Grounded

A middle grade novel about a 12-year-old girl dealing with loss, who uncovers a rather grisly scam involving a crematorium. After her brother, sister, and father die in a plane crash, Daralynn Oakland receives 237 dolls from well-wishers, resulting in her nickname: Dolly. But dolls are little comfort to a twelve-year-old girl whose world is rocked by the dramatic changes in her life, including her angry, grieving mother's new job as a hairstylist at the local funeral home. Dolly gets a job, too, where she accidentally invents a fashionable new haircut. But in Grounded by Kate Klise, her real work begins when a crematorium comes to town, and someone has to save a dying business, solve a burning mystery, and resuscitate the broken hearts show more in Digginsville, Missouri, population 402. show less

A great quick read that lightens the pain , grief felt when there has been tragedy in a family, in this case the death of a father and his 2 children in a plane crash. After her brother, sister, and father die in a plane crash, Daralynn Oakland (12- 13) receives 237 dolls from well-wishers, resulting in her nickname: Dolly. But dolls are little comfort to a twelve-year-old girl whose world is rocked by the dramatic changes in her life, including her angry, grieving mother's new job as a hairstylist at the local funeral home. Dolly gets a job, too, where she accidentally invents a fashionable new haircut. But her real work begins when a crematorium comes to town, and someone has to save a dying business, solve a burning mystery about her show more outgoing flashy/trashy Aunt Josie and her new gentleman friend.
As sad as this scenario is the author has written the story from Daralyn's (Dolly) voice and this has come across as lighthearted, candid somewhat humorous , innocent and it is this narrative style that makes the story enjoyable to read. Klise (author) brought the small country town and its characters to life so well that they resonated with me as they rallied around Daralyn her mother and her grandmother who had the onset of dementia. Definitely worth the time to read. show less

Oh so many meanings for the title word grounded. I love the voice, reminiscent of Each Little Bird That Sings. Lots of interesting people, action and a bit of mystery too.

Dolly's life is saved when she gets grounded and doesn't fly with her father, sister and brother on their fateful flight. Left with an angry mother and a job at the mother's hair salon, Dolly finds that her real job is investigating her aunt's new boyfriend. Are her instincts correct? Is the mysterious Mr. Clem as shifty as he seems? Another great read for 3rd graders-7th graders from Kate Klise.

Grounded tells the story of Daralynn whose life was spared because her mother had grounded her. Daralynn would have been in the plane with her father, brother and sister when it crashed had she not gotten in trouble for going fishing without her mother's permission. Grounded shows how the tragedy affects each family member and what they need to do to heal. Well written and intriguing book.

Good book about grief and family. I liked the characters and the setting. It didn't make me cry, so I rated it a little lower than others of this genre that I've read. I liked the way the author used grounded and its different meanings.

A short, quick read, but hardly worth the time I spent on it. I believe I wouldn't be as frustrated with myself if I would have just sat down one evening and finished it, but instead I strung it along for about a week.
I tried reading this book from one of my student's perspectives and found it dull and boring. (As an adult I rather enjoyed the characters). When reading the blurb the book sounds a lot more 'demented' that what it truly is, until the end, but by that time I believe the average student will have lost interest in the book.
Basically a family dies and a mother and daughter (who most people call Dolly) are left alone to deal with the consequences. The setting of the book doesn't help much either, because there are several show more references to movie stars or singers from the early 60's/70's era that none of the students reading this book are going to understand. I believe this book would have been a lot more successful had it been either based in todays setting....or the tie-in's from the much earlier generation were left out completely. show less