Tombstone Tea

by Joanne Dahme

In order to be accepted by the “in crowd” at her new high school, Jamie accepts a dare to spend one night in a local cemetery collecting rubbings from ten gravestones. Once inside the gate of the dark and frightening burial ground, Jamie meets Paul, a handsome boy who works as a caretaker at the cemetery. Paul explains to Jamie about Tombstone Tea: a fund-raising performance in which actors impersonate the people buried in the cemetery. The actors are supposedly rehearsing on this particular evening, but Jamie quickly discovers that they aren’t actors at all but the ghosts of men and women buried in the cemetery. When one woman decides to adopt Jamie to replace her lost daughter, our heroine fears she may never escape the cemetery.

Full of rich history and filled with a cast of ghostly characters, the third eerily descriptive novel from Joanne Dahme is just as creepy as her first novel Creepers.

Genres: Young Adult, Ghosts, Paranormal, Supernatural, Fantasy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Joanne Dahme has first-hand knowledge about the rivers and streams in the Philadelphia area as she works for the Philadelphia Water Department as its Watersheds Programs Manager. Her mission is to restore and revitalize Philadelphia’s rivers and streams.

During her years with the department, Joanne obtained a Master’s of Journalism and Master’s in Creative Writing from Temple University. Joanne has completed a number of short stories and three young adult novels. She lives with her husband and son in Philadelphia.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I really expected this to be much better from all the great reviews on here. The story is basically about a girl named Jessie who can see ghosts who is convinced by a trio of blondes at her new school that if she spends the night in the cemetary and takes rubbings from a list of graves they give her, she'll be initiated into their group. She seems to be perfectly aware that the girls are mean and that it's probably a trick, and she's certainly aware that she can see ghosts and that spending the night in a graveyard is most likely not a great idea, but she decides to do it anyway. Because she's THAT DESPERATE to be part of a group. Then she goes to the graveyard and OMG SHE SEES GHOSTS! There are several ghostly characters introduced, none of which are terribly fascinating, there's an evil ghost that tries to "take" Jessie (this part is kind of a big mess of confusion), and then she has the hot ghostly caretaker, Paul, get her out of there after a confrontation with ALL of the ghosts (Because she's so full of LIFE! And it's WARM! And they WANT some of it!). The book lost what very little hold it had on me then, because suddenly it focused on Paul and his life and how he met the evil ghost and her daughter. And then there's sort of the final battle to get rid of Mrs. Evil Ghost. Jessie accepts her spiritualist powers, discovers the lady who works in the cemetary office has spiritualist powers too (Didn't you know? Wink, wink!), and that's pretty much the end.

I guess my main problem with it is it just felt really sloppy. The characters didn't seem very well developed, Paul calls Jessie by the name of one of the other characters at one point (oops), and the action bits were confusing. And the switch from Jessie to Paul was offputting and I felt that Paul's story could have been handled in a different way--perhaps through actual conversation and time spent with Jessie? I just think it could have used a lot more work.

[Books and Literature for Teens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not quite sure I liked Tombstone Tea very much. It is suspenseful and mysterious, but I couldn’t help but feel creeped out about Paul and Jessie being able to talk to dead people or that they liked cemeteries. What was even weirder was that one of the ghosts is just insane.
I understood that Dahme is trying to incorporate history into her book, but you don’t have to talk to “ghosts” to learn about or respect history and you sure don’t have to go to cemeteries!
Tombstone Tea takes on two different dialogues: Jessie’s (present day) and Paul’s (early 20th century). Jessie’s side of the story was okay with me, but Paul’s was confusing and eerie. I mean, he use to do seances and worked as a grave digger. What a life right? Then there is this one ghost who is just downright evil and that really turned me off. I like ghost stories, but this one just went too deap into the world of the "supernatural", spirits, and death.
Although Tombstone Tea is written extremely smoothly and has well developed characters, I'm not sure every teen would enjoy such a dark story. I mean is it really enjoyable to read about stuff like that?
Dahme is a good writer however, and I want to read her historical fiction novel, The Plague; but I still think that Dahme could do better with history and not supernatural stories.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend Tombstone Tea (unless you absolutely love strange graveyard stories). There are plenty of other "creepy" books out there that are much more fun to read.

|Age Group: YA, ages 13+|Content: supernatural themes|




Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought this would be a slightly creepy version of Spoon River Anthology, but it's more a revenge tale with Really Angry Ghosts.

