Kip's family deals in death. For over a hundred and fifty years, Campbell and Son's Funeral Home has laid to rest the people of Clover, Massachusetts with quiet dignity and grace. Kip, however, isn't having any of it. He is determined to escape the crumbling family business and the dying town in which it resides, but to do that he needs money. When a mysterious voice carried on the sea breeze promises Kip his weight in gold if he agrees to help burdened souls get to heaven for a period of one year, Kip finally sees his opportunity. In order to cash in, however, he's going to have to solve a mystery or two along the way, getting him even more involved in the family business.

Overall, The Funeral Director's Son is an exciting and humorous tale, carried largely by Kip's quick wit and sprawling, eccentric family. The threat of foreclosure and small-town decay hangs over the entire narrative, making money a driving force in Kip's life. Unlike the summertime boy's adventures of previous decades, Murtagh's story doesn't shy away from uncomfortable topics, as Kip and his friends are bullied at school and go home to broken or abusive households. She treats these elements with such frankness, however, that they become just background elements in the story of Kip's investigation into the death of mean old Billy Blye. Kids will be drawn to Kip's unusual predicament while still being able to identify with the small struggles he overcomes--talking to the new girl in homeroom, facing down a pair of bullies at the beach--in a way that only enhances the realism of the story.

I would recommend this book for grades 5 through 7, although tween boys might initially be turned off by lilac background or curly writing on the cover (or the fact that the author's last series was called The Wedding Planner's Daughter). If you can convince them to read the first few pages, however, the rest of the book will be a breeze. ( )

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

Christopher "Kip" Campbell is the funeral director's son. The Campbell family lives in the small town of Clover and everyone knows Campbell and Sons Funeral Home. Everyone in the family has their job to do and the family business has been passed down from generation to generation, Christopher to Christopher.

Kip doesn't want to be a funeral director. He wants to get away from his small town. No one thinks it's cool to live in a funeral home -- and it's certainly not very cool to have a funeral director as your dad.

But Kip has a gift in the funeral business; he can hear what the deceased need help with in order to move on. When mean old Billy Blye passes away, Kip hears that helping Billy move on will be worth his weight in gold. That would be enough to help out his family's business and for him to quit. He has no choice but to find out what is holding Billy back.

Author Coleen Murtagh Paratore, author of THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER, is back with the start of a new series. THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR'S SON has Ms. Paratore's trademark warmth and charm, but this time she takes on a boy's mindset. She also mixes in a bit of mystery.

Kip is surrounded by a well-written cast of supporting characters that could easily star in their own novel. Nanbull, Kip's Grandmother, is full of spunk and sass, whereas Kip's friends are supportive and capture the voices of twelve-year-old boys. Ms. Paratore knows how to mix the feel of a classic with a modern story in a way that makes me wish her stories never ended. A great read for all ages and another winner from one of my favorite authors! ( )

The last thing twelve-year-old Christopher "Kip" Campbell wants is to take over the funeral business that has been in his family for generations, but he is the only Campbell heir and seems to have a calling to help the dead and their survivors in a most unusual way. ( )

This summer I have really focussed on delving into chapter books for children who are able to read independently but may need some help in locating good books. I selected a number of books that target 9 -12 year olds. I read a couple of them aloud to my ten year old. Possibly the quirkiest book we read was, "The Funeral Director's Son" by Coleen Murtagh Paratore. I really had no idea what to expect and hoped that the cover, which is somewhat flowery, would not deter a hockey-playing ten year old male. Anyhow, I read and he happily listened . We both enjoyed the Charles Dickens quotes that preceeded each chapter (at times quizzing Daddy to name the source of the quote). The relatively short chapters will appeal to some reluctant readers who may be overwhelmed by longer books. On more than one occasion we read three or four chapters in one evening. Ms. Paratore poses an interesting question: what happens when the heir apparent to a family business is not at all interested in taking up the reins and can't wait to escape life in a small town? The Funeral Director's Son offered a breezy, enjoyable glimpse of a rather unusual family life.