Me, the Missing, and the Dead
by Jenny Valentine
Genre: Juvenile Fiction Sub-Genre: Mystery
Themes: Coming-of-age, mystery, death, family, comedy, tragedy, supernatural
Primary Characters: Lucas Swain
Secondary Characters: A deceased lady named Violet (implied), Lucas's mother, sister, and grandfather; also, his missing father (implied)
Awards: William C. Morris Award finalist
Published on April 1, 2008 by Harper Teen
This book is about a boy named Lucas, a fifteen-year-old who lives in London, England. His father disappeared years ago, and he considers himself to be the only person in his family who cares much what happened to him. An odd thing about Lucas is his keen interest in the deceased; while waiting in an office lobby in the city, he spies an urn and feels a strong urge to "know" the person whose remains are inside. This turns out to be a lady named Violet Park, a once-famous piano player who oddly enough possessed a connection with Lucas's missing father. As Lucas sets about researching Violet's life, he discovers bits and pieces of his father's story. Finally, he is able to solve the mystery of his dad's disappearance and become at peace with the situation. I would use this novel in a class of upper-elementary grade students (sixth grade at youngest). It's a bittersweet, coming-of-age story that I think could be enjoyed by a class as a whole (both male and female students equally), or in separate literature circle groups.
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