Hold your lanterns tight, dear readers, because Rebecca Bischoff's "The Grave Digger" is a spine-chilling descent into the eerie depths of 1875 Ohio. Picture this: a twelve-year-old inventor named Cap Cooper, a reluctant graverobber enlisted by his desperate father to navigate a world where the boundaries between life and death blur.

As the audiobook narrator wove the tale, I found myself transported to a time when gas lamps flickered ominously, casting long shadows on the gravestones. Cap, with his young heart teetering between innocence and the harsh realities of life, unravels a dark secret that the local medical school would prefer to keep buried—quite literally.

The author weaves a haunting tapestry of mystery and suspense, perfect for fans of the eerie vibes found in Katherine Arden's "Small Spaces." The atmosphere is thick with tension, as Cap stumbles upon a realm where the dead may not rest peacefully. The descriptions are vivid, sending shivers down your spine and leaving an indelible mark on your imagination.

The characters, especially Cap, are crafted with depth and authenticity. His struggle between filial duty, morality, and the allure of discovery is palpable. You'll find yourself rooting for him, heart pounding, as he navigates the treacherous path between secrets and salvation.

Now, let's talk audiobook magic... The narration elevates the tale to another level of haunting beauty. The voice brings each character to life, the intonations dripping with suspense. The pacing is masterful, keeping you on the edge of your seat, especially during those heart-stopping moments when the line between life and death blurs.

Why the resounding five stars, you ask? "The Grave Digger" doesn't just tell a story; it wraps you in a cloak of darkness, envelopes you in the mist of the graveyard, and leaves you breathless until the final whispered revelation.

If you have a penchant for tales that send shivers down your spine, if you relish the thrill of uncovering secrets in the graveyard's shadows, then "The Grave Digger" is a must-listen. Rebecca Bischoff crafts a haunting masterpiece, and the audiobook narration enhances the experience, making this journey into the unknown an unforgettable one.

The story hooks you in from the start. Found myself sitting in car long after arriving to wherever I was going, to continue listening to the story. Couldn't turn off had to hear what was next. It creates imagery in your mind as you listen to the story. The readers voice was perfect for this book. I will be purchasing this for my library as I think most of my readers will enjoy the story. I will also recommend to my friends and family to get The Grave Digger, it's a dark eerie story and setting combined with with family interaction both good and bad.

I got really mixed feeling for this book.
I love paranorm genre and spooky children book, expecially with mysteries to solve.
But some content in this book I think too creepy for kids. The narrating is awesome.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher to letting me enjoy this copy.

Loved this book so much! It was a fascinating little read and UBER creepy. Highly recommend. I hope there will be more to the story in the future.

I wanted to love this because it sets you up with a creepy setting but once you're reading it, that's not what you get. Such a shame too! The audiobook was just okay. The narration was good though.

CAWPILE-score: 5.00 / 10,00

This book was just meeehhh.... I just hated the atmosphere, the setting. The plot was just boring and it wasn"t interesting at all. I didn't like the characters either

I don't often come across children's books that I'm frightened to pick up again. While this one is not terrifying, I had misgivings every time I considered picking it up again.

Cap has been doing his best to help his family make some money so they can afford to pay the doctor. Mamma has been through many difficult pregnancies, and Cap can't help but hope that this one won't end in tragedy. Is digging up graves and snatching bodies really the best way to help Mamma though? The situation becomes more complicated when Cap discovers that he might have the mystical power to bring people back to life, which is good news for his friends, but bad news if he doesn't want to get in trouble with his boss.

If I ever have a student who is looking for a gruesome tale that borders on graphic without going too far, this is the first one I'll pull off my shelf. Themes of honesty and compassion as well as a childlike view of the reasons for racism are woven through this story, making it a worthy discussion topic any time of the year.

Mark Sanderlin was the perfect narrator for this story and I hope to hear more of his work in the future.

the book had steady speed and a thrill for the detective flavor in it.

the grave digging, who is digging it? why? is it a sin? is it normal? is there a reason?

dead bodies coming back to their families.

there would be a lot of questions you will be having like me.
but not all questions are answered ina good way. by which i mean, as many questions and curiousity the book rose, it didnt satisfy them with the answeres.

that my opinion though. you might find it convincing and enjoyable. every book is not for everyone. audiences opinions differ, still it has its moments.

•Character development- 2.5☆
• Story Plot- 3☆
• Side characters- 2.5☆
• Flow of the story- 3☆
• Overall - 2.5☆

This was a nice story. I only gave it 3 stars just because it took me really long to listen to it because I felt like nothing really happened. I mean, a lot was happening but not big plot twists or anything.
I know I'm not the target age group for this book, so I think that's on me. This could be a nice spooky Halloween read for a kid!

I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. A story for kids (well probably middle schoolers really) where the main character is a grave robber, I thought that might be a little dark for its audience. However, I’m generally a fan of the creepy-crawly, so I was excited to give this book a try when Netgalley offered me an opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I ended up really enjoying the story. It was a fun adventure that kept me thoroughly engaged even as an adult reader. Cap was a fun main character and I liked that they made him an inventor. I think a lot of kids will like that and relate to it. However, I expected it to be slightly more important to the plot of the main story. Kind of a Checkov’s gun situation. I really liked the way the book introduced a number of characters of color and made the racism of a late 1800s midwest town a part of the story and an obstacle that our characters have to deal with. But, it was done in a very matter-of-fact way that I think kids will learn from without realizing it.

I will say I think this book might need a bit of a trigger warning. I feel like it probably isn’t a good read for a young reader who has recently lost someone close to them. Dead bodies are treated rather casually at times and tend to come back to life. I feel like this could be jarring and possibly send the wrong message to a recently bereaved kid.

Also, miscarriage/stillbirth is a repeated topic in the book. So any adults or families who are grieving a loss of this type may want to consider putting off reading this book.

Overall though a good, fun book that I think a lot of middle schoolers and even some adults will enjoy.

I listened to this audiobook in one day and was quite pleased with both the story and the narrator. The narrator was able to capture the tone and emotions of the scenes perfectly! The premise is a bit different which is what drew my attention to the book and it did not disappoint!

I'm only 30% into the audiobook but wow, I just couldn't wait to write a review. I seriously can't wait until I have the time to finish the recording. The book is very intriguing and it really catches your attention which is sometimes difficult to do with an audiobook.
The storyline is very well written and I can't wait to see how it finishes. I would definitely recommend this book, it is the right kind of spooky for the age group.

I enjoyed listening this audio book. This is a perfect for middle graders who enjoy reading suspense stories.

I love listening to these during the day in the classroom with my kids. They really enjoy it and it’s a way to get them into reading without having to physically read to them. Highly recommend audio books if you are a teacher

Great narrator for this audio book! A tale of young Cap and the struggles of his family's financial situation. This book seemed strange right away and then as it continued I was highly amused by the absurdity that Cap really believed at first that he made a miracle happen by bringing someone back to life. The story really unfolds and the reader will enjoy following Cap on this mysterious adventure!

What a mess! This book is incredibly misleading, completely missed labeled, and definitely not worth the time put in to listen to it. As an educator I would never have this book in my classroom and would strongly discourage students from reading it, if they asked my opinion.
First of all, it’s labeled for children, but the premise is a child who literally