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Grace, the cemetery caretaker, spots four youths rubbing headstones on Halloween and, thankful that they aren't there to vandalize, she sends a prayer to God. Little does she realize that this prayer will lead each of the teens on a strange journey with the gravesites' occupants. Fourteen-year-old Josie sets out to rub her mother's headstone, but is drawn to that of a witch instead; Casey, who lives in the shadow of her older brother, rubs the headstone of a baby boy whose parents still show him more attention than she has ever received; Blaze, whose mother is an atheist, rubs the headstone of a priest; and Seth, who is having a troubled relationship with his father, rubs the headstone of a dead soldier with no living relatives. As each teen finds out more about the subject of their rubbing, they are forced to come to terms with an important aspect of their own lives. Even Grace will be affected by the events set in motion on Halloween night.

The chapters are told from the alternating points-of-view of Grace, Josie, Casey, Blaze, and Seth, with the cute chapter headings indicating who is narrating each chapter. This book is beautifully written and contains some lovely descriptive passages. There is a lot of detail that is not strictly necessary but that adds an extra dimension to the narrative. I came to know each of these characters very well, and I was invested in their stories. This is a complex tale of friendship, love, family, and history.

A pleasure to read.

I received this book in return for an honest review.

Full blog post: http://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2015/03/four-rubbings-by-jennifer-hotes.html