Bibliographic
Information
Me, the Missing,
and the Dead by Jenny Valentine. HarperTeen. (2007).
Price: $17.89 for library binding
Pages: 208 for library binding
Plot Summary
Fifteen-year-old Lucas Swain is trying his best to make
it through life without his Dad but is finding it difficult. Five years ago his
father disappeared. His mother thinks he deliberately ran away but Lucas
worries that he was involved in a tragic accident or is being kept somewhere
against his will. Lucas, however, is the only one who believes this and it’s
hard to hold onto hope when his mother is becoming more bitter and depressed by
the day while his sister is constantly involved with men who are bad news.
Fortunately, life begins to look up when one night Lucas enters a taxi cab
office only to find an old woman’s ashes in an urn waiting to be claimed. Someone
had left her in the back of a taxi cab and never returned for her. Although
Lucas thinks it’s crazy, he is convinced that Violet, the dead woman, is speaking
to him from beyond the grave, begging him to save her from the taxi cab office.
Suddenly, Lucas has a purpose in life as he is determined to save her, discover
who she was, and why she was left in the back of a cab. Surprisingly, the more
he learns about Violet the more he learns about his father making him conclude
that Violet may be the perfect person to solve the mystery behind his father’s disappearance.
Critical
Evaluation
Me, the Missing,
and the Dead is complex story of a family who has experienced great loss.
Through reading the book readers quickly learn how devastating the loss of a
father can be. While Lucas’ mother tries her best she does not disguise the
fact that she wishes she had never married their Dad or had children. This,
combined with their Dad’s disappearance, severely affects Lucas and his older
sister Mercy leading Lucas to lionize his father while Mercy sleeps with
multiple unsavory men. Jed, the youngest of the three and the only one who
never knew his father, seems to be the only untouched one of the family making him
the one that keeps the family afloat with his continual zest for life coupled
with his innocence and wonder.
Family life is further complicated by Lucas’ paternal
grandparents who gave Lucas’ mother their home, partly in recompense for their
son’s disappearance. While grandmother Pansy is as sharp as ever her husband,
Norman, is not because of the multiple small strokes he has suffered. His
memory comes and goes leaving him with no friends save his grandson Jed. Over
the course of the novel, Lucas learns that his grandparents’ views of his
father are just as mixed as those within his own home. While his grandmother
remembers her son with fondness, his grandfather calls him a scoundrel.
The complexity of the Swains helps create near perfect
pacing for the novel as Lucas’ relationship with them guides him closer to
solving the mystery of his father’s disappearance. The dead woman, Violet, is
the common thread that runs throughout the novel. She is the catalyst that
encourages people to finally share their secret thoughts and feelings just as
she is partly responsible for bringing new life to Gran and Lucas. Because of
the complex characters, excellent pacing, and intriguing mystery readers will
tear through Me, the Missing, and the
Dead and when they finish will wish for a sequel.
Reader’s
Annotation
Fifteen-year-old
Lucas might finally discover what happened to his father when dead woman Violet
begin to speak to him.
About the
Author
British novelist Jenny Valentine has written nine novels.
When she is not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband running their
health food store.
Genre
Mystery; Supernatural fiction
Readalikes
Being Billy by
Phil Earle
·
Billy struggles with anger after his mother gave
him away forcing him to spend eight years in a care home.
Bog Child by
Siobhan Dowd
·
When Fergus helps uncover the body of child who
was murdered centuries ago he tries to help her while he tries to navigate his
difficult family life.
Broken Soup by
Jenny Valentine
·
Also by Jenny Valentine, Rowan tries to find a
mysterious boy whose picture she has while taking care of her younger sister.
Tags
15 yr. old, Cancer, Dentist, Depressed mother, Family
secrets, Girlfriend, London, England, Missing father, Mother with cancer, Old
movies, Older sister, Piano, Single mother, Younger brother
Awards
Won/Lists On
2007 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize
2008 Branford Boase Shortlist
2008 Carnegie Medal Shortlist
2009 ALA Best Books for YAs
2009 In the book 1001
Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2009 William C. Morris YA Debut Finalist
Professional
Reviews
Buffalo News
Horn Books
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
Booktalk Ideas
Lucas’ Thoughts on Secrets (61-62)
Wishing for the Impossible (115-116)
Bibliotherapeutic
Usefulness
This would be an excellent novel to read for teens who have
had a parent disappear or refuse to be involved in their lives. It can also be
helpful for those who have lost a parent through death.
Reading
Level/Interest Level
Reading Level: 6th grade
Interest Level: 9th-12th grade
These levels are according to AR Bookfinder
Challenge
Issues
This book includes the following potentially
controversial elements:
·
Adultery
·
Assisted suicide
·
Cocaine usage
·
Ghost?
·
Illegitimate child
·
Lying to children/parents
·
Missing father
·
Pot smoking
·
Promiscuity
·
Shoplifting
·
Single mother
·
Slight profanity
·
Underage smoking
·
Unhappy marriage
Librarians can point out that while this novel contains
difficult themes it also discusses the importance of a father within the lives
of his children. It also advocates for close family relationships, teens
becoming friends with their grandparents, and honesty between family members.
Why Was This
Included?
I included this book because I am doing a presentation on
ghosts. I also wanted to include it because it was a Morris finalist.
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