The Gravesavers

by Sheree Fitch

“An odd shaped shell caught my eye. . . . I turned it over. . . . It was a tiny, perfect skull.”

In the wake of a family tragedy, twelve-year-old Minn Hotchkiss is sent to spend the summer with her sour grandmother in the tiny seaside town of Boulder Basin, Nova Scotia. Almost as soon as she arrives, Minn discovers the skull of a human child on the beach. She is swiftly caught up in a mystery that reaches back more than a century, to the aftermath of the most tragic shipwreck in Maritime history before the Titanic.

Over the course of this extraordinary summer, Minn will discover romance with a boy who turns out to be much more than he seems, and learn that the grandmother she resented is more curious, dedicated, and surprising than she had ever guessed. She might even meet a world-famous rock star!

By summer’s end, Minn will solve a ghostly mystery and, most importantly, finally be able to give up the terrible secret she has kept locked in her heart.

Genres: Young Adult, Canada, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade, Romance

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2005

About the author

From the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia:

"Sheree Fitch is an educator, literacy activist and author of award winning poetry, picture books, nonfiction, plays and novels for all ages. Her first book, Toes in My Nose, illustrated by Molly Lamb Bobak, was launched in 1987. The books that followed have garnered numerous awards, including The Mr. Christie Award for There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen, The Anne Connor Brimer Award for Mable Murple. If You Could Wear my Sneakers, a book on Children's Rights commissioned by Unicef won both the Ontario Silver Birch Award and Atlantic Hackmatack award.

In 1998 she won the prestigious Vicky Metcalf award for a body of work inspirational to Canadian Children. She has been goodwill ambassador for Unicef since 1994 and her lipslippery adventures have taken her to remote parts of the globe.

Her work as a poet and literacy educator has taken her to the Arctic as eight-time poet laureate for Peter Gzowski's fundraisers for literacy and to Bhutan where she taught writing and participated in that country's first national reading week. Author readings have taken her to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Belize and Mexico.

Currently, she is Honorary Spokesperson for the New Brunswick Coalition for Literacy. The coalition recently initiated the Sheree Fitch Adult Learner Scholarships. She is also Honorary Spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Read to Me Program. This program provides literacy information to new parents and books for newborns. Each year she sponsors a writing competition for New Brunswick Youth. Her latest venture in literacy education includes completing a three year (summer ) writer in residency for Somebody's Daughter --- out on the tundra in Nunavut. This is an innovative program for Inuit women started by Bernadette Dean, Sheree's friend and former student from a writing workshop Ftich held during one of her soujourns to the north.

In the fall 2004, Gooselane Editions released an expanded anniversary edition of her adult book of poetry In This House Are Many Women and Orca published Pocket Rocks, illustrated by Helen Flook.

In May 2005, Fitch's first novel (ages ten and up), The Gravesavers, was published by Doubleday Canada Random House. A coming of age story blended with a historical event—the wreck of S.S. Atlantic in 1873—Fitch considers the novel "a kind of love letter" to her Maritime home and a celebration of her roots. Upcoming books include If I Had A Million Onions, a collection of nonsense for all ages and Peek a Little Boo, a book for babies.

Fitch lives with her husband, Gilles Plante and divides her time between Washington D.C. and River John, Nova Scotia. In demand as a visiting author, workshop leader and keynote speaker, she is currently working on an adult novel. She holds a B.A. from St. Thomas, an M.A. from Acadia University and honorary doctorates from both St. Mary's and Acadia for her contribution to Canadian literature and education. She has two grown children."

Reviews

[Emily Côté-Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the grave of the people who died in the crash of the SS Atlantic. In fact, I bugged my mother so much to take me, she finally gave in- and adored it. The fact that this book moved me so much to make me want to go visit a grave when I was ten is unbelievable, and hopefully enough to make you want to read this book.

