ThatBeMeDiana's Reviews > The Grave of Lainey Grace

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The Grave of Lainey Grace caught me unexpected. I started reading the book assuming to get a heartfelt coming of age story and yet I got more. What I read was something magical. Little Sarah is ten years old and her favorite place to hangout is with her Grandpa while he works at the cemetery. For a majority of the year, the cemetery is what you would expect. Sarah helps her Grandpa rake leaves, collect flower bulbs, and lock up gates. But for one day of the year when the last leaf of summer falls, something happens that nobody can explain. Piles upon piles of roses are laid on the grave of Lainey Grace, a mystery to the town. Nobody knows who puts the roses there, how the person bypasses the locked gates and traps, or who Lainey Grace even is. It’s a magical mystery that Sarah never found the urge until she learns that her Grandpa might be fired from his job if the roses appear again. Determined to help, Sarah sneaks out in hopes to catch the rose givers but found something else. A leprechaun.

The book is split into three parts, for three different years of Sarah trying to catch the rose givers. It’s a story about wonder and the innocence of a child to believe in magical creatures, but it’s also about grief and hurting. Sarah puts so much of her belief into these creatures she meets and is hurt that her parents don’t believe her. It’s enjoyable to read as Sarah learns more about magic and also reality every page. She learns how to grow up but to not lose her curiosity and faith in the impossible. The force that is Sarah is able to affect everyone around her with her honesty and charisma. I recommend this book to middle schoolers and under for an adventure that promotes imagination and creativity in children.