Walking with the Dead

In this frightfully funny novel by L. M. Falcone, Alex's father brings home an ancient Greek corpse as an exhibit for Oddities, the weird museum in their basement. After Alex peeks in the coffin, he starts having crazy dreams, gets struck by lightning and falls through a door into the night sky. Then things take a turn for the seriously weird when, after more than 2000 years, the corpse wakes up! This lively cadaver needs help, so big-hearted Alex and his sidekick, Freddie, find themselves on a mission to the world of the dead. They dodge monsters, three-headed dogs, gorgons with snakes for hair -- and much worse -- all in an attempt to help a lost soul in serious trouble. How in Hades will the boys ever get home again?

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8–Everything seems to be going wrong for 12-year-old Alex. He can't impress the girl of his dreams; Slug, the class bully, is demanding protection money; and his dad's Oddities museum is on the rocks. When his father adds a weird Greek mummy, Costas, to the rickety collection, Alex notices that it lacks the traditional gold coin that the dead need to pay Charon at the River Styx. The boy supplies one, but then retrieves it to pay off Slug. However, Costas needs the coin–and Alex's help. He was unjustly condemned for a murder he didn't commit and faces eternal punishment unless the crime can be undone. Alex and his friend Freddie travel to the Underworld, where they are faced with a labyrinth, the Minotaur, Medusa, and even Hades himself. Will the pair save Costas and themselves from becoming trapped forever? The suspenseful journey through the netherworld is enlivened by welcome humor, and there is also a quiet message about personal responsibility and courage. This exciting adventure will be best appreciated by readers with a basic grounding in Greek mythology.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Twelve-year-old Alex's dad is about to open a museum of oddities. Among the items on display is a corpse from ancient Greece. When a surge of electricity awakes the corpse and it starts running around the town, Alex realizes that he needs to step in and help the cadaver out. His efforts take him on the classic hero's journey to the underworld, where Alex and his friend Freddie must outwit a host of monsters from Greek mythology. At key moments, they are able to call a girl in their class (cell phones work in the underworld), who gives them pointers with information that she finds on the Internet. An amusing adventure, this offers an inventive and lighthearted introduction to the Greek myths. Todd MorningCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

L.M. Falcone has worked as a teacher, a private investigator and a screenwriter. Her writing credits include television's popular preteen series Are You Afraid of the Dark?, as well as the novels Walking with the Dead, The Devil, the Banshee and Me and The Midnight Curse. She lives in Toronto.

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