"Graveyards can be scary and sinister places, but to twelve-year old Lincoln Crenshaw, they’re practically home.”
When Linc starts junior high in a public school in the fall after being homeschooled for years, he thinks this may be his chance to fit in and be “normal.” No such luck when his social studies teacher has their class adopt a grave at the local cemetery, which just happens to be in Linc’s backyard, and a place he has frequently visited with his professor mother (who specializes in burial practices.) Then Linc meets a fellow classmate who has discovered a grave that seems somehow connected to Linc and his family, and Linc himself decides to disprove the legend of the black angel, an impressive memorial in the cemetery.
As Linc and his classmate get closer to solving their grave mysteries, Linc begins to discover more about his family’s past and learns that there are no coincidences. This was an interesting read with lots of cemetery facts thrown in. As Linc discovers his connection to the cemetery and the grave of a man who bears the same name, he learns that growing up is a lot harder than he thought.
Grades 4 through 8 320 pages
Editor's Note: This is a humorous story that ultimately explores the grief process and friendship.
Recommended by Alice Cyphers, Librarian, Pennsylvania USA
