The Gravesavers [Import] [Paperback]

Sheree Fitch (Author)

Book Description

“An odd shaped shell caught my eye. . . . I turned it over. . . . It was a tiny, perfect skull.”

In the wake of a family tragedy, twelve-year-old Minn Hotchkiss is sent to spend the summer with her sour grandmother in the tiny seaside town of Boulder Basin, Nova Scotia. Almost as soon as she arrives, Minn discovers the skull of a human child on the beach. She is swiftly caught up in a mystery that reaches back more than a century, to the aftermath of the most tragic shipwreck in Maritime history before the Titanic.

Over the course of this extraordinary summer, Minn will discover romance with a boy who turns out to be much more than he seems, and learn that the grandmother she resented is more curious, dedicated, and surprising than she had ever guessed. She might even meet a world-famous rock star!

By summer’s end, Minn will solve a ghostly mystery and, most importantly, finally be able to give up the terrible secret she has kept locked in her heart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Gravesavers is a humorous and heartfelt look into a devastating time in a young girl’s life. Sheree Fitch has truly captured the angst and curiosity inherent in the nature of any young person, and she has thrown in a Titanic-like story for added excitement….It is a pleasure to read a book with a real story with real people that I feel comfortable letting my children read.”
–The Edmonton Journal

“Although Sheree Fitch is a prolific and prizewinning author of children’s books, Gravesavers is her first novel. On the strength of this debut, it’s fair to say that she’s found another medium in which she excels….[A] thoroughly satisfying experience for readers.”
—The Globe and Mail

From the Inside Flap

"An odd shaped shell caught my eye. . . . I turned it over. . . . It was a tiny, perfect skull."

In the wake of a family tragedy, twelve-year-old Minn Hotchkiss is sent to spend the summer with her sour grandmother in the tiny seaside town of Boulder Basin, Nova Scotia. Almost as soon as she arrives, Minn discovers the skull of a human child on the beach. She is swiftly caught up in a mystery that reaches back more than a century, to the aftermath of the most tragic shipwreck in Maritime history before the Titanic.

Over the course of this extraordinary summer, Minn will discover romance with a boy who turns out to be much more than he seems, and learn that the grandmother she resented is more curious, dedicated, and surprising than she had ever guessed. She might even meet a world-famous rock star!

By summer's end, Minn will solve a ghostly mystery and, most importantly, finally be able to give up the terrible secret she has kept locked in her heart.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Canada (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385660731
• ISBN-13: 978-0385660730
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,511,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GraveSavers Response..., May 11, 2006

By 

Ukithiro (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gravesavers (Paperback)

My favourite parts of this story was when Minn leaves her grandmother's mouse to look for Hardly Whynot's driver and to see if Hardly actually lives in that town. I also liked the part where she and Max went to Elbow Island. The boring part was when Minn was at the party or festival with Harv and her grandma.

I am very satisfied with the ending of this story because it tells you what happens later on! I liked how the author wrote two stories in one bigger story, although as I was reading those parts, I was kind of confused as to why it was part of the story. But, I think the author wanted us to be confused until the end, when we found out why she wrote about the past. In the beginning, I was confused as to why Minn kept mentioning how this John Hindley guy taught her a lesson! I still kind of wonder what John taught Minn.


I would recommend this book to people who think a lot, because I think that they could relate to Minn easily (I think Minn thinks a lot). I would also recommend this book to grandmas who dislike their grandchildren so they can read and see how Minn and her grandma end up getting along!

Overall, I would rate this book a 9 out of 10 because it was an excellent and original story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for 10 year old and 44 year old Mom, September 9, 2005

By 

Dual Readers "Gemini" (Williamstown, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gravesavers (Paperback)

My 10 year old daughter bought this book and loved it and swore that I would love it. I fully agree! This is a book that has a wonderful, interesting plot, uses settings and characters that have depth, and uses language wonderfully throughout. The previous revies are great for telling you WHAT the story is about; my take is that is just a well-writtebn story. We can't wait for more novels from this author!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cinnamon Hotchkiss, And The Case of Cursed Classification, May 25, 2005

By 

Bill Duncan (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gravesavers (Paperback)

There is a strange and incessant need amongst publishers these days to classify every book that sees print, as though its audience had been pre-determined. The book market is awash with arranged marriages between readers and writers of every stripe, and few books are left to find their way.

Sheree Fitch's first novel is that rare book that seems to strike a chord somewhere between adolescence and old age - that speaks as much to the teenaged as the middle-aged. It is, simply put, a beautifully written book, which just so happens to be written by an author better known for children's books. To call it YA would be to miss the point.

The Gravesavers is a novel thick with remembering, exploring the ties and tensions between the living and the dead, and the way they play upon one another. It is a book about what it means to be alive, full of "pa-shun" and poetry, that reminds me very much of Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" (with a dash of Trixie Belden).

Sheree Fitch has brought life and her love of language to the story of a young girl on the verge of becoming, and convinced me that good books will find their way into the hands of those who'll love them. It's kismet.