Dying to Meet You

Ignatius B. Grumply, an author who hasn't written a new book in more than 20 years, rents an old Victorian house in Ghastly, Illinois for the summer in hopes of finishing a book. It will be the 13th book in his Ghost Tamer series. He's really got to finish it, as he owes back rent, copious amounts of attorney fees and has spent a $100,000 advance from his publisher. He believes a summer of peace and quiet in a big rambling house will help him conquer his writer's block and churn out a book. Boy, is he ever wrong. When he gets to Ghastly, he finds his house inhabited by a little boy, his cat....and a ghost. Turns out the contract he signed to rent the house included care of little Seymour Hope and his cat Shadow. You see, his parents show more think he is .... well, crazy....because he says he is friends with a ghost in the house named Olive. And, they are big-wig scientists going on a tour of Europe to present proof that ghosts don't exist. What could be more embarrassing to them than a son who says he is friends with a ghost? Needless to say, Grumply is grumpy that he has to share his house with a boy. And the boy and ghost are grumpy that they have to share with Grumply. This book is filled with letters written between all the characters over that magical summer. Can Grumply make friends with his housemates, and write his book??

I think this is one of the most charming and fun children's stories I've ever read! The concept is creative and cute. The illustrations are just as much a part of the story as the text itself. This was fun to read!! There are seven books in this series and I will definitely be reading them all. I think the cutest thing about the story is that all the names are puns: Olive C. Spence, Anita Sale (a real estate agent), Seymour Hope (the little boy) and his parents Les and Diane Hope, Frank N. Beans (private Investigator) and I.B. Grumply. Too cute!

Definitely 5 star rating from me.....what a hoot!! :) show less

43 Old Cemetery Road: A place you HAVE to see!

June 20, 2009 by Emily | Edit

Kate and M. Sarah Klise have done it again, with their new series 43 Old Cemetery Road!

This graphic epistolary novel – yes, for real! – is a total hoot! I couldn’t help but turn page after page, even though it was way past my bedtime. But the characters – with pun-y names like Anita Sale and Paige Turner – were so engaging! And the story was so delightful! And the illustrations – well, you’ll have to see for yourself! How fun!

43 Old Cemetery Road is a ramshackle mansion in a small town, where I.B. Grumply, a curmudgeonly children’s author with a serious case of writers block . Little did he know (and here’s why you should ALWAYS read the fine show more print, kids) he’s not the only resident at this estate. In fact, the owners have left him in charge of their 11-year-old son, Seymour, and his cat, Shadow

I.B. Grumply may write books for children, but he certainly doesn’t like them. He especially doesn’t like loud children who are always slamming doors and playing the piano when he’s trying to write.

Seymour, of course, claims it wasn’t him. It was the ghost, Olive C. Spence, a failed writer whose manuscripts for graphic epistolary novels were rejected by more publishers that you can imagine (did I mention this new series is bursting at the edges with publishing humor?) – and she doesn’t like I.B. Grumply, not one bit.

Not that I.B. Grumply believes in ghosts. He may write about them, but that doesn’t make them real.

Of course through newspaper articles, letters, and drawings, as this story plays out, we do find that there is a way for all the tenants of 43 Old Cemetery Road to live in harmony. But not before much hijinx, hilarity, and mayhem have ensued.

This is a great pick for reluctant readers, ghost-story lovers, and anyone who likes a well-illustrated story. There’s nothing out there quite like the Klises, so I highly recommend you check this series out.

http://kidsblog.bookpeople.com show less

Here’s a new genre for you – “graphic epistolary mystery!” Not sure what that is? Fans of Kate Klise’s, Regarding the …, series will know and so you will you after reading this first in a new series, 43 Old Cemetery Road. Kate Klise and her sister, illustrator M. Sarah Klise, return to their signature format of illustrated, mystery novels written in the form of letters.

Similar to their previous collaborations, Regarding the Fountain, Regarding the Sink, and subsequent titles in that series, Dying to Meet You unfolds through a series of letters. This time, penned by a boy, a ghost, a real estate agent, a literary agent, a writer, and a lawyer, the letters seek to unravel the story of the peculiar circumstances regarding the show more old Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road. Writer, Ignatius Grumply, has rented the mansion for the summer but is unaware that it is already inhabited by the young boy, Seymour Hope and a ghost, Olive C. Spence. Humor abounds in the simple black and white sketches, the characters’ names (Anita Sale, real estate agent, Fay Tality and her dog Mort), and of course, in the epistles,

"P.S. I recognize the name Olive C. Spence. Isn’t she the woman listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the most rejection slips in history? If memory serves, she wrote something called graphic epistolary mysteries – or some such unmarketable nonsense."

