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kelleemoye's review
4.0
To be honest, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started this book because it is way creepier than I thought it was going to be, but a serial killer on the loose in a town definitely will add that creep factor to any book.
Douglas is definitely well-rounded and mature when it comes to death, it has been around him his entire life, but all death he’s encountered has been natural or an accident until now. This is an interesting point of view for a character as I’ve never read a middle grade book with a character like Douglas. All of a sudden, a young boy who never feared death realizes that there is evil in some deaths and that scares him more than it may scare most because it is a new realization. This definitely adds to the suspense because Douglas is not only questioning everything around him but also on the look out for a serial killer, so all bumps in the night are a reason to jump.
I will also say that the conclusion was not what I saw coming!
Side note: Douglas and his friends did some DANGEROUS things, and I know that we have to suspend our belief when reading, but the whole time as an adult I wanted to yell at them for being so ridiculously careless in their safety by searching for a serial killer! Kids: Do not do that at home!
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=17572
Douglas is definitely well-rounded and mature when it comes to death, it has been around him his entire life, but all death he’s encountered has been natural or an accident until now. This is an interesting point of view for a character as I’ve never read a middle grade book with a character like Douglas. All of a sudden, a young boy who never feared death realizes that there is evil in some deaths and that scares him more than it may scare most because it is a new realization. This definitely adds to the suspense because Douglas is not only questioning everything around him but also on the look out for a serial killer, so all bumps in the night are a reason to jump.
I will also say that the conclusion was not what I saw coming!
Side note: Douglas and his friends did some DANGEROUS things, and I know that we have to suspend our belief when reading, but the whole time as an adult I wanted to yell at them for being so ridiculously careless in their safety by searching for a serial killer! Kids: Do not do that at home!
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=17572
emilie_rose's review
4.0
Death and Douglas is about a 12 year old boy named Douglas and his two friends, Audrey and Lowell, who after a serial killer starts murdering people in their small town, decide to investigate the murders. Douglas also happens to be the only child of the town's two morticians, giving him an interesting take on death.
I enjoyed this book. It was just the right amount of creepy, considering it is meant for kids, but it does definitely make you a little nervous. I liked the writing of this book. At times, Douglas did seem a bit older then twelve, but much of that can be attributed to his upbringing, so I didn't really mind it.
I also liked that these kids didn't find out who the murderer was by figuring out clues and solving anything. They were wrong the whole time about what the murderer wanted. They didn't know anything until the murderer came after them and they had to defend themselves. I likes not being able to solve this book's mystery, since there wasn't really a way to do that. Any one you would likely think of as the murderer is wrong and there was no real way to guess who it was.
I enjoyed this book. It was just the right amount of creepy, considering it is meant for kids, but it does definitely make you a little nervous. I liked the writing of this book. At times, Douglas did seem a bit older then twelve, but much of that can be attributed to his upbringing, so I didn't really mind it.
I also liked that these kids didn't find out who the murderer was by figuring out clues and solving anything. They were wrong the whole time about what the murderer wanted. They didn't know anything until the murderer came after them and they had to defend themselves. I likes not being able to solve this book's mystery, since there wasn't really a way to do that. Any one you would likely think of as the murderer is wrong and there was no real way to guess who it was.
egbert's review
4.0
Originally this book seemed to be set up as a murder mystery who-done-it following a young man chasing a serial killed threatening his hometown. I was curious about the interesting circumstances in which Douglas Mortimer grew up in. In the end though, I got much more than just a middle grade murder mystery. The discussion of death, both natural and unnatural was what took the cake for me. I loved how the story became one of a boy who has been around death his whole life learning in his own way why death is such an important part of life. It also has some really good humor between three best friends and a kick butt action centered ending. I will say the pacing at the beginning was slow so it took me a bit to enjoy the story. Still recommend for middle grade readers and those that like that range of reading.
thedizzyreader's review
3.0
Just the right blend of mystery and spookiness in this thought-provoking middle grade adventure to find a murderer. The ending felt rushed and Douglas's reaction especially not consistent with the rest of the novel, though.
binxthinx's review
2.0
Really disappointing. For the Halloween king, the author doesn’t do a great job making a fresh, creative kid book. It uses references and tired cliches to get across a mood, instead of making Cowlmouth stand on its own, as a memorable place. The ending is stupid, the resolution quick and not satisfying, the middle drags, the friend characters are annoying and/or poorly developed, and the main character is just a vessel to shove the author’s thoughts on death into. Douglas doesn’t have much of a personality besides he’s the boy who grew up in the funeral home. Nothing about him is anything other than what you’d expect for that backstory under the assumption Ocker wants to show death awareness is good for kids.
Which it is, I think he has some good points and scenes explaining that, but many ham-fisted soapbox ones. He also just tries to shove in references and research in, which sometimes land, but often feel forced. Many of the death-involved characters are parodies - the two monster obsessed gravediggers, the multiple piercing morgue technician, the boy who only wears suits. I would like to see more “normal” people’s involvement with death, rather than serial killers and quirky people who fetishize it. I would love to have seen more about Douglas seeing more of the effects of death on people (something his dad brings up several times) and more of his dad (who had promise as a character), but it’s usually just a spooky set piece or background thing. Also those bratty kids running around the basement smearing their greasy fingers over the coffins and poking around the chemicals and bodies...ugh. I get that he’s trying to normalize death for kids, but a lot of the disrespect the kids show still makes it seem like they don’t understand it- and two of the kids even admit it.