I haven't a whole lot to say about it. I can't remember very specific things about it, considering the last time I read it was two years ago, but I do know that I've had it on my top book lists for a very long time. Minn is such a lovely character, and her grandmother is somebody that grows and works well for the story. All the traditional plot points are there, but you can also catch a few twists thrown in. Overall, this book is amazing. Sheree Fitch is one of my favourite authors, and I hope that, since she lives a stones throw away from me, I can meet her one day.

[claresgotbooksagain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so torn on what to rate this. I really loved this book but I feel like it wasn’t as focused on the bones and the shipwreck as I thought it would be. I loved the way Minn was written. She felt like a genuine twelve year old, without the book feeling too childish. John’s chapters in were so captivating. I cried at some parts while others felt too cheesy, too cheap, and unearned. (Like when the brothers reunited on the island.) I see what Fitch was doing with this book, and I think she missed the mark (only by a hair!) with connecting it all.

I think if there had been more of Minn looking into the shipwreck and survivors/trying to save the gravesite, I wouldn’t be so stuck on how I feel about the book. Maybe if she did go door to door before deciding to go to the island it would’ve felt less “oh no I need something to happen” for me.

If this book sounds interesting I would still highly suggest it. I never knew about the Atlantic or it’s sinking. I’ve since been looking into it. A huge takeaway from this book (and history, really) is if you are on a ship coming from the UK to New York maybe rethink that. They seem to sink a lot! Yikes.

(Rating is realistically a 3.5 but I am giving another half star for John’s last chapter and Harv. Ouch.)

[Elvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific YA read.

[Basil]

GOD !!!! this BOOK !!!! it’s still so good even over a decade later. i love it so much! the minn parts especially still hold up and i like the way the two narratives echo each other. it was really fun and cool to revisit this book that i kind of forgot existed for a while, but at the same time still have lines pop in my head from time to time. this is the very definition of formative to me...her prose still moves me deeply although the story is more muddled than i remember it being when i was 13. the stuff around grief and mourning hits even harder now, because of the author’s life in the intervening years since it’s been published, and also because i’m older now and have a much more nuanced understanding of emotions...

in my first review of this year i reviewed a middle grade that i said i would recommend in specific circumstances. this one i would unreservedly recommend despite its flaws, to anyone and everyone. something about the writing has stayed with me for over a decade and i still find minn an incredibly magnetic heroine. i’ve literally never even been to the maritimes but the sense of atmosphere and canadiana is so vivid ! anyway i had a great time revisiting this childhood classic, 10/10 would read again ! maybe i’ll come back to it in another decade and see how i feel then. i’m so glad to have a copy of this on my shelf !!

[Sonia Jarmula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot, and have a long list of favourite books. But this one is my favourite favourite. Even though I have lost count of how many times I have read it, and have many parts of it memorized, each time I return to this book is a revelation. I feel I am at a loss in trying to describe how good it is, what it means to me, how I love all of its many parts, the way it is crafted, the way everything fits together. I love its humour and its sadness, its elegance and its honesty. When I read Minn's voice I slip inside her skin more than I have with any other character and experience the true power of literature. This is my favourite book, and I think always will be.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I wasn't old enough to be a grandmother, I might have rated it higher. We were looking to include books by Canadian authors for this round in my book club, and we were impressed with the rating without perhaps totally realizing the age target. It was all in all a fine story for what it attempted, and as usual I cried and cried at the end, sap that I am. Proud granddaughter of a Canadian test leaves reader! I saw the book rated for ages and 10 and up, but the grandmothers in our group thought that might still be a bit young for some of the events depicted.

[Pei Zhi Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had two stories told in it. One of them is in the present and the other is told from the past. Somehow the two stories ties everything together.
It is about a girl name Cinnamon Elizabeth Hotchkiss, Minn for short. Minn was sent to spend the summer with her grandmother, who she thought was a witch. Not so long after, she found a tiny, perfect human skull. She kept the skull and talked to it like it was her little sister. Minn was supposed to have a little sister but she died when she was born. Later she finds out about the town saga that there was a shipwreck, and everyone who was on the ship died except for the boy. He survived because there's a man that stops him from going back for his family and he survives the shipwreck.
The other part it was told from the past, as I said before, and it was talking about how he(John Hindley) survived the shipwreck and what happened. Basically, it was talking about the tragedy of John Hindley.

