characters in the series are quite lively. Kip's house is filled with activity, thanks to the many relatives who live there. Campbell and Sons Funeral Home is truly a family business. Kip's father is the sixth in a line of Campbells to run the business, but Kip isn't sure if he wants to be the seventh. Kip's older sister, Elizabeth, annoys him; he prefers to call her Lizbreath. Kip's younger sister, Chick, spreads infectious giggles and smiley face stickers. Kip's mother is the office manager. Uncle Marty is the embalmer, and when he's done, Aunt Sally does makeup and hair. Living up at the top of the house are Great Aunt Aggie, the resident musician, even though she herself has taken ill lately, and Nanbull, Kip's grandmother and close confidante, who writes the obituaries and creates the funeral programs. Kip makes sure the outside of the house is suitable for viewings, raking the leaves (which Chick loves jumping in) and handling other exterior tasks. Lizbreath arranges the flowers, and Kip's mom provides those left behind a beautiful plant. Kip's circle of support extends well beyond his front door: He has three best buds, all male, who share meatball subs and meet after school in their clubhouse, aka Guts, an abandoned groundskeeper's cottage in a cemetery. Meanwhile, Kip develops a crush on the new girl in town, Drew, the daughter of the new harbormaster.

Stories about assisting the dead can go any number of routes, any number of ways, to varying degrees of success. Some are in the horror vein, while others are lighter and comedic. Coleen Murtagh Paratore has made The Funeral Director's Son line more thoughtful, without any horror movie elements, without any disrespect for the dead. The second book was a little more spiritual than expected, but, then again, perhaps that is to be expected when one contemplates death or existence.

Fans of Paratore's series From The Life of Willa Havisham, aka The Wedding Planner's Daughter, will appreciate the little tie-ins between the two series. Perhaps there will be a future crossover...? (Though that would bring something slightly supernatural into Willa's otherwise wholly realistic world, and I don't think I want that.) Though the plots and themes of the two series differ, Paratore begins each chapter of the Kip novels and the Willa novels with a quote, typically a wise proverb or a poetic line or stanza, providing even more food for thought.

If you prefer Ghost Whisperer to The Sixth Sense and you're looking for a series with a male protagonist in middle school, then give The Funeral Director's Son a try.

Kip's ready to find a new family business at the age of 12 - somehow the funeral home just doesn't seem to be the thing for him, but when it's been in the family for generations, it's hard to get out from under it. Especially when you seem to have also inherited a gift for it - you can talk to the dead. Kip can communicate with the people who have passed on - and help them when they haven't crossed over. But even that proves to be too much for Kip when he discovers that his family is having difficulty against the new competition in town and money is scarce. When Kip is given the opportunity to earn his weight in gold if he helps old Billy Blye pass on, he finds that there are more secrets that aren't secrets in the world, and sometimes things that seem bad aren't so bad in the end.

Review is from my 12 year old daughter who enjoyed the Wedding Planner's Daughter. According to her it's a very good book about a young boy who lives in a funeral home with his family. According to her the creepy part was that the dead spoke to him so that he could help them move on to their next life, but besides that it was an enjoyable read and held her attention until the end although it was a little short and not her best.

Kip is a normal active "tween" trying to come to terms with the not so normal family business and the expectation that he as the only "son" will one day run it.

To complicate things Kip has a gift...no he doesn't "see dead people" - but he does have an inner voice that gives him an insight into issues that may limit a soul's ability to "sail". Kip learns that there is much more to the people around him when he listens to this voice.

Coleen Murtaugh Paratore must have boys because she "gets" Kip and his friends and the pressures they face in dealing with everyday life! Her writing style is clean and really fun!

I'm sure middle-school age kids would enjoy this little mystery story, if only the author would finish the book! Yes, the author implies the outcome of things, but when it comes time for the big "wrap up" at the end of the book, it's just not there! It's like showing up at the end of a race, where everyone else knows the outcome, but won't tell you who won.

I suspect Ms. Paratore enjoyed writing this little volume as much as I did reading it. She is able to weave into this cute story many very worthwhile themes of interest to young people and to many adults, too. The focus is on an almost teenage boy known primarily for his family business, which he hopes to escape. Through an exciting and mystical set of experiences surrounding the death of a crusty old sailor in his small Cape Cod-area town, the young man comes to understand and appreciate the value his family business brings to the lives of their friends and neighbors.

The worthwhile themes include reaching for maturity, appreciating all kinds of people, community spirit, a family working together, close boyhood friendships and loyalties, discovering one's identity and calling, and the reality of death in everyday life.

The book would make a great gift for a young person in the 10 to 13-year-old range, and not just boys. A parent would enjoy reading it to children of almost any age. It is told in the voice of the main character giving a serial description of the events. The story is fast-paced and uplifting, with vivid characters and a few surprises.