Author: Adele Griffin, Lisa Brown (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Find it here: Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Picked up at ALA
Jennie feels the tingling presence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead.
Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had every really known Will at all.
My thoughts:
There is something so haunting and creepy about this book yet so inviting at the same time! The illustrations, the mystery, the letters from other characters and the narrative of the story mixed all together make it one of the most unique books I've ever read! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books written with mixed media.
When Jennie is very young her parent die and she moves in with her aunt, uncle and two older male cousins. One of her cousins, Will, begins to like her and they become engaged. But before they can get married, he is sent off to fight in the Civil War. The book begins with Jennie and the family receiving a letter that Will has been killed in battle just as her other cousin returns home very injured. And so begins the mystery of how Will really died and why she is being haunted by his ghost.
Jennie is a really great character. She's been through a lot with the death of her parents, the death of her twin brother and living with relatives who don't really want her around. But she stays strong through all these adversities and is able to pick up on the small signs that the ghost of her betrothed is haunting her and as it turns out for a good reason! Throughout the book Jennie picks up little nick knacks around the house and little pieces of evidence that she keeps in a scrapbook. What I loved is that I would turn the page and be able to see all the things that she picked up because they would be illustrated.
Picture the Dead was such a fun read! The mixture of the illustrations, the mystery and the story made it very interesting to read! I give Picture the Dead 5 hearts for being a very unique and memorable read!
4 comments:
Wow... so while reading you review the only thing I kept thinking of was "She got engaged to her cousin??" :/
BUT- I like the idea of mixed media in books, I never see that. Its sad that adult books dont have pictures/illustrations like Childrens books do!
haha
Great review! Im glad you loved it
Being engaged to your cousin?! I know that's how they did it in the olden days but... still! I'm glad that you didn't let that bother you though, Crystal.
I think it's so neat that this book has pictures! I always think pictures only enhance a book, which I'm sure is the case here. And the concept of this book sounds so neat!! I mean, being haunted by your betrothed? SO neat. Jennie also sounds like a smart and completely likable heroine, which I always love!
Fantastic review Crystal! <3 I will definitely have to pick this one up. =)
Great review! I never heard of this one before but this sounds great. Definitely adding it to my list now. It sounds really good and I like that there are illustrations to go along with the story.
glad you liked this one, crystal. it's super creepy and i love the mix of text with images. always fun.
Post a Comment
I love feedback and really want to know what you think! Comment away!!