Jessie (a spiritualist who "blanks out" occasionally) has moved to a new school, a charter school linked to a nearby cemetery. In an effort to make friends, she agrees to spend the night in the cemetery getting gravestone rubbings. The "spend the night" part just seems cruel, but then it wouldn't set up the rest of the book. Jessie meets Paul, a really cute cemetery worker. Paul takes her to some of the graves, explaining that the activity going on was part of a local actors Tombstone Tea reenactment. He explains her meeting several of the graveyard denizens as though she were at Colonial Williamsburg, but Jessie senses he's not quite telling the truth.

When Jenny, the vampire-ish mother arrives, things go from scary to terrifying (for Jessie; it's just a confused mass of action for the reader). Jenny's not a vampire in the True Blood/Angel/Twilight sense, she's one in the sucking-the-life-out-of-her-daughter sense. And the rest of the book explains how Jenny/Amy and Paul got to the cemetery, and the plotting to finally rid the dead of Jenny's unwelcome, disturbing presence.

The flashbacks were interestingly evocative, but the rest of the plot seemed a bit muddled. I wish the characters had been more developed and the terror a little more subtle.

[Ashley Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know you love a book when you read the last sentence and your first thought is 'I really want a sequel'!

A surprisingly engaging title! I'm very happy I picked this book up at ALA this year. The story follows Jessie, a sophomore in a new high school, who, on a dare from the 'in' group at her new school, spends a night in an old cemetery. The visit to the cemetery opens a can of worms when her 'gift' of sight makes her quite popular with the residents of the cemetery, one especially negative woman in-particular. With the guidance of her friend Paul, she has to face all her fears about her gift and, in doing so, learns much more than she expects about living life.

The title and cover brought me in originally, the lyrical text sucked me in even more, and the unique characters sealed the deal. I loved this title. The characters didn't seem forced and the romance, however slight, was spot on. Jessie's journey from being afraid of her gift to accepting it seemed more natural than other 'ghost seer' titles. Everything just worked.

Fans of Laura Whitcombs, 'A Certain Slant of Light' will most likely enjoy this supernatural tale. Highly recommended.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is divided into three parts. In the first part, Jessie can see and hear things that nobody else can. She doesn't know why and she hasn't told anybody either. But now she's moved to a new town and the local girls have dared her to spend the night in the cemetery collecting rubbings of grave stones. While there she meets many ghosts who are pretending they are really actors for a "Tombstone Tea" event. This first part was excrutiating to read. Jessie was oblivious and idiotic and the whole thing was entirely too predictable. The second part of the book was told from Paul's view - he died of Typhoid fever many years earlier. That section was much better. The third section goes back to present day and Jessie's story, where she reconnects with her ghostly crush, Paul, and works to face her fears about the ghosts. I would recommend this book to tweens and younger teens, because it reads young.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly short book but it felt like a drag to get through. It picked up a bit in the second half, but the chapters were incredibly long and the major long scene in the first half just felt repetitive and slow-paced, despite the fact that the main character is running the entire time. Nothing against the story itself, but pun intended, it just wasn't my cup of tea storytelling-wise.

[A B Rhoads · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept of this book is so cool, but in the book, it was terribly executed. It has a very slow start and took forever to get into the story. It's not really my cup of tea.

[Michelle Rebar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick & spooky read that will make a great companion for a cold, dark night. It's not scary but just the right amount of creepiness with a little history lesson and some quirky ghosts, some of which were actual historical figures. TOMBSTONE TEA takes place in a very real place in Philadelphia, the Laurel Hill Cemetery that overlooks the Schuylkill River (for those who don't live in the SE Pennsylvania area, it is pronounced SKOO-KULL River). I happen to live near this place, and this book has made me want to take a little field trip. DURING THE DAY, that is. There is NO way I will be walking through the gates of this cemetery at night. Ohh, no. Brr...*chills*...

