Book Thoughts: Grandma You’re Dead!

 

We meet Deena Doon, a 13-year-old girl who lives in Jamaica, West Indies.  Deena lives with her mother and her brother, Peter, who is the bane of her existence.  (He calls her Stinkin’ Toe.)  Deena lived a  typical, if not idyllic childhood.  That is, until Deena’s maternal grandmother shows up.  The visit would not have been so unusual if her grandmother had not been buried two years earlier.

Deena’s reaction to her grandmother’s ghost borders on the comical.  The author of Grandma You’re Dead!, Sharon O. Tai, walks the fine line between childhood impressionist behavior with an eye to the gravity of the situation.  Even I, as an adult reader, felt a few ripples of tension whenever Grandma made an appearance.

The driving force of the story is that the ghost of  Deena’s grandmother needed Deena’s help.  The help was the bizarre request for this 13-year-old to find her grandfather’s grave; he died two years before Deena was born.  The catch?  Deena could not tell anyone including, and especially, not Deena’s mother.  Little did Deena know there were more requests to come!

As the story unfolds, Deena had to tell someone and she chose her BFF Cheryl who became her confidante and partner in crime throughout the rest of the book.  Denna and Cheryl’s relationship is depicted very well.  You can feel the loving comraderie that is woven into their interactions throughout the book.

I refuse to give any spoilers but this is a wonderful book written by a Jamaican author who will either remind you of your childhood, or introduce you to some Caribbean delicacies that you just have to try for yourself!

Deena has some big problems to solve in Grandma You’re Dead!  Read this book and found out for yourself what else Deena’s ghostie grandma requested!

4.5 stars Blogairy Notebooks