"One Upon a Tomb" - J. Patrick Lewis

If you like a little morbidity, this is it. Entertaining enough, just disturbing artwork.

A selection of occupations get a eulogy written for them.

Read Also:

Please Bury Me in the Library by the same author.

Wacky Workers: a book of job jokes by Mark Zeigler.

"In Flanders Fields" - Norman Jorgensen

Lest We Forget... In honor of Remembrance Day.

The famous poem by John McCrae coupled with the heart-wrenching yet heart-warming artistry in sepia tones and sketches makes this a beautiful memorial for the Great War. And to highlight the symbolism of poppy - the red bird is the only color.

Read Also:

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon.

Fly, Cher Ami, Fly by Robert Burleigh.

War Game by Michael Foreman.

"Denton Little's Deathdate" - Lance Rubin

Morbid. Always said I was.

Okay, so this was an extremely irreverent book about death. I'm ashamed to say I laughed out loud! It had more bad language and crude situations than I needed, but the author played this one well. No soon-to-be-classic, but sometimes, a little light reading is what you need.

In a world where one's deathdate is known right after birth, Denton Little knows he will die on the day of senior prom. The catch: no one knows what time. So Denton spends his last day making mistakes, learning about himself and others, breaking up with his girlfriend, getting back together, [repeat], almost dying (multiple times) and being a nice guy. How packed can one day be when every second could be your last?

Read Also:

Stacey Kade's The Ghost and the Goth was awkwardly funny and cute.

Penelope by Marilyn Kaye (book of the movie) has a humorous twist on causing death.

"Esperanza Rising" - Pam Munoz Ryan

A surprisingly uplifting book made more so by the fact it's based on the author's grandmother's life.

Esperanza is a rich (and at times spoiled) girl in Mexico during the 1920's. When her father dies, she and her mother immigrate to California and become farm workers; the only tangible evidence of her past life is her birthday doll. The resulting experiences of living conditions, friendships, prejudice, strikers, and the Depression all affect Esperanza into growing beyond her expectations.

(I had to ask...) "esperanza" translates to "hope" in English so the title means "[Hope] Rising" which is exactly what I felt. I was pleased to note that Esperanza was not spoiled to the point of "I can't stand this girl!" but just enough to have hope she could change. Her situation is rough but not so dire as to give up hope for making something good out of it.

I liked how each chapter was named after a crop!

Read Also:

Patty Reed's Doll: the story of the Donner Party by Rachel K. Laurgaard is another young girl's experiences losing most everything as her family travels to California. Again, the doll plays an integral role representing a more innocent time.

Lynne Reid Banks' Maura's Angel tells the story of Maura growing up during the Troubles in Ireland where Catholic and Protestant literally shoot it out. In this book, the angel takes the place of a doll.

To throw in a classic, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (author of The Secret Garden) follows Sarah who loses everything in a country far from her home. Her doll, Emily, is from her past life but remains with her representing hope of things getting better again.

"How I Live Now" -Meg Rosoff

Let me just say, this is not my type of book; would never have pulled it off the shelf; would never have read a review and thought I would enjoy it. BUT, I think highly of the teen librarian who recommended it (and it's a fairly short book) so I took it to expand my Young Adult reading.

...Not a horrible book.

Actually, it's an interesting book that deals with an alternate/future(?) war and how the current generation might face it. Daisy is sent to live with cousins in England when a war breaks out. There, she lives a very different lifestyle to the one she's known in New York. However, this war arrives in England, and her now-family gets separated. Through starvation, abandonment, terror, and other symptoms of war, Daisy manages to get back to them, her now-home.

I liked the writing style, 1st person, where the reader is inside Daisy's teenage head. However, I was so fixated on which war was going on, that I probably missed a lot of points which flushed out the story. Regardless, the end is still ... poignant. (I hesitate to use that word but it kinda fits).

Read Also:

Margaret Rotkowski's After the Dancing Days is an emotional and physical look at war and how it affects the young, though not exactly the same type of book.

Because I don't read this type of book, Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage was comparable in emotional trauma.

Funny enough, it's a depressing version of When Irish Eyes are Smiling by Suzanne Supplee.

"Following Grandfather" -Rosemary Wells

This was a sweet tale of a grandfather teaching his granddaughter about life. It gives the grandfather's background and coming to New York.

The touching part is when the grandfather dies and the granddaughter must continue on. She sees her grandfather in other old men, relives some memories, but at the end, finds the one "treasure" which gives her peace: a rare seashell he told her about.

Read Also:

House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block is not a light read although it is a children's book. But it is a good book dealing with depression, feelings of abandonment and death.

I was very impressed with the movie "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" for how it deals with hope, faith, joy, and death. Very mature, yet very sensitive, it's sweet viewing.