Over My Dead Body

43 Old Cemetery Road #2

by Kate Klise, M. Sarah Klise (Illustrator)

The news from Ghastly, Illinois, is grave, indeed.

The International for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY) dictates that eleven-year-old Seymour Hope cannot live in the Spence Mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road "without the benefit of parents." Best-selling author Ignatius B. Grumply tries to explain to Dick Tater, the head of IMSPOOKY, that he and Seymour are in a perfectly happy and safe living (and publishing!) arrangement with the ghost of Olive C. Spence. But Dick Tater is not convinced. He commits Grumply to an insane asylum, sends Seymour to an orphanage, and announces plans to exhume Olive's body.

Luckily, this clever trio can't be broken up so easily as Dick Tater imagines. And the Halloween surprise they have in store will leave him in hysterics.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Middle Grade, Ghosts, Childrens, Paranormal

118 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Catherine "Kate" Klise is an American author of children's literature. Many of her books are illustrated by her sister, M. Sarah Klise. Their popular Regarding series is presented in a scrapbook style format, with letters, journal entries, and related ephemera telling the story. She is also known for her picture books as well as the bestselling 43 Old Cemetery Road series. Kate Klise's first adult novel, In the Bag, was released in 2012.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser zweite Band hat mir sehr gut gefallen!
Severin kommt ins Waisenhaus, weil er ohne Eltern in der alten Villa wohnt und nicht zur Schule geht. Es gab einen anonymen Hinweis...
Autor Griesgram, der mit Severin in der Villa wohnt und behauptet, auch ein Geist würde dort mit ihnen leben, steckt man kurzerhand ins Irrenhaus.
Zusätzlich sollen Halloween und alle Schauergeschichten abgeschafft werden.
Diese ganze Thematik ist eigentlich düster und traurig, und doch vermittelt die Geschichte dies aber nicht. Es liest sich sehr leicht und ist zudem auch dadurch unterhaltsam, dass die Geschichte u.a. in Form von Briefen und Zeitungsberichten erzählt wird.
Ich mochte das Buch :)

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read the rest of the series!!!!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told Maddie she might want to skip this installment in the series because it might have triggers for her (then had to explain triggers to a 10 year old) and she goes “you’re so nice!”
Sorry you have to read my reviews that aren’t reviews but reminders of my parenting wins.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrated middle grade series told in epistolary style, using an exchange of letters with a few newspaper articles in the mix. Seymour's unconventional family is at stake when the unusual arrangements come to the attention of the wrong person. This second title in the series is a bit too far-fetched for me. Neither mental hospitals nor orphanages work in the manner described, and the legal proceedings concerning both are not as depicted in the book. Dick Tater doesn't seem to have any authority, yet everyone in the world not only believes his ridiculous ideas, but follows his demanding directives.

[Laurie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as charming as the first book, but still a quick and fun read.

[Skyler Lansford · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was such a good book:-) ❤

[Carie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is simply the cutest!!!

[Iris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first (which I've probably read and re-read 100 times) but still keeps up with the hilarious storyline that I love.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great funny ghost story, not too spooky! Lots of fun illustrations, too. A quick read for young and old.

[Aileen Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over my Dead Body by Kate Klise is a really good book. It is where a man finds out about a kid who believes in ghosts and he thinks that is not good so he bands halloween and scary books. There is a writer and he writes scary books so he went to jail. So the kid, the man and the ghost find out to bring back halloween. So read the book to find out is they will save halloween. I looooooooove this book.

[Carmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

had the ARC laying about the house...was expecting more of the same since it is in the same epistolary style as her "Regarding the...." series, but was pleasantly surprised to be pulled in to the story. a young child, Seymore, is abandoned in an old mansion by his ambitious parents and is now homeschooled by his 'roommates'- a grumpy old man and a long dead woman who formerly owned the mansion. The three start churning out what sounds like a ghost story 'zine that becomes so popular that at $3 a pop Seymore eventually can buy the mansion from his parents. here in book two, some nosy 'think of the children' zealot has Seymore taken away from Ignatius (the old grump) who is not his legal guardian and Olive (the ghost) and put in a Children's home. The awful parents make a reappearance.

give to fans of Lois Lowery's "The Willoughbys" or someone needing a superfast read for a bookreport. Although, nobody ever asks for those anymore. I swear the kids around here only want to read books that are 400+ pages. Sometimes I make a suggestion and I can see their noses wrinkle up...."It's too thin for you isn't it?" "yep" I swear they read by the pound. It's like they go straight from Magic Tree House to 'Magyk' by Angie Sage. Maybe it is time to do a booktalk theme for school visits- "skinny but goody."

[Almira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ignatius B. Grumply, Olive C. Spence, and Seymour Hope, of 43 Old Cemetery Road, Ghastly, Illinois are now embroiled with the dastardly Dick Tater (say it quickly) who plans to do away with Halloween (Bad for Children), bobbing for apples, costumes, ghost stories - his plan is World Wide. Dick Tater sends Ignatius to an "insane asylum", Seymour to on orphanage, and is planning to exhume Olive's body. Uh-oh what's to become of them?

Once again, names take on ironic meanings ---- like the owner of Ghastly Lock and Key is - Ike N. Openitt. Some of the "pun" names are really easy to "hear", some take repeating several times before they make "sense". Im Balm, is the local librarian, the editor of the Ghastly Times is Cliff Hanger. I wonder how long it took the author (and her sister) to come up with some of these?

Children who are reluctant readers, but who have a good sense of humor would probably enjoy these. Too bad there seem to be only 7 in the series.

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the first, a really fast read, but good! I did enjoy this one, though the twist as to who sent the first letter was unexpected! The character names were as hilarious as usual! I think fans of the first book will enjoy this one as well. I was worried that they wouldn't get to be together because of Dick Tater (HA!) but it was all good.

I hope there will be a third book in this series!

[Ashley W · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was the names. They were very clever in this one. Dick Tater was a horrible tyrant, but his end was so funny.
Our trio never gave up, even when they were locked away.
I wish Olive could be corporeal to everyone. That would solve a lot of problems.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute continuation of the first book. Gotta love when bad characters get what they deserve and the good guys win.

[Taylor]

it was really good i finished it in one hour it was really goood

[Jaiden Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVE her books :)1st what happened.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Then 2nd what happened was..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................finally..it HAPPENED th eghot had 2 ki*#% him ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................OH YEA and i almost forgot u got lucky i rembered that the boy came from the dead and cu$#%* out the ghost and.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................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THE REST TO FIGURE IT OUT .....................................................................THIS TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO WRITE

[Bruce Gargoyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten Second Synopsis:
Following on from the events of book one of the series, 43 Old Cemetery Road, abandoned child Seymour Hope, cranky writer Ignatius Grumply and ghostly Olive C. Spence are dwelling happily at Spence Mansion, when nasty sort Dick Tater investigates the living arrangements, and throws Seymour in an orphanage and Ignatius in an asylum.  Determined to reunite, Olive must put her ghostly skills into action to defy Tater and bring her boys home.

I had completely forgotten that these books are formatted as a series of letters, newspaper articles and illustrations (which means I'll also be submitting it for the Epistolary Challenge - hooray!).  In fact, Olive, the ghost, ONLY communicates through letter writing (and interrupting other people's written work).  The constantly changing fonts and heavy emphasis on illustration is a major strength of the series.

I had sort of forgotten what had happened in the first book, since it's been three years since I'd read it, but it was easy enough to pick up again.  The book has a little illustrated recap at the start so any readers new to the series will be brought up to speed.  It was interesting to see Ignatius being not so grumpy this time around, but Seymour's parents are even nastier and more conniving here, if that's possible.

Once again, Olive is beguiling as the ghost of an elderly mystery writer.  I loved how the townsfolk help her out despite claiming not to believe in her existence. This story didn't grab me quite as much as the first book did.  The plotline of Dick Tater trying to burn books and cancel Halloween seemed a bit silly really.  Luckily, it's such a quick read that even if the story was a bit underwhelming, the format and the brevity make up for it.

