Me, the Missing, and the Dead

Author Jenny Valentine earned a chorus of critical praise with this dark and humorous debut novel. Fifteenyear- old Lucas Swain hasn't seen his father for five years. One day, his dad just vanished-and nobody else seems too concerned. Things get even stranger when Lucas discovers an urn. The ashes inside are a woman named Violet, and she has messages from the beyond to share. "Everyday quirkiness brings the secondary characters to life as distinct individuals, and fortuitous turns in the pl...