• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

Sometimes it’s hard to rest in peace. A young trainee witch, a family power gone haywire, a dearly departed grandma, an undead boy, and an evil witch—that’s a recipe for the perfect summer vacation. Both hilarious and heartfelt, this fast-paced mystery about life and death (and afterlife) is for fans of Spirit Hunters and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.

Twelve-year-old Kimmy Jones wants to excel at the unique (and secret) aspect of her family’s funeral home business. Under the watchful eye of Grandma Bev, Kimmy learns how to raise the recently deceased, request their last wish, and break the connection to send them on. But when Grandma unexpectedly dies herself, Kimmy can’t reach her spirit, and nothing seems like it’s ever going to be right again.

Then a boy dies under mysterious circumstances on the night of a meteor shower. With no witnesses, Kimmy’s the only one who can get answers about what happened. So she breaks into the hospital morgue, and for the first time in months, her power works. She Wakes the boy up. Except then Kimmy can’t break the connection and so he stays Awake. Even worse, the boy has no memory of what happened to him. As Kimmy works to unravel the mystery, she discovers secrets about her heritage and learns about a witch who has been wreaking havoc for centuries.

Casey Lyall’s supernatural mystery is heartfelt, thrilling, and hilarious. Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities is perfect for fans of Avi’s School of the Dead and Suzanne Young’s What Stays Buried.

Casey Lyall is the author of Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is, the acclaimed picture book A Spoonful of Frogs, illustrated by Vera Brosgol, and the popular Howard Wallace, PI series. She lives in southwestern Ontario, Canada, where she also works at her local library.

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“As the descendant of a long line of benign witches, 12-year-old Kimmy is thrilled to be learning from her Grandma Bev how to temporarily Wake recently deceased clients of the family’s funeral home. . . . Kimmy discovers . . . that a powerful evil witch is in the area, fatally feeding on the life force of her hapless victims. Though this sounds like it should be a scary tale, Lyall keeps the tone light. . . . Expect more chortles than screams; warm family feelings and comical touches keep the terror low-key.” — Kirkus Reviews