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Michael will be the first one to tell you: he barely
knew his grandpa Kimmel when he was alive. And he didn’t
know the details about the big fight between his dad
and his grandpa that made the whole family stop visiting
seven years ago. And if you never really knew someone,
and nobody ever talks about him, then you probably won’t
miss him when he’s gone, right?
But when his grandpa dies, Michael’s gut tells him
that the cold, detached way his dad is acting isn’t normal.
Just like Michael recognizes that his own bizarre cravings
for things like oatmeal and creamed spinach and a nice
big cigar aren’t normal either. Michael suspects that
his grandpa Kimmel might be reaching out to him—or through
him. But figuring out what his grandpa wants is a scary
thought, as it will require getting to know a man who
was impossible to talk to when he was alive. As Michael
begins to slip with his grandpa into the mysterious river
that seems to flow between the living and the dead, an
even scarier thought occurs: if Michael can’t get out
again, will anyone miss him?
"Bell’s spare prose evokes a tightly wound family, and elegantly renders the world from Michael’s gloomy, nescient point of view. ...[T]he story succeeds in that its paranormal dynamics echo the real world’s. Breaks between father and son, parent and child, do play out in the next generation. Families really are haunted by the past, in a way that houses are not." - Scott Westerfeld, Publishers Weekly
"Bell creates genuinely creepy and surreal scenes as Michael psychically journeys among the dead, and she anchors the fantasy elements with well-wrought scenes of unresolved family conflicts. The balance between the supernatural and genuine human feelings creates a compelling mix.” - Booklist
“Cathleen Davitt Bell has hit one out of the park with this debut book. Slipping is a riveting ghost story that finds the right balance of boy-humour, teenage angst, family dysfunction and reassuring love.” - Raincoast Books
“A unique ghostly concept.” - Kirkus Reviews
"The book...ends up as a genuinely thoughtful but never embarrassingly sentimental look at the way guys, grown and otherwise, can have a tough time being close to those they care for the most." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The details of Michael's life and the past he relives through the ghost's memories are sharp and engaging.
The conclusion gets a bit shmaltzy, but in a nice way that doesn't totally destroy the intensity and psychological complexity of the rest of this striking YA novel." - Carolyn Cushman, Locus
GuysLitWire.com Recommended Read
KidsRead.com - Titles Coming Soon
"Makes you wish you could slip back an hour to read even more." - Avery, age 11
"A gripping adventure that keeps you guessing until the end." - Logan, age 12
"Slipping keeps hold of you from the beginning right through the end. A thrilling tale and great read." - Jordan, age 11
"This is an adventurous book. When Michael slips, he sees many people and things. I would recommend this book to everybody because Cathleen Bell did a good job describing Michael's adventures." - Jacob, age 10
“An amazing thriller that you absolutely have to read -- where jocks and geeks have to work together to help a ghost finally rest.” - Riley, age 12 |