I still think this series is an absolute winner for early middle grade readers.  The story is quick and engaging, the format is brilliantly accessible and the characters are quirky enough to keep the attention.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si le premier tome de cette série avait été un véritable coup de cœur, j'appréhendais de lire la suite car j'avais le sentiment que le premier volume se suffisait en lui-même. Mais force est de constater que même si ce deuxième tome est légèrement en-dessous du premier, il reste très réussi !

Dans cette nouvelle histoire, la nouvelle famille formée par Ignace, Adèle et Les vit paisiblement au 43, rue du vieux cimetière, tout en continuant à écrire et publier de nouveaux chapitres de sa série de romans sur les fantômes. Seulement, un certain Dick Tatter, dirigeant du MIASME (Mouvement International Autoritaire pour la Sauvegarde Morale de nos Enfants), affirme que légalement, Les est toujours le fils de ses parents qui l'ont pour ainsi dire abandonné. Il ne peut donc plus vivre sans eux. Les est alors emmené dans un orphelinat, tandis qu'Ignace est conduit dans un asile. Mais le trio n'a pas dit son dernier mot...

Ce nouvel opus est toujours aussi drôle et loufoque. On passe un excellent moment, même si le début est moins percutant que pour le premier tome. En revanche, ce tome 2 est plus qu'un simple roman humoristique pour enfants. En effet, ce fameux "Dick Tatter" prend la décision d'annuler Halloween, et ordonne à l'ensemble des citoyens de brûler tous les livres qui parlent d'histoires de fantômes. À la place, ils devront être remplacés par un seul ouvrage, qui nie l'existence des fantômes. Cela se fait de manière humoristique, sur un sujet qui relève du fantastique, mais le message passé aux jeunes lecteurs reste important : on a là un dictateur qui censure des livres, et on nous explique que ce n'est pas normal. Une morale bienvenue !

[AnneMayaJannika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leichen, Gespenster und Bücherverbrennungen

Cover:
Der Friedhof von Schauderburg. Bei Nacht steht Severin mit einer Laterne vor dem Grab von Olivia.

Zum Inhalt:
Iggi, Olivia und Severin schreiben fröhlich an ihrem Buch und veröffentlichen jeden Monat drei neue Kapitel. Sie haben ein ruhiges und entspanntes Leben. Bis Dirk Tator in die Stadt kommt. Er steckt Severin ins Waisenhaus und Ignaz in die Irrenanstalt. Nur Olivia bleibt zurück und bemüht sich nach Kräften, alle zu befreien und Dirk Tator zu verwirren. Denn dieser möchte das Schreiben, Lesen und Erzählen von Gespenstergeschichten verbieten und die Geschichten öffentlich verbrennen. Nur über meine Leiche! , protestieren Bibliothekar Balsam und Olivia.

Die Sprecher:
Die Stimmen sind glücklicherweise die gleichen wie in Teil eins. Der Wiedererkennungseffekt ist da. Ganz besonders bei der Figur von Dirk Tator (Peter von den ???)

Musik:
Wie schon in Teil eins untermauern die Musiksequenzen das Ambiente und unterstützen den Gruselfaktor. Beim Hauptmotiv konnten wir schon mit summen.

Meine Meinung:
Sehr witzig!
Der Running-Gag dieses Teils ist, das Olivia immer sagt "nur über meine Leiche", was ja nun wirklich makaberer Humor ist.
Die Fantasie und der Humor wurden vom ersten Teil gnadenlos übernommen und die wechselseitigen Korrespondenzen, Radioeinspielungen und Zeitungsartikel bilden ein wunderbares Gesamtbild der Geschichte.
Man merkt, das Ignaz, Severin und Olivia zu einer Familie zusammen wachsen, auch wenn es eine komische Familie ist.

Fazit:Spannende Fortsetzung!

