Vicki Grant

Vicki Grant pulls off a neat trick in this novel. She tells quite a sophisticated and provocative story, keeps it believably ambiguous and messy, moves it along at a dramatic pace, and does all of this with language and structure that make it accessible to readers with a variety of reading levels.

Vicki Grant’s Death by Whoopee Cushion is a blast! Manya is embarrassed by the immature jokes her parents are always making as the owners of “Pranks-A-Million,” a joke and novelty shop. Her dad has even created a Fun-cubator lab where he is coming up with items that are sillier and grosser than anything ever seen before.

When someone is killed by one of their experimental whoopee cushions, Manya’s parents are sent to jail, and she has to move in with her best friend Isaac’s family. show more Together, she and Isaac look for evidence to exonerate her parents and find themselves in a complicated web of secrets and danger.

This book has the perfect combination of humor and high stakes. The story maintains a quick pace as Isaac and Manya uncover layers of the plot. Although this is a very plot-driven novel, Manya, Isaac, and their families are given enough character development that I really cared about them. I felt Manya’s heartbreak with the media circus and mob mentality that turns against her parents after the whoopee cushion accident. As more and more new clues turned up, I hoped that each one would help reunite Manya with her parents. Death by Whoopee Cushion has heart and humor. It’s one I will be highly recommending this school year! show less

Death by Whoopee Cushion is a wonderfully fun read that doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is exactly why it works so well. Vicki Grant has a knack for balancing humor, mystery, and mischief in a way that keeps the pages turning. The story is playful and engaging, filled with just enough twists to keep young readers hooked, while still being lighthearted enough that adults can enjoy it too.

I had a great time with this book and found myself laughing along the way. It captures the joy show more of being a kid, where even something as silly as a whoopee cushion can spark an adventure. I know it is a story I will revisit, and I look forward to reading it again with my daughter when she is old enough to join in the fun. This book is clever, entertaining, and a perfect reminder that reading can be pure joy. show less

Yardley is a quirky and relatable middle grade voice that surprised me with her fun life and death perspectives. I enjoyed her theatrical family and how much they loved each other.

This book deals with difficult life topics such as grief, death, assisted death, and thoughts/wishes of being dead. The friendship between Yardley and Harris starts off as enemies because of misunderstandings and past hurts that have been kept secret. I loved watching them grow closer and grow as people who can let show more others back into their lives.

This book surprised me in the best ways and had me feeling all the emotions. I never saw the plot twist which is always a delight, especially when it felt perfect for the story. show less