corncobwebs 's review for:

Grounded by Kate Klise

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"I'm alive today because I was grounded," narrates Daralynn, 12, whose father, brother, and sister have just died in a plane crash. She would have gone with them, but had to stay home as punishment for going fishing without telling her mother. True, she's still alive - but now she has to deal with the grief of losing most of her family. Well-meaning friends and neighbors try to do her a kindness by giving her dolls, which pile up until she has 237 and earns her the nickname "Dolly." Daralynn doesn't even like dolls, though, and finds that she has no outlet for her grief, especially since her mother doesn't express her emotions. She (Daralynn's mother) throws herself into her work - styling hair on cadavers at a funeral home, and operating her own hair salon (for living people). Her mother keeps her on a very short leash after the plane crash, so since she spends most of her time at the salon anyway, Daralynn starts her own haircutting business for the neighborhood kids. This is how the first summer after the plane crash passes - neither Daralynn nor her mother are happy, but they're existing. Then something happens that shakes up the whole town - Clem's Crematorium moves in, threatening to take business away from the funeral home. Daralynn has the idea for the funeral home to start having "living funerals" - celebrations of peoples' lives while they're still around to enjoy it - as way to stay ahead of the crematorium. But the owner, Clem, will do anything to make a buck, including swindling Daralynn's Aunt Josie out of her money and stealing the idea for living funerals. Daralynn knows that something is afoot with Clem, and starts investigating him. What she discovers is deeply disturbing, yet the whole ordeal helps to snap her mother out of her depression and helps both of them start to express the pain and sadness they've been keeping such a tight lid on. Daralynn is a great narrator - she's direct and honest and even manages to be funny amidst the tragic circumstances of her life. Overall, it's a great novel about loss and about how people who need each other can come together to form a family. The mystery with Clem is an added bonus - it adds a touch of excitement and drama that will keep readers turning the pages.