[Jane Maple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dick Tater has decided that it is inappropriate for Seymour to be living in a house with out his parents. So he sends Seymour to an orphanage and sends Mr. Grumply to an insane asylum. Since Seymour has now made money with the best selling book, his parents now want him again and try to claim him for Europe. Although it is evident from other letters that they still don't care for Seymour as a person. Since Seymour and Grumply aren't around ghost Olive can't write the next section of the book with them, so instead she tries to search around for her old manuscripts to give that to the subscribers instead. Meanwhile Tater is threatening to exhume Olive. Olive hijacks the bookmobile from librarian M. Balm and takes it first rescue Seymour and then Mr. Grumply. Tater does exhume Olive's grave but instead of a body they find all of Olive's old manuscripts. In the end Seymour is adopted by Grumply and Olive Spence.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things should be all uphill. At the end of book 1 Seymour, Olive and Grumply have published the first three chapters of a new book with a worldwide subscription response that enables them to buy the mansion, retire their debts and have some left over. What could go wrong? Enter Dick Tater from The International Movement for the Safety & Protection Of Our Kids & Youth (IMSPOOKY) who wants to do away with Halloween and carts off Ignatius B. Grumply to the Insane Asylum and Seymour to the orphanage. What can Olive, the ghost, possibly do to help?
Once again the letters fly back and forth and the crazy plans to free our characters continue. The wonderful thing is that Dick Tater gets what he deserves.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch out for Dick Tater! He wants to burn any book with a ghost story and is soon in cahoots with Seymour Hope's misguided parents. A heartwarming and humorous follow up to Dying to Meet You. Once again a variety of formats are used from graphic panels to letters to newspaper articles. As the Ghastly Public Library recommends, "Burn toast, not books!" or "Burn rubber, not books!" Can you think of a better name for an undertaker than Kerry N. Berry? Love the puns and the creative hiding place for manuscripts (and sneezing powder). Fun!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a Little Free Library while I was on a walk in Seattle. It caught my eye because it was near Halloween and it's a ghost story.

Back where I was staying, I sat down in a comfy seat near a window and enjoyed this fun book. The format, illustrated, epsistolary, works so well to pull you into the story plus it adds to the humor and fun. It's target age group is young readers, middle grade, but I enjoyed it.

This is book two of the series, it didn't seem to matter with the story. Now I want to read the first one and the rest of the series.

[Ann Platz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the "43 Old Cemetery Road" series; this is book #2. These books are about an adult male writer, a 12-year-old abandoned boy, and a 190-year-old female ghost who live in a 32 1/2 room mansion in Ghastly, IL that publish ghost stories together. The book is written completely in manuscripts, letters, newspaper articles, and other related forms. They make for quick, quirky reads that make you laugh out loud. I would recommend them for readers of any age.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My niece (4th grade) and I read this all in one go because she didn’t want to put it down. We enjoyed all the character names once I explained to her that they used something called a “play on words”, she had fun “decoding” the knocks and loved the illustrations (especially the floating glasses) and variations on writing medium. We giggled a lot and were engaged by the plot.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 in this wonderful series. Do yourself a favor and read the entire series. Excellent use of Mixed Media, younger children will very likely enjoy not only the story, but this format as well. Adults will enjoy the clever use of puns of for the names of the characters, especially the main protagonist, Dick Tater.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is written for kids but it is clever enough for me to enjoy. The author uses cleverly named characters (Fay Tality, Dick Tater, Ike N. Openitt, etc.) I love the style of the book being told through letters and newspaper articles. This is the second book in the series and I’m looking forward to reading the others. Very cute book. Loved every minute of it.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as much fun as the first one! I couldn’t stop reading! I had to know if Ignatius and Seymour returned home. The names still crack me up. Especially Kerry N. Barry! 😂 I am glad to see that Seymour is done with his parents. They were wretched creatures that didn’t deserve to call him a son.

I can’t wait to find out what other antics this trio will be up to next!

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an anonymous letter is written, Dick Tatter comes barreling in to take charge. He sends Ignatius to the nut house, and Seymour to the orphanage. It's up to Olive to find her lost manuscripts and figure out a way to free her two friends (family really). Everyone is hoping for a happily ever after. If they are in time!