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**Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Book One ****by Kate Klise **

 Ignatius B. Grumply moves into the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road hoping to find some peace and quiet so he can crack a wicked case of writer's block. But 43 Old Cemetery Road is already occupied by eleven-year-old Seymour, his cat Shadow, and an irritable ghost named Olive. It's hard to say who is more outraged. But a grumpy old ghost just might inspire this grumpy old man--and the abandoned kid? Well, let's just say his last name's Hope.

 Sisters Kate and M. Sarah Klise offer up this debut volume in a new series told in letters, drawings, newspaper articles, a work-in-progress manuscript, and even an occasional tombstone engraving.

 Check out this video interview with Kate and M. Sarah Klise.

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 * Why is this book written in letters? **

A story written in the form of letters between characters is called an epistolary novel. Here is a pretty good explanation:

An epistolary novel is also called a novel of letters, because the narration takes place in the form of letters, possibly journal entries, and occasionally newspaper reports. An epistle is an archaic term for a letter. The epistolary novel is an interesting literary technique, because it allows a writer to include multiple narrators in his or her story. This means the story can be told and interpreted from numerous viewpoints. (source: http://www.wisegeek.com )

An epistolary novel today would also include modern technology communications such as emails, text messages, Twitter tweets, blog entries, and other forms of social networking.
 * Why do the people have such weird sounding names in this story? **

This is the author's fun way of helping you to get to know the characters in the story and to understand their personality. Look at the list of characters and you decide what the name tells you about their personality.

Ignatius B. Grumply (the writer who has come to live at 43 Old Cemetery Road) Anita Sale (real estate agent trying to sell 43 Old Cemetery Road) E. Gadds ( Mr. Grumply's lawyer) Paige Turner (Mr. Grumply's publisher) Olive C. Spence (the ghost who resides at 43 Old Cemetery Road) Professors Les and Diane Hope (Seymour's parents) Seymour Hope (an 11-year-old boy left by his parents to fend for himself in a haunted house) Frank N. Beans (a private investigator)
 * What's in a Name?**

//**Dying to Understand Your Name**//-literature connection activity based on the following list of names.
 * Printable activity**:



Chief librarian: M. Balm (embalm-a technique used to preserve a body) Grocery store owner: Kay Daver-(cadaver-a corpse or dead body) Woman whose chicken was stolen: Fay Tality (fatality or death from injury) dog: Mort Tality (mortality or condition of being mortal, yet susceptible to dying) kid who likes Mr. Grumply's books: Paul Bearer (pall bearer or a person who carries a coffin at a funeral) kid who likes Mr. Grumply's books: Sammy Tarry (cemetery or a place where people are buried when they die)
 * Minor characters have unique Death related names:**

Ms. Murphy would be "Olive Books" which sounds like I love books.
 * Create a " weird name" for yourself that reflects your type of personality.**

Other books in the series:

**Over My Dead Body: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Book 2** The news from Ghastly, Illinois, is //grave//—and that’s something to laugh about! The International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY) dictates that Seymour cannot live in the mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road “without the benefit of parents.” Ignatius B. Grumply tries to explain to Dick Tater, the head of IMSPOOKY, that he and Seymour are in a lovely living arrangement with the ghost of Olive C. Spence. Dick Tater is not convinced. But this clever trio can’t be broken up as easily as he imagines. ..

= Till Death Do Us Bark: 43 Old Cemetery Road: Book 3 = When a dog arrives at Spence Mansion, Seymour is overjoyed. His adoptive parents, Ignatius B. Grumply and Olive C. Spence, are less enthusiastic—especially when Secret, the dog, begins barking all night long. Is it possible Secret just misses his old companion, the late Noah Breth, whose children are fighting like cats and dogs over their father’s money? Or does Secret have a secret that, in the end, will make the entire town of Ghastly howl with delight?

This third book in the 43 Old Cemetery Road series, a runaway mystery told in letters, limericks, a last will, and loose change, is guaranteed to please anyone who’s ever tried to keep a secret. = = =  =