Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com, June 22, 2010
This review is from: Tombstone Tea (Hardcover)
Jessie is acting on a dare when she shows up at the Laurel Hill Cemetery one night. Her instructions are to spend a whole night while wandering the cemetery and collecting rubbings from the gravestones of 10 residents. Desperate to make friends in her new high school, Jessie has agreed to the task despite her misgivings.
Almost immediately she runs into Paul, a boy who seems to be near her age and who says he works as a night caretaker at Laurel Hill. He offers to help her. While collecting rubbings Jessie meets what Paul call "actors" playing the parts of inhabitants of certain graves. Jessie thinks they're doing a great job until she finds out they're not actors, they're really the spirits of the people they claim to be. Most are friendly, but Jenny is not, and Jessie has to escape with Paul's help.
Undeterred, Jessie is back the next day, and she begins to volunteer at the cemetery during daylight hours on a regular basis. As she helps to revive the Tombstone Tea Laurel Hill held years before, she also works to find a way to reconcile Jenny with her daughter in the hopes that her spirit can move on.
Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme has plenty of action to give you the creeps, it does take place in a cemetery and spirits are some of the main characters, but it's not so spooky that it's likely to keep you awake at night. Jessie is a strong character, and while sometimes I worried for her, I really liked her growing confidence and her ability to turn a strange situation into a purpose. Mother-daughter book clubs members will be able to talk about spiritualism, beliefs about what happens to you after you die, the history in cemeteries, and courage. I recommend it for groups with girls aged 11 to 14.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great characters but falls short, April 11, 2010
This review is from: Tombstone Tea (Hardcover)
Ah, another story detailing the attraction between the living and one of the dead... I've read a few of these not-quite-romances, and actually it's a genre I rather enjoy.
The primary setting of this book is Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, one of the most famous of the large Victorian-era cemeteries in the US. I would recommend that anyone reading the story do a bit of on-line research regarding the location; if you get a sense of place, it will help bring the story to life in your mind. A quick internet search will bring up dozens of photos of the vistas this cemetery affords---what a marvellous place to wander through! Some really amazing monuments, there.
The story is divided (roughly) into thirds, with the first section of the book telling of Jessie's misadventures in the cemetery at night. The second is a flashback giving a bit of Paul the ghost's background (Paul is of course simply dreamy---ha!). And the third brings all the story elements together.
It is, unfortunately, the third section in which the book falls short. The big climax of the plot is resoundingly ANTIclimactic; really, it was quite disappointing for me. Still, I liked both of the main characters; would love to read another story about them getting into some sort of adventure. So, despite the book's shortcomings I'm still going to recommend it for ghost-story fans.
The dust jacket on this one isn't bad, but I have to say it is not the most flattering portrait of Jessie, that's for sure! Well, I mean it isn't terrible, but it does seem to focus on her, um, rear end...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended to readers of all ages, September 24, 2009
This review is from: Tombstone Tea (Hardcover)
Jessie has recently moved to a new town and is going to a new school. In order to be accepted by the "in" girls at school - she has been dared to spend the night at the local cemetery with a list of names whose graves she has to find. Upon entering the cemetery, she meets Paul, a handsome boy who works as a caretaker at the cemetery. Paul explains to Jessie that this evening is the rehearsal for the Tombstone Tea: a fund-raising performance in which actors impersonate the people buried in the cemetery. But Jessie quickly discovers that they aren't actors at all but the ghosts of men and women buried in the cemetery. When one of the ghostly inhabitants decides to adopt Jessie to replace her lost daughter, our heroine fears she may never escape the cemetery.
Once again, I was suckered in by the neat cover - but this was surprisingly really good. It was an exciting and interesting story. I loved reading about the cemetery's ghosts and how they came to reside there as ghosts. Jessie was a great heroine, but all the quirky and zany ghosts were my favorite characters. They had such history and depth to them. Ms. Dahme's lyrical prose was stunning at parts - you could almost feel the cold seeping into your bones and the ghostly apparitions chasing poor Jaime through the cemetery. Her details and descriptions made it very visual for me. Paul was this guiding light for Jaime and I was hoping more would come from their friendship. Although the story ends and leaves no loose ends, I got the feeling that there might be a continuation to it. Many of the ghosts were introduced in detail, but there were still so many more that you just catch a glimpse of. I can definitely see Jessie having more adventures in the cemetery and there's also Paul to think about (love interest?). Overall it was a gripping and enjoyable read that I would recommend for readers of all ages who enjoy young adult fiction.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
