(Recommended for grade 5 and above)

A Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
Here’s how Booklist describes Grounded: “Dark humor melds with genuine pathos in Klise’s delightful and moving novel, set in Digginsville, Missouri, during the early 1970s. Twelve-year-old Daralynn Oakland is devastated when her father and siblings die in a plane crash. Angry and heart broken, Daralynn’s mother gets a job as hairstylist at the local funeral parlor, while Daralynn comes up with the idea of a ‘living funeral,’ where people can hear their own eulogy and have a chance to thank family and friends. The living funeral is a huge hit until Clem Monroe comes to town and starts a crematorium, undermining the funeral home’s business.”

To learn more about Kate Klise, click here.