You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
aliterarylion 's review for:
Grounded
by Kate Klise
While I did enjoy this book from one of my favorite authors, it was a very heavy read. I felt very drained reading Grounded, but I'm glad I did. Not all books are an escape, but rather a smudged mirror of the reality some people have to withstand.
Grounded is about 12-year-old tomboy Daralynn who was grounded by her mother because she went fishing in the local pond without her permission. As punishment, she was not allowed to go on a flight with her siblings as her father pilots the plane. Horrifically, the plane crashes. Daralynn, her mother, and her hinted-Alzheimer's grandmother are all left to grieve. She is sent hundreds of baby dolls by well-wishers and regrettably earns the nickname Dolly. Her mother, Hattie, arranged her family so beautifully for their coffins that she becomes a hair stylist for the town while Dolly helps clean.
This book dropped hints throughout that it took place during the seventies: Perry Mason, Vietnam War, radio shows. I believe this is a reference to the author's childhood. It's a very immersive reading experience and I think that's why I was so connected emotionally.
Dolly was a character easy to like and relate. She felt bereft without her family and struggling to fight the numbness. Her Aunt Josie and Uncle Waldo helped the family get back on their feet. They provided wonderful side characters and a caring environment.
In every Kate Klise book, you need to have a mystery with a smart kid to solve it. Some sneaky snake charming man named Clem rolls into town with a mobile crematorium. He is starting to take away the local funeral home's customers and has Aunt Josie wrapped around his little finger. It's up to Dolly to find his real motives and the suspicious new business. It leads her back to her fishing hole, Lake Doc, where everything began.
The mystery was easy to guess, but not in the way I imagined. Grounded is a wonderful story about loss, family, kindness, and honesty. It is classified as young adult, but wonderful for all ages.
Grounded is about 12-year-old tomboy Daralynn who was grounded by her mother because she went fishing in the local pond without her permission. As punishment, she was not allowed to go on a flight with her siblings as her father pilots the plane. Horrifically, the plane crashes. Daralynn, her mother, and her hinted-Alzheimer's grandmother are all left to grieve. She is sent hundreds of baby dolls by well-wishers and regrettably earns the nickname Dolly. Her mother, Hattie, arranged her family so beautifully for their coffins that she becomes a hair stylist for the town while Dolly helps clean.
This book dropped hints throughout that it took place during the seventies: Perry Mason, Vietnam War, radio shows. I believe this is a reference to the author's childhood. It's a very immersive reading experience and I think that's why I was so connected emotionally.
Dolly was a character easy to like and relate. She felt bereft without her family and struggling to fight the numbness. Her Aunt Josie and Uncle Waldo helped the family get back on their feet. They provided wonderful side characters and a caring environment.
In every Kate Klise book, you need to have a mystery with a smart kid to solve it. Some sneaky snake charming man named Clem rolls into town with a mobile crematorium. He is starting to take away the local funeral home's customers and has Aunt Josie wrapped around his little finger. It's up to Dolly to find his real motives and the suspicious new business. It leads her back to her fishing hole, Lake Doc, where everything began.
The mystery was easy to guess, but not in the way I imagined. Grounded is a wonderful story about loss, family, kindness, and honesty. It is classified as young adult, but wonderful for all ages.