Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery

Gr 10 Up—When 16-year-old Lacy—now dead—first appears to the eternal inhabitants of Westminster Cemetery, they are quick to inform her of specific rules in place if she wishes to dwell aboveground between midnight and daybreak. Buried within the cemetery is famous poet Edgar Allan Poe, and his wife, Virginia Clemm Poe, among others who perished during that era. Since Lacy is also a burgeoning poet who died on her way to an open mic night, she offers to host something similiar for the deceased residents. The event upsets some but excites others who are bored with the only other late-night entertainment: tea time. Emotions run high as the participants share their spoken-word poetry and spill long-held secrets. Lacy's character is somewhat likable given her unique situation, but her recurrent swearing doesn't quite line up with her personality. The book is written as a two-act screenplay with prose exposition at the beginning of each scene and interspersed throughout. Unfortunately, this format makes the pacing feel stilted and the story hard to follow. Even with the lure of Poe as a featured character, readers won't necessarily feel motivated enough to find out why he is there; there are too many other issues to sort out in the text.