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From a bestselling author: Miss Peregrine meets The Graveyard Book in this middle grade adventure about rival siblings running a monster mortuary. Thirteen-year-old Molly doesn't know how she got the short end of the stick—being raised by her neglectful father—while Dustin, the older brother she's never met, got their mother and the keys to the family estate. But now the siblings are both orphaned, she's come home for her inheritance, and if Dustin won't welcome her into the family business, then she'll happily take her half in cash. There's just one problem: the family business is a mortuary for monsters, and Molly's not sure she's ready to deal with mysterious doors, talking wolves, a rogue devourer of magic, and a secret cemetery. It's going to take all of Dustin's stuffy supernatural knowledge and Molly's most heroic cosplay (plus a little help from non-human friends) for the siblings to figure it out and save the day...if only they can get along for five minutes. Bestselling author Chuck Wendig's middle grade debut is equal parts spooky, funny, and heartfelt—perfect for Halloween and year-round reading!
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This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“We're a funeral home for monsters,” Vivacia said
“Viv!” Dustin said, scandalized.
“Fine. The supernatural,” the woman corrected. To Molly, in a lower voice, she said: “Monster is a bit of no-no word. We prefer not to use it, and they certainly prefer us not to use it. But we need common ground here, and I hope it helps you to understand.”
“Monsters,” Molly said, repeating the no-no word.
“The supernatural,” Viv corrected again.
“The nonstandard citizens,” Dustin said sharply.
DUST & GRIM
“Mollllllly,” the forest whispered in return.
She shuddered. “That's weird. You should stop that!”
“Sorrrrry,” the forest answered.
Well, at least it's a polite menacing voice.
Neverwhere
Fred, the Vampire Accountant
DUST & GRIM
“What kind of poison?” Dustin asked.
Marsha chimed in: “Mucus-thorn and mire-berry.”
“Is that, like, some kind of alt-folk band?” Molly asked.
“Not as bad as that,” Ember said, grinning like, well, a fox. “But as poisons go? Pretty flappin' bad.”
Dust & Grim
In Dust and Grim Molly discovers a brother, Dustin, she never knew she had when her dad passes away. Molly moves in with Dustin until they figure out inheritance details but she soon discovers there's a lot more to this funeral home than one would expect.
A great middle grade read for children and the young at heart, especially for the spooky season! It has lots of monsters, spookiness, silliness and humor while still being heartwarming and it teaches good lessons. I'd recommend it for people who like plot-driven books more than likeable characters.
The plot was fast paced and intriguing. The mystery was set up well and it made you wanna keep reading to figure out what was going on. I was hooked on the adventure they went on especially after the monsters were introduced.
I really enjoyed all the creatures that were in the book. They were cool, unique and fun to read. And I really enjoyed their characters, they truly were one of the biggest highlights for me. As you'll read below, I liked them a lot more than any human in the book
There are very clear lessons in here about family, responsibility, jealousy... I'd think that this part would be great for the younger reader but maybe a bit obvious for the older ones.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot a lot more than characters which is why I really struggled at the beginning of the book. I found the main characters highly unlikeable. Molly is very abrasive and hardened for her age, which, to be fair, makes sense with her background. But then Dustin and Vivacia who are old enough to know better, treat a 13 year old unnecessarily bad. At times it felt like those old movies/books where people would treat kids badly for no reason. Especially considering none of the conflict of the book would have happened if they were just slightly nicer to one another. I can't call it the miscommunication trope, since it was more like no commnunication.
Overall though, I'd think that this would make a great read for the younger audience. The author really created a fun and unique world in this book with some great messages and lessons.
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