Guest Author - Terrie Lynn Bittner

In the interest of good journalism, I am going to begin this article with a disclaimer. The author of the exciting new series from Covenant, the Kevin Kirk Chronicles, is one of my dearest friends and I am mentioned in the dedication. This means, of course, that the “review” will be a bit different than an ordinary review. However, I first read this book in manuscript form just after I met Patricia. At that time, I read it quite objectively, and found it to be an incredible book, balancing powerful spirituality with a fun, realistic and entertaining young hero. So, while I can’t be objective about Patricia, I can remember just how the book made me feel the first time I read it. The series will have several books. The first, My Mom’s a Mortician, has just been released by Covenant Communications.

Kevin Kirk’s life has gone along in fairly stable and traditional ways until the summer before he begins seventh grade. Suddenly his parents announce that his mother has just obtained a degree in mortuary science (something he had managed to not think too much about until now) and they have purchased a mortuary in Armadillo, Arkansas. Not only that, but they will be living in the apartment over the business.

“That was the weirdest thing I’d ever heard in my life. How could I eat dinner knowing someone was decomposing just below the kitchen floor? How could I invite friends over—if I could even find friends now? Who’d want to hang out with someone whose houseguests are in rigor mortis?”

However, there are even more surprises for Kevin. He discovers that his family has been keeping other secrets from him as well. Why didn’t his parents ever tell him he had an older sister named Kelsey, who died before he was born? And why didn’t he know his parents had become Mormons just before that baby’s death, and then stopped attending when his father became furious with God for taking his daughter? Kevin begins a struggle to understand his family’s secret past, and each complicated event helps him to face his own feelings and fears about family, death and faith.

He has a little help with his challenges, though. Their first “customer” is Cletus McCulley, who is a member of the Church. When Kevin sees the man’s body, he is startled to realize that although they never met in this life, Kevin knows Cletus, and Cletus knows Kevin. How can you be friends with someone you’ve never met? Cletus seems determined to help his friend Kevin with his trials and his fun, giving him guidance on everything from developing compassion for the school bully, whose life isn’t what it seems, to the joys of fishing. With the help of Cletus, his new best friend, Dani, and an unofficial big sister who helps everyone accept Kelsey’s death, Kevin takes the steps that prepare him for the day a Book of Mormon miraculously appears at a yard sale.

There are few books, particularly for children, that span the emotions effectively. Kevin’s story is told in first person, and he tells much of it in a gently humorous way, able to poke fun at himself. However, the tone smoothly changes as the story changes. One scene that feels particularly spiritual and powerful to me every time I read it is the scene in which Kevin views his first dead body with the Cletus’ adult granddaughter:

“Cletus’ chest still didn’t move, but an easy warmth swelled in mine. I’d always thought if you were dead, you were all dead. Was there something inside people that didn’t die when their bodies did? My eyes went back to the portrait. ‘Where do you think he is now?’
“’He’ll stay as close to us as he can, in spirit.’ A tear slipped from her left eye as she reached into the casket to smooth an imaginary wrinkle on her grandfather’s shirt. ‘But now he’s back with Gran and the friends who died before him. That’s what Grandfather and Gran taught me, from the time I was a little girl. And I believe it.’ Mrs. Goldwyn put her arm around me and gave me a squeeze. ‘Today, I believe it more than ever.’”

This book will particularly appeal to bright, thoughtful, LDS children with good reading skills, and to those who enjoy having a serious story read to them. Kevin’s explorations of growing-up issues is handled honestly and thoughtfully without preaching. This is an excellent book to read together as a family, because parents will welcome the opportunity to open discussions on the several serious subjects tackled by the book, including death, child abuse, bullying, and family love. It is also a good way for life-long church members to view the Gospel from the viewpoint of one who is just beginning to learn about it.

Although this is Patricia’s first book, she has numerous publishing credentials. She has been a newspaper columnist and a Public Radio commentator, and has published in the prestigious magazines for writers, Writers Digest and The Writer. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and is the Executive Editor of latterdayauthors.com.

This new series is an exciting addition to the new line of books for older elementary school children being published by Covenant. Because there are so few books for this age group in the LDS world, and the choices outside LDS publishing are so often dismal, it is important for us to support this experiment, in order to ensure that other LDS publishers begin offering moral, thoughtful books for our children.

To purchase this book, visit Covenant Communications. Be sure to check out the related links to the top right of this page for more information on Patricia.