It’s a corny book about kids playing detective and they don’t really solve anything...they just stumble upon the killer who happens to be targeting them and then are chased for a while. The ending glosses over the motivation of the serial killer and ends with a party. This book could’ve been something, just odd it’s aimed for 8-12 year olds. If it didn’t pander to the younger end of the audience, I think it could’ve really said something important. As it stands, it’s a silly Halloween book for kids with random attempts at insight that don’t end up mattering.
Which it is, I think he has some good points and scenes explaining that, but many ham-fisted soapbox ones. He also just tries to shove in references and research in, which sometimes land, but often feel forced. Many of the death-involved characters are parodies - the two monster obsessed gravediggers, the multiple piercing morgue technician, the boy who only wears suits. I would like to see more “normal” people’s involvement with death, rather than serial killers and quirky people who fetishize it. I would love to have seen more about Douglas seeing more of the effects of death on people (something his dad brings up several times) and more of his dad (who had promise as a character), but it’s usually just a spooky set piece or background thing. Also those bratty kids running around the basement smearing their greasy fingers over the coffins and poking around the chemicals and bodies...ugh. I get that he’s trying to normalize death for kids, but a lot of the disrespect the kids show still makes it seem like they don’t understand it- and two of the kids even admit it.
It’s a corny book about kids playing detective and they don’t really solve anything...they just stumble upon the killer who happens to be targeting them and then are chased for a while. The ending glosses over the motivation of the serial killer and ends with a party. This book could’ve been something, just odd it’s aimed for 8-12 year olds. If it didn’t pander to the younger end of the audience, I think it could’ve really said something important. As it stands, it’s a silly Halloween book for kids with random attempts at insight that don’t end up mattering.
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
I've been waiting to read this for a VERY long time and there's a COVID story behind the wait. I had it on ILL hold at my library when COVID struck. At that point, it was only a couple of years old. However, my library didn't own it and it was already (way back then) outside the date range for making a patron purchase request. Titles have to be less than a year old for my library to approve patron requests to purchase.
So I had to put in an inter-library loan request (ILL) for it, and with COVID restrictions, it was cancelled. Furthermore, that service was put on hold indefinitely at my library until just recently. About three months ago my library re-started placing ILL requests but didn't announce it was doing so. I found out entirely by happenstance. However, I was able to put in my (new) ILL request and it came pretty quickly.
Many thanks to the Okmulgee, Oklahoma library for fulfilling this reader's ILL request!
By this point, the book is kinda older, published in 2017, I think. But it's lauded as an example of a "kid MC in close proximity to dead bodies via a family mortuary" which I think, back then, was radically new. It's not now, and I'll do a list of other such similar setting books in BiblioCommons, but that's beside the point.
I loved this book!
Douglas thinks he's got death figured out. Seeing, touching, dealing with dead people and their grieving families is no big deal, not when you grow up in the family mortuary, Mortimer Family Funeral Home. He lives in the "house" above the coffin showroom and viewing parlor. Death seems to be natural, normal, the way of life… until it isn't.
A murder victim is brought in to be cleaned up and taken care of by his parents. For the first time, Douglas isn't allowed to view or handle the person and hears whispers of why from the gravediggers: there's an "M" carved into the victim's cheek. On his face!
Douglas' best friend, Lowell, a police officer's son, speculates the letter stands for "murder" or, ominously, "monster."
And suddenly death is anything but natural. Because the bodies keep coming, each with a letter carved in their cheeks.
A serial killer is striking in Douglas' town, Cowlmouth, and death is no longer normal in the cycle of life. It's an abrupt interruption. A foul ripping-of-the fabric-of-a-life-well-lived. It's nothing short of monstruous.
And as Douglas quickly discovers, the killer has no intentions of stopping.
I won't spoil how it ends, just know, this was a riveting read from cover to cover, if a bit grim, and I enjoyed every word of it!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
So I had to put in an inter-library loan request (ILL) for it, and with COVID restrictions, it was cancelled. Furthermore, that service was put on hold indefinitely at my library until just recently. About three months ago my library re-started placing ILL requests but didn't announce it was doing so. I found out entirely by happenstance. However, I was able to put in my (new) ILL request and it came pretty quickly.
Many thanks to the Okmulgee, Oklahoma library for fulfilling this reader's ILL request!
By this point, the book is kinda older, published in 2017, I think. But it's lauded as an example of a "kid MC in close proximity to dead bodies via a family mortuary" which I think, back then, was radically new. It's not now, and I'll do a list of other such similar setting books in BiblioCommons, but that's beside the point.
I loved this book!
Douglas thinks he's got death figured out. Seeing, touching, dealing with dead people and their grieving families is no big deal, not when you grow up in the family mortuary, Mortimer Family Funeral Home. He lives in the "house" above the coffin showroom and viewing parlor. Death seems to be natural, normal, the way of life… until it isn't.
A murder victim is brought in to be cleaned up and taken care of by his parents. For the first time, Douglas isn't allowed to view or handle the person and hears whispers of why from the gravediggers: there's an "M" carved into the victim's cheek. On his face!
Douglas' best friend, Lowell, a police officer's son, speculates the letter stands for "murder" or, ominously, "monster."
And suddenly death is anything but natural. Because the bodies keep coming, each with a letter carved in their cheeks.
A serial killer is striking in Douglas' town, Cowlmouth, and death is no longer normal in the cycle of life. It's an abrupt interruption. A foul ripping-of-the fabric-of-a-life-well-lived. It's nothing short of monstruous.
And as Douglas quickly discovers, the killer has no intentions of stopping.
I won't spoil how it ends, just know, this was a riveting read from cover to cover, if a bit grim, and I enjoyed every word of it!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/