Jessie has recently changed schools and she really wants to fit in. She's spent enough time being different so this time she wants to make an effort to be normal. This sounded like a great plan, but somehow she still finds herself in an odd situation. The girls in her new group of friends dare her to spend the night in a cemetery to prove herself worthy of being a part of their group. Ok, it sounds scary, but Jessie can do this. It's only one night. It can't be that bad, right? Well, this one night is about to change her entire life.

When Jessie enters the cemetery, she finds out that she is not alone. It appears that the place is occupied by actors rehearsing for a "Tombstone Tea" where they are pretending to be the ghosts of the people burried here long ago. She is lead through the graves by a sweet and handsome boy named Paul who claims he works there at night. Together they tour the grounds, visiting the actors and their mausoleums or headstones, enjoying the show. As the night progresses though, Jessie notices that the actors are a little too into their roles and are actually starting to scare her a little bit, especially the one name Jenny. The night is cut short when she comes to a bone-chilling realization. These are not actors after all. They are ghosts, and some of them are not the friendly type.

The story then goes back to when some of them were alive and we find out why they are now permanent residents of the graveyard. We also find out what has caused some of these spirits to be so angry.

When Jessie is ready, she must go back to the cemetery to confront the ghosts and possibly help them to finally move on.

To learn more about the Laurel Hill Cemetery, as well as the other creepy haunts of the Philadelpia area (and there a lot of them), you might want to check out this book, PHILADELPHIA GRAVEYARDS AAND CEMETERIES by Images of America. It's kind of spooky but very cool: http://apps.facebook.com/good_reads/b...

[Nely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessie has recently moved to a new town and is going to a new school. In order to be accepted by the “in” girls at school - she has been dared to spend the night at the local cemetery with a list of names whose graves she has to find. Upon entering the cemetery, she meets Paul, a handsome boy who works as a caretaker at the cemetery. Paul explains to Jessie that this evening is the rehearsal for the Tombstone Tea: a fund-raising performance in which actors impersonate the people buried in the cemetery. But Jessie quickly discovers that they aren’t actors at all but the ghosts of men and women buried in the cemetery. When one of the ghostly inhabitants decides to adopt Jessie to replace her lost daughter, our heroine fears she may never escape the cemetery.

Once again, I was suckered in by the neat cover - but this was surprisingly really good. It was an exciting and interesting story. I loved reading about the cemetery’s ghosts and how they came to reside there as ghosts. Jessie was a great heroine, but all the quirky and zany ghosts were my favorite characters. They had such history and depth to them. Ms. Dahme’s lyrical prose was stunning at parts - you could almost feel the cold seeping into your bones and the ghostly apparitions chasing poor Jaime through the cemetery. Her details and descriptions made it very visual for me. Paul was this guiding light for Jaime and I was hoping more would come from their friendship. Although the story ends and leaves no loose ends, I got the feeling that there might be a continuation to it. Many of the ghosts were introduced in detail, but there were still so many more that you just catch a glimpse of. I can definitely see Jessie having more adventures in the cemetery and there’s also Paul to think about (love interest?). Overall it was a gripping and enjoyable read that I would recommend for readers of all ages who enjoy young adult fiction.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessie is acting on a dare when she shows up at the Laurel Hill Cemetery one night. Her instructions are to spend a whole night while wandering the cemetery and collecting rubbings from the gravestones of 10 residents. Desperate to make friends in her new high school, Jessie has agreed to the task despite her misgivings.

Almost immediately she runs into Paul, a boy who seems to be near her age and who says he works as a night caretaker at Laurel Hill. He offers to help her. While collecting rubbings Jessie meets what Paul call “actors” playing the parts of inhabitants of certain graves. Jessie thinks they’re doing a great job until she finds out they’re not actors, they’re really the spirits of the people they claim to be. Most are friendly, but Jenny is not, and Jessie has to escape with Paul’s help.