Sometimes profound,

"All I’m saying is that your life is a story, and that you are the main character of that story. Is your story a comedy or a tragedy? Is it dull? Or is it a compelling, spine-tingling drama? …each of us is the author of his or her own
life,...if you're telling me that you've changed, I'm pleased at your authorship."

but mostly light-hearted, the new 43 Cemetery Road series will appeal to 4th-6th graders, boys, and especially fans of the Regarding the… series. show less

This little book is delightfully fun, is full of clever wordplay, and can probably best be described as an epistolary-ghost story-graphic novel. Ignatius B. Grumply, the disagreeable old writer of children's ghost stories is suffering from a 20-year case of writer's block, and in desperation, rents a crumbling old 32 1/2 room mansion in Ghastly, Illinois for the summer to write the 13th book in the series, for which he has already received and spent his advance. Much to his intense displeasure, the house is already occupied by an 11 year-old (living) boy named Seymour Hope, and Olive C. Spence, a 190 year old ghost, who when alive was a failed author. Olive loves and cares for Seymour, and the two of them conspire to "manage" Mr. show more Grumply, and save Olive's beloved home from demolition. A very quick, fun read, and a terrific start to a series that would be great for reluctant readers ages 8 or so and up.

Curriculum: great introduction to the epistolary style. Mentor text for letter writing format.

Klise, K. & Klise, M. (2010). Dying to meet you. Boston: Sandpiper. show less

When Ignatius B. Grumply rents the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road hoping to find some peace and quiet so he can finally rid himself of his dreaded writer’s block - little did he know what a task it would become.

For starters, 43 Old Cemetery Road is already occupied - Seymour Hope is an 11 year old boy whose parents (the owners of the house) have left behind while touring Europe. Seymour and his cat Shadow are residing in the house and have no intentions of letting anyone else move into the place - much less the grouchy, I.B. Grumply. Also living in the house is an irritable ghost named Olive C. Spence - who’s rather put out by Mr. Grumply’s moving in. It's hard to say who is more outraged... but a grumpy old ghost just show more might inspire this grumpy old man- and the abandoned kid?

The story is told in a series of letters, e-mails, newspaper clippings and a few drawings (done by one of the main characters). I fell in love with this short little story and devoured in about an hour tops. The characters are quick and witty. The illustrations were just amazing - I loved all the little details (especially when Olive was in the picture and you’d see her glasses floating around). The word play and the characters names [i.e. Anita Sale (realtor); M. Balm (librarian); E. Gadds (attorney)] were quirky and just impressively clever.

I fell in love with the Klises’ style and their sense of humor. I found this to be a very unique and engaging read with a bit of a mystery (but nothing too scary). It is great for all ages - but is definitely geared towards a young crowd. Best part of it all, more books coming soon. show less

I had so much fun reading 43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise! It was such a unique book that I was easily able to read it in one day and had to go out and get the rest of the books in the series. Having a story revealed through letters, pictures, notes, and newspaper articles was intriguing. The names of the characters were unique and the puns the author used had me thinking. I didn’t want to miss a thing! Since the book involved the supernatural world I was never sure what was going to happen. I recommend this book to kids and adults of all ages. A sense of humor is a must! It is especially fun to notice all the clever names and hidden meanings.

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise is a clever and engaging first story in a series for grade 4-6 students about a grumpy children’s book author who doesn’t like children. He rents an old Victorian mansion for the summer with the intention of finishing the next installment in his famous Ghost Tamer children’s book series. This will be his first book following a twenty-year dry spell, and Ignatious B. Grumply has run out of money and is behind deadline. Interrupted continually by slamming doors, and piano playing, Ignatious’ writing efforts are thwarted by the surprise inhabitants upstairs - Seymour, an eleven year old boy, his cat, Shadow, and a ghost named Olive.
The evolution of their relationship, from disbelieving curmudgeon to show more friend and coauthor is enchanting. Olive is the ghost of Olive C. Spence, who built the mansion in the late 1800s as a place for her writing. She hosted lavish parties and wrote dozens of graphic mysteries which were ultimately never published. Olive had a concept that was ahead of its time – a reference to the popularity of graphic novels today.
At the time of her death, she vowed to haunt the mansion as well as the town of Ghastly, Illinois until her writing was published. Olive cooks and cares for Seymour, and they are partnered in their effort to prevent the mansion from being sold. (Seymour’s parents own the home and have been trying to sell it. They are touring in Europe, and their abandonment of Seymour is a bit of a stretch).
Written in the form of correspondence between the characters, this style of writing might engage or thwart some students. I wondered if the beginning, somewhat choppy hodgepodge of letters, flyers and newspaper articles might stall a reader. The story mainly utilizes letter correspondence from there on in.
The escapades involved in ridding the mansion of old Grumply, and the charming evolution of the relationships between the characters is endearing and fun to read. Students will enjoy how Grumply states his house rules, among them, #3: ‘no lurking in doorways or dark hallways,’ only to receive 11-year old Seymour’s stated rules in reply, including ‘you will not tell me when to go to bed,’ and ‘you won’t ask me to read any of your books!’ They will also enjoy the clever character names, including Kay Daver, Fay Tality, Shirley U. Jest, and author I.B. Grumply. The story ends with each character developing and contributing to the final outcome in their own special way. show less