Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
When the owner of Toronto Haunted Ghost Tours arrives at Winterson Cemetery to investigate two reports of paranormal activity, Winifred, who is Métis and lives on the grounds with her distant, grieving father, sees an opportunity. Her father is at risk of losing his job at the failing crematory; moving out would mean leaving not only their home, but also the ashes of Win’s late mother, who died during childbirth, behind. Win knows the reported “sightings” are not real—both times it had been she who was spotted among the gravestones—but recently she has been visited by the actual ghost of an Indigenous teen girl, Phil, who died in a ravine next to the cemetery. Hoping to summon Phil while a tour group visits Winterson, Win reluctantly ropes her caustic, money-grubbing cousin, Penny, into helping with her scheme. As Win and Phil get to know each other, though, and even begin to fall in love, the story of Phil’s tragic death slowly unfolds. Win begins to regret her decision to exploit Phil’s death for profit and tells Penny she’s changed her mind. But Penny is motivated by more than just money; painful family dynamics and past humiliations have bred her desire to hurt her cousin. Heavier themes—how and when to let go of a lost loved one, the pervasive violence against Indigenous girls and women—are deftly balanced by warmth, humor, and familial and romantic love in this exquisitely written novel. ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Arguments/Conflict
Bisexuals
Death and Dying
Ethical/Moral Choices
Families
First/Native Nations
Girls and Women
Grief and Loss
LGBTQ+ Persons
Magical Realism
Metis People
Sex and Sexuality
Supernatural
Violence
Diversity subject:
Indigenous
LGBTQ Character/Topic
Publishers:
Tundra, Penguin Random House Canada
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 271
ISBN: 9780735265639
CCBC Location: Fiction, Dimaline