I picked up this book and started reading this because this book was recommended to me by my friend(Shawna), and when I took out this book, others told me it was a really good book.

I finished this book because I wanted to know what happened to with the mystery.

I would recommend this book to Mary because this book was amazing. Mary has recommend some books to me that were really good and I think she would really like it because the writing is different from what she reads and its good to try new things.

[Greengroup · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gravesavers book review

One shipwreck. One gravesite. Hundreds of bones.
The Gravesavers, written by Sheree Fitch, is an intriguing adventure book recommended for 11-13 year olds. Cinnamon Elizabeth Hotchkiss, also known as Minn, is forced to spend half of the summer at her “sour” grandmother’s house on Boulder Basin. During Minn’s stay, she uncovers the mystery of the SS Atlantic that sunk 100’s of years ago, claiming thousands of lives. Minn promises to take action against the deteriorating shore line containing a historic gravesite. Along the way, Minn meets a 15 year old boy, Max, who soon helps her to save the grave. But at midnight on Elbow Island, Minn discovers Max's true identity. Who is this mysterious boy?

Slow-moving, the story begins to gain interest in the middle of the book as the story of John Hindly’s dreadful night on the SS Atlantic comes to light. The beginning of the novel should hook us to read more which was clearly not the case with this book. Although the beginning was slow, we begin to discover the interesting characters in the novel. It was not long before we were introduced to the adventures of Minn. Her overactive imagination takes the reader to see spirits and hear voices that keep you interested to the very end. You are kept wondering whether Minn will save the gravesite and rescue the skulls from the deep sea. Overall, we would rate this book a 7 out of 10

[Aiyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minn Hotchkiss is forced to spend a month with her chin haired, vinegar smelling grandma. Of course she's not happy about it at first, but as the days go by, they start to form more of a connection. They bond over bones, and skulls. After learning that a gravesite may be lost at sea forever, Minn sets a plan in motion to save the grave!

I picked this book up because it was recommended to me and it sounded very interesting.

I finished this book because I enjoyed Minns sassy personality. I was so disappointed that Max/Thomas turned out to be a ghost but, I guess Minn is too young for him anyways.

I recommend this book to Amanda because I think she would find the facts interesting, and she would definitely like the story.

[Cumberland Public Libraries]

After Minn's Mom becomes ill, Minn is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother in a small Nova Scotia seaside village. Minn thinks her grandmother is a witch and is not happy to be spending the summer with her. One day Minn finds a small skull on the beach which begins a summer of mystery involving an old graveyard, an old shipwreck, and Ghosts.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a good light summer read.

- Mary, Pugwash Library

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that I needed at this time (of reading and review writing during the Covid-19 pandemic social-distancing time). I have been looking for this type of book for a while and failing utterly, accumulating several 1- and 2-star reads in the process. Gravesavers, on the other hand is not just the type of book that I needed, it is an inherently good read.

I found Gravesavers to be the exact right balance of chewiness and light-read-ness that conveyed the story and the history behind it (in two parallel story lines) in a way that is thoughtful and thought provoking, and which contains a solid understanding of humans and how we work with the right amount of emotional depth and expression, but still moving along at a good pace along the way.

I also appreciated that this fictionalized account of a real, tragic event in Canadian history, the sinking of the SS Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia, was made accessible and engaging while also keeping to the facts of the events and even the later ones related to the mass grave of those who drowned during that shipwreck (the central point to both plot lines). To paraphrase a sentiment expressed by one of the characters in the book, 'Fitch makes history an exciting tale rather than facts one has to learn'

I enjoyed the Nova Scotia setting, and the interesting main and side characters that Fitch created to populate her book and her fictional but real-seeming Nova Scotia town. Protagonist and narrator Minn Hotchkiss read real. She was a bit of a pain in the derrière sometimes, but that was credible for her age and in relation to the emotionally tumultuous events happening in her life. Fitch also created adults who were quirky enough to be interesting but developed enough to be relatable.

The inclusion of the parallel storyline, told from the perspective of John Hindley, the only child who survived the sinking of the SS Atlantic, added an interesting new voice to the book, and allowed the history to flow in a natural way from one who lived it, engaging the reader in an emotional way to his story that could not be achieved at the same level if reported by a third party. At first, I was uncertain how I felt about the inclusion of some of the supernatural elements related to this part of the story, but as someone (like Minn) who has been told she has an overly-active imagination, I gradually decided that I enjoyed the supernatural parts in the book (p.s. I think the people who aimed that criticism at me just have underly-active imaginations).

Overall, a solid, enjoyable, engaging read. I will definitely look up other work by this author.

[Petek Guven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves way more stars than just 5. This is a god tier book.

[Kellie-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful Canadian story of love, life, loss, and growing up. Cinnamon Hotchkiss is a young woman who feels everything deeply, builds unexpected connections, and forms bonds through unimaginable scenarios. It touched me in ways I wasn’t expecting.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gravesavers is a book that tells the story of 12-year-old Minn, who, following a tragedy in the family, is sent to spend a month of her summer vacation with her grandmother in Nova Scotia, who she's not particularly fond of. While there, she learns about the wreck of the SS Atlantic that happened not too far from the village her grandmother lives in. A local grave where many of the lost from the Atlantic were laid to rest is slowly falling into the ocean. Minn makes it her summer mission to try and save the grave.

While Minn is the main protagonist, we also get to see certain parts of the story from the point of view of John Hindley, a passenger who was on the ill-fated SS Atlantic. John is the same age as Minn and is traveling with his parents and elder brother to New York to be with his elder sisters. While, at times, it might feel like John's POV is unnecessary because The Gravesavers is really about Minn's story, having someone who was there on the ship itself really adds to to the story and helps remind that the people who are in the grave are real people as far as Minn is concerned.

The Gravesavers is the type of slice of life novel that I feel is really good for older children and young teens to read. It has a little bit of everything to it from mystery to romance to tragedy, and I feel that Minn is a really good protagonist. She's twelve, and she reads like she's twelve, unlike a lot of twelve year old lead characters who tend to read like their twenty so they can be "different from your typical twelve-year-old". She has very real experiences can be very related to the reader.

There is a supernatural element to the story, though I didn't tag it as such, because that's a huge spoiler for it. It's not super prominent until later on, however, and does not distract from the otherwise realism of the story. After all, it can be very much a result of Minn's overactive imagination, as they call it. You never know.

Overall, The Gravesavers is a great book and well worth the read.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread

Major spoilers ahead

I enjoyed most of the book enough, I really like summer stories and I especially enjoyed John's parts... It was a slow start and I was starting to enjoy it...

But the end.. Geez!

Urggghhhhh it was so depressing :(

And it's a kid's book!? I didn't remember it being so sad (first read this around age 13 I guess).

I mean, I understand now that it was a historical novel and John's part couldn't really be changed.

BUT did you HAVE to add Harv's death within like 10 pages from the ending ? Now that's just too much!!! 😑

Why rip away one of the happiest parts of a story that was sad enough already? I could deal with the rest, but that was the nail in the coffin. It felt unnecessary and rushed and it ruined the hopeful ending I was, well, hoping for.

The prose was good, the story was interesting despite a slow start, but I felt depressed at the end 😅

[Laina SpareTime]

Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.

This is an odd book. First of all, no disrespect to the author, but I don’t think she’d spent a lot of time with teenagers while writing this. No kid growing up in the late 90s wore Oxfords as their normal, everyday shoe simply because they had flat feet, and no kid in the early 2000s called their pants bellbottoms. Frankly I’m a little unsure on the Walkman mentioned, but to be fair, it doesn’t say tapes. And there are specific cultural markers mentioned, like Titanic and Harry Potter, that date this book specifically at somewhere between 1998 and 2003, most likely closer to that 2003 mark.

Yeah, I did that math.

Second, I find the idea of picking human bones up off a beach and keeping them in a closet very strange. I get that they said that no one cared about the graveyard and that it was eroding and washing bones out to sea, but having a closet full of human bones is a very strange concept to me. It just doesn’t sound right.

Otherwise… this was okay? It wasn’t my favourite, but it was okay. I don’t really have much to even say about this one.

[Sarah Butland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed but cried, mostly cried, through all of it. Well written, heartbreaking and filled with hope.

It grabbed my heart from the very first page and held it close through out but, miraculously, gave it back at the end and it was a better heart because of it.

With the talk of a miscarriage at the very beginning and the struggles that result from it, I connected so easily with this story as I experienced such devastation myself and this story helped me heal from that.

I recommend this for more mature tweens/ teens as it deals a lot with grief, death and depression as a result. But with all of that hope is intertwined to create such a wonderful tale of a young girl coming to terms with guilt, communication and the power that one person can have.

[Emily Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a review of this book back when I read it in 2008 in an actual notebook that I just found, I do not recall this book now in 2026, but here’s what I wrote: Slightly historical, a story of a young girl learning to navigate a broken home and a hard grandmother. Written in first person of said 12 year old, and is slightly irritating read with her self centred views and silly assumptions. But it was necessary and was a good book by the end. Plus I know one of the mentioned persons in the thank yous as this is a local Nova Scotian writer Carol Bruneau
Note from 2026: apparently this was exciting… I don’t really remember Carol I think I took one of her classes at NSCAD, the memory remains locked away.

[Chloe Goyetche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly underrated. I believe that everyone in Nova Scotia should read this book. I’ve read it twice, once when I was 11 and now again at 15. It just got better, and I’m sure it will only continue to get better as I get older. It’s such a good story and I’m obsessed!!! I thought about it nonstop for years, itching to re read it but having no idea how to find it. My mom found it in a thrift store, having no idea that was the book I looked for so many years, and said “this looks like something you’d like!”. Anyway, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious, but this book is very special to me and i loved it a lot.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this is hard for me. Her prose is beautiful, so lovely to read. But it turned out to be a ghost story, a genre I never read. I was well into the book, at least half way through, before I realized it was a ghost story and I felt too invested to stop reading. Local connections were lovely references. But I hope she devotes her considerable skill to a more palatable subject. If so I'm sure I would give it 5/5

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book. I picked it up in advance of traveling to Nova Scotia to get in the mood. Incredible characters (especially Nana) and appealing storylines. And a fantastic twist! I was wondering what the point of the flashback subplot was until it became clear, and I was so glad it was done that way. This is a great story of family and activism with a wonderful setting.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely summer read. I picked it up at Mabel Murples a few weeks ago. I am now intrigued to learn more about the SS Atlantic. Reading it from a moms perspective was bittersweet. I am going to recommend this book for young teens. I really enjoyed the story. Sad it is over.

[Claire Leger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read this book since I was a kid, but decided I wanted to read it again for some nostalgia. This is such a well written book, the story line makes you not want to put the book down. It is more on the YA side, but still a nice read

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2014/15: It was vErY slow in the beginning and was hard to want to keep reading... As you read more it started to get good and ended up being a overall not bad book.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, but worth sticking with it. A bit predictable, but interesting Maritime history story line.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read. One of my favourites.

[Courtney Bann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of my favorite childhood books. Always a great read

[Monica Bond-Lamberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is YA and deals with a lot of angst, but for someone traveling through Nova Scotia it was still an easy read and even captivating at times.

[Sora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the history of S.S. Atlantic in this book and the bittersweet ending.

[Jen Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tale that weaves history with modern day. Sheree Fitch's skill at painting similes and metaphors in vivid technicolour is incredible. Recommend picking up this little gem.