Reviews

Conversations with the Dead by Jim Bates

hugbandit7's review

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4.0

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was drawn into Jazzy's life and his new ability to be able to speak to the dead. Since Jazzy is on the outskirts of his classmates, outside of his new best friend Mona, researching the dead people he feels a connection to at the cemeteries helps him understand the tragedy they underwent in death.

I enjoyed watching these two forge a friendship and research the different people in the cemeteries. I had to laugh that Jazzy didn't stop to think about getting the names from the tombstones, so they had to do more work trying to figure out who these different people were. He even comments that the research would be easier if he had just stopped and gotten their names. I agree Jazzy.

There are moments of abuse by Jazzy's grandfather, so if that is a trigger for you, you may want to skip this book or at least skip over those sections. I am not sure what year this book is set, but it isn't current day. I would say perhaps the 1990s or early 2000s only because of the lack of technology.

This could almost be a middle-grade book because of the age of the characters, but I'd classify it more YA just due to the content.

Overall, I found the book fascinating and enjoyed the journey that Jazzy was on and where he might end up.

We give this book 4 paws up.
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