Review: Drawing my pleasure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2012
I admit to a love of ghost stories and YA novels that began with a book from scholastic when I was a child. "The Ghost of Dibble Hollow" was my first good ghost story read, and many since then have disappointed me by failing in some of the basics of good story development.  "The Grave Artist" succeeded beyond my expectations.Clare is a believable, multi-layered teenager who is reacting to her parents divorce but at the same time feeling aware that her reactions are stereotypical and hating that.  She sees herself as creative but others describe her as a drama queen and it took her awhile to realize that she does hold onto her drama and sadness so much that it was keeping her from seeing the issues facing her sister and her friend.  She grows and improves as the novel progresses.  So does her relationship with the boy who loves art, and the Lord of The Rings, and begins as "gollum" but evolves into the more human "Neil."Th ghost is 16, but also a couple hundred years old, and chooses Clare to attempt to communicate with because there are many similarities between them and Clare's creativity provides an opening.  Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say that you will come to care about both the living girl and the spirit one.  You will see into what it is like being 16 and under stress in today's world, but you will get a chance to escape your own stresses through this delightfully crafted storytelling.Enjoy.