Undeterred, Jessie is back the next day, and she begins to volunteer at the cemetery during daylight hours on a regular basis. As she helps to revive the Tombstone Tea Laurel Hill held years before, she also works to find a way to reconcile Jenny with her daughter in the hopes that her spirit can move on.

Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme has plenty of action to give you the creeps, it does take place in a cemetery and spirits are some of the main characters, but it’s not so spooky that it’s likely to keep you awake at night. Jessie is a strong character, and while sometimes I worried for her, I really liked her growing confidence and her ability to turn a strange situation into a purpose. Mother-daughter book clubs members will be able to talk about spiritualism, beliefs about what happens to you after you die, the history in cemeteries, and courage. I recommend it for groups with girls aged 11 to 14.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had potential. Had. However, the story was a let-down. I was expecting suspense and a good ghost story, something along the lines of Mary Downing Hahn. However, what I got was a mix of ghost story and romance, neither of which was truly fleshed out.

Jessie, a teenage girl, has just changed schools and wants to hang with the popular kids. She will apparently do anything to fit in, including spending the night in a cemetery, where she meets Paul. The fact that Paul and friends are hanging out in a cemetery at night too doesn't seem to bother Jessie and neither does the presence of a ghost ship or elephant that appear out of thin air. In fact, it takes the ghost of a crazy woman to finally make her realize that everyone but she is dead.

Skip to a chapter from Paul's POV - the only time in the entire book.

Skip several months ahead and Jessie is volunteering in the cemetery, but hasn't seen a ghost since the first night.

The climax comes when the ghost of a dead girl who killed herself to get away from her mother and the ghost of her crazy mother who killed herself to get to her dead daughter must be put to rest (a little convoluted, huh?) and only Jessie can do this, although why she is the only one is not really answered.
The entire book takes place in approximately two nights, although the nights are separated by months.

All in all, this book had potential and perhaps if it had been a little longer there would have been time to flesh out both the romance of Jessie and Paul and the ghost story. Instead the story is full of glimpses of what could have been.

Give this to fans of short ghost stories, but higher-level thinkers, because they will definitely have to make their own deductions to figure out the story line.

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Tombstone Tea had a fantastic premise, I thought it could have been better, and it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm going to put that down to my slight dislike of main character Jessie, as the writing was good and the plot intriguing.

My favourite part of the book was the second section, which was narrated by Paul. He was more appealing than Jessie, and had a far more likeable voice. His story was interesting, and I could easily have read the whole book from his perspective. Jessie was too damsel-in-distress for my liking, and I still can't fathom out why she went to the graveyard in the first place. I wouldn't have thought a school prank would be more important than her safety, but she seems to easily overlook that when popularity gain is involved.

The Tombstone Tea itself was a great idea, and I enjoyed meeting all the ghosts and hearing their many tales of lives long past. I also enjoyed Dahme's writing style, and am tempted to read her other work. It did take me a while to get into this book, but once I reached part two, I was hooked for the most part.

Tombstone Tea might not be up there with my favourite books, but it's a good read if you want a graveyard of ghosts and a different supernaural spin on things. It's not all about vampires and werewolves anymore!

[Will Mcclinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tombstone Tea, written by Joanne Dahme is a venture into the young adult stories that I so much enjoy. Jessie the protagonist is a special teen with a psychic gift.Her family moved putting her into a new school. Having been a teen it was not hard to imagine the difficulties she faced fitting in at a new school. Jessie is coerced by the popular girls into staying a night in Laurel Hill Cemetery to get a list of tombstone rubbing. As a fan of the macabre and frightening tales it does not take her long to be scared and then frightened. A young handsome security guard finds her scared and so helps her overcome some of her fears that many of us would have being left alone in a cemetery at night. Jessie learns of local history and about darker subjects in doing so. Adults can be very twisted and possessive of the children. This tale has some depth and is a good read.

[Kelsie Beaudoin (The Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I bought the book I knew it was going to be terrible, but I bought it anyway because it was buy one get one free at a bookstore.

But I loved this book! It wasn’t so much the characters that I loved, they were only “eh”, but the atmosphere of this book was just so wonderful. It was the perfect little piece of melancholy goth to add to my read-a-thon day.

It’s not your typical- girl can talk to ghosts- story, and I loved it. The main character was a bit too weak for my preference, but other than that, I thought the story was great. Chilling.

Plus there are awesome pictures inside.

4.5 stars to a great ghost story!!

[Videoclimber(AKA)MTsLilSis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your typical ghost story! I really enjoyed it. I have often wandered through the headstones and wondered who the people were and what they were like. So, this was a perfect set up for me! I enjoyed all the characters and thought they were well written. I especially liked Jenny, as she was so scary she jumped off the page. I liked the wrap up to the story. I have never read Dahme before, but I will search out more by her. Recommended for ghost fans, those who like cemetaries, history buffs, and fans of quick paranormal reads.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost never give up on a book. However, I couldn't even get through the prologue of this one. I even tried picking up at chapter 1 and then flipped to halfway through the book. Nope. Couldn't do it. I don't know exactly why. Just something about the writing style I guess. It made me sad to put it down, but there are just so many other (better) books out there for me to read than to waste my time on this one.

[Vicki Jaeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the story summary doesn't do it justice. Think of a mix of The Medium, a smidge of The Ghost Whisperer, and somewhat like the book A Gracious Plenty (though without the main character having health issues). It was a lovely book about the longing to belong, finding your own place and people, and the art of forgiveness and letting go. Oh, and it's one big ghost story without being Stephen King creepy. (Which means I could read it and sleep afterwards.)

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Atmospheric, with some highly visual descriptions of a cemetery at night, but there is not nearly enough plot. It might have worked better as a short story. Climax was extremely confusing and murky. Too little about Jessie, her powers and general background for everything. Vague and unfulfilling.

[Gurleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book, although it could have had a bit more of plot, be part of a series, and develope the history project a bit better. I love paranormal romance! And the best thing about it? It wasn't the main theme of the book :) just a young girl trying to fit in a new school, learning to accept herself and overcoming her fears. Quick but pleasant read.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was also another book that I didn't really get caught on within the first chapter. But once I got to the part where she had to go to the cemetery and all that happened there the first night. Wow. I mean it seems so unreal,but it was all unfolding right at her feet. Absolutely incredible.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was about to put this book back because I didn't have a lot of money, but I'm so glad I got it! This beautifully written book will put you right in the middle of the world the characters live in. The only complaint I have is that it was too short because I would have loved the story to continue.

[Alicia W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the premise. However I found the book to be disjointed. It was though large portions of the story were edited out leaving the bare minimum of scenes. I wanted more. More story, more character development.

[Laney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good!! It's mysterious and creepy, yet warming and wonderful. The book is about a girl who can see and speak to ghost, or spirits. She meets a boy named Paul who protects her. That's all I'm going to say, just read it for yourself because it's a great book.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat lackluster ghost story. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't live up to my expectations either. It's a short read, and I enjoyed it well enough, but I wouldn't rush out and recommend it to anybody either.

[Sodaba · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is about a girl named Jessie who talks about what she experienced staying in the cemetery. How she ended up in the cemetery is for you to find out. If you like when the author changes point of views and like to read an adventure/ scary book, I would recommend this for you. 

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

This rather bland and unoriginal story about a young girl who can communicate with ghosts had some potential but read like a draft rather than a finished novel.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would think fans of "Ghost Whisper" would enjoy this one.

[Lisa]

It lost my attention about a third of the way through the book. I'm not going to try finishing it.

[Mary (Biblophile) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nifty title. Quick read. Although the characters and plot were a little shallow, I still enjoyed the premise and atmosphere of the story.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

another middle school level read, good but a little jerky. lots of info on cemeteries and their history. interesting. i'm accidentally on a history, cemeteries reading kick.