On The Day I Died: Stories From The Grave

 

 So I picked this one up from the library purely based on the title, then the cover and lastly skimming the insert.  Then I started to read the authors notes and well by then I figured I should just check it out already, I mean I haven't read to many historical fiction so this seemed up my alley.   I wasn't disappointed, but I do like scary stories with ghosts and graveyards.  The story begins with Mike driving in his car at an extremely rapid rate trying to get home before his mom gets mad at him for missing curfew for the umpteenth time.  When a girl appears out of nowhere and Mike thinks he should offer her a ride home.  After he drops her off, Mike notices she left behind a pair of shoes and decides to take them back to her house.  When he gets there, the girl is gone and instead there is a  women who answers the door and tells him that the girls name is Carol Anne and that she died in a boating accident.  She also tells him that Carol Anne is buried at a graveyard not far away and suggests that he return her shoes to her there.  Mike is of course hesitant, I mean who wants to visit a cemetery at night and when your late for curfew?  Against his better judgement, he decides to do just that.  Once there, Mike meets ghosts of teenagers who want to tell them their stories, that is their death stories.  Each of the next nine stories covers a different time period set in Chicago.  From the authors note, we see that these stories are inspired by myths or legends or even events that occurred in Chicago during these historical time periods.  I liked how the author included both male and female characters and found that the stories were in keeping with the historical time that they were set in.  I also found the plot concerning the children's demise interesting and creative, although some stories were more engaging then others.  I'm thinking if you like spooky stories that touch on the subject of death but aren't to creepy, then this is the book for you.  In the end the message for Mike is to take it easy, smell the roses cause you almost died on that road last night.  Overall a four out of four stars for me.