Fitch, S. (2005). The gravesavers. Ontario, Canada: Doubleday Canada.
Summary
After her mother’s miscarriage, Cinnamon Hotchkiss, or Minn, is sent to live at her Grandmother’s house for the summer in rural seaside Boulder Basin, Nova Scotia. Minn does not get along well with her Grandmother, and hopes to pass the summer running and avoiding the “witch.” However, when Minn finds a baby’s skull washed along the shore, she begins to uncover a mystery that dates back to a shipwreck. Can Minn have the courage to discover the truth about the skull, the shipwreck and the mysterious boy Max?
Advisory Information
-Themes:
a. Guilt: Minn must come to terms with her parent’s “abandonment” following her mother’s miscarriage in addition to her own guilt surrounding the event.
b. Spirits/Death: Minn and her Grandmother feel compelled to protect the graves of those who were lost during the shipwreck. There is also an example of spirits and how life after death affects both the living and the dead.
c. Coming of Age: The Gravesavers shows Minn’s growth during the summer before she turns 13. She learns what is important to her as well as how she wants to make an impact on the world.
d. Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a common theme throughout the book, especially with Minn and her mother, Minn and her grandmother, and Thomas and John.
e. Family Relationships: Family relationships are what push the plot along. Minn’s relationship with her grandmother and the rest of her family is juxtaposed with Thomas and John’s family relationship while crossing the Atlantic aboard the S.S. Atlantic. The reader is able to see how family relationships have changed very little over 100 years in Fitch’s narrative.
-Age Recommendation
Intermediate Children's Fiction (10-14 year olds)
-Other Information
The Gravesavers is a great example of historical fiction, blending fact with fiction. The “…S.S. Atlantic was the most tragic shipwreck in Maritime history before the Titanic” (Back cover of novel). Fitch includes an author’s note which gives readers a little more information regarding museums, parks and archives about the wreck.
NOMINEE 2005 - Canadian Library Association - Book of the Year for Children
Reaction
Sheree Fitch’s The Gravesavers is an excellent work in writing style, characterization, and plot. Minn’s character development is very believable through her growth as a runner, granddaughter, friend, and romantic interest. Fitch’s writing style captures Nova Scotia’s environment as well as Minn’s feelings towards the skull, shipwreck, and its passengers. Highly recommended.
Summary
After her mother’s miscarriage, Cinnamon Hotchkiss, or Minn, is sent to live at her Grandmother’s house for the summer in rural seaside Boulder Basin, Nova Scotia. Minn does not get along well with her Grandmother, and hopes to pass the summer running and avoiding the “witch.” However, when Minn finds a baby’s skull washed along the shore, she begins to uncover a mystery that dates back to a shipwreck. Can Minn have the courage to discover the truth about the skull, the shipwreck and the mysterious boy Max?
Advisory Information
-Themes:
a. Guilt: Minn must come to terms with her parent’s “abandonment” following her mother’s miscarriage in addition to her own guilt surrounding the event.
b. Spirits/Death: Minn and her Grandmother feel compelled to protect the graves of those who were lost during the shipwreck. There is also an example of spirits and how life after death affects both the living and the dead.
c. Coming of Age: The Gravesavers shows Minn’s growth during the summer before she turns 13. She learns what is important to her as well as how she wants to make an impact on the world.
d. Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a common theme throughout the book, especially with Minn and her mother, Minn and her grandmother, and Thomas and John.
e. Family Relationships: Family relationships are what push the plot along. Minn’s relationship with her grandmother and the rest of her family is juxtaposed with Thomas and John’s family relationship while crossing the Atlantic aboard the S.S. Atlantic. The reader is able to see how family relationships have changed very little over 100 years in Fitch’s narrative.
-Age Recommendation
Intermediate Children's Fiction (10-14 year olds)
-Other Information
The Gravesavers is a great example of historical fiction, blending fact with fiction. The “…S.S. Atlantic was the most tragic shipwreck in Maritime history before the Titanic” (Back cover of novel). Fitch includes an author’s note which gives readers a little more information regarding museums, parks and archives about the wreck.
NOMINEE 2005 - Canadian Library Association - Book of the Year for Children
Reaction
Sheree Fitch’s The Gravesavers is an excellent work in writing style, characterization, and plot. Minn’s character development is very believable through her growth as a runner, granddaughter, friend, and romantic interest. Fitch’s writing style captures Nova Scotia’s environment as well as Minn’s feelings towards the skull, shipwreck, and its passengers. Highly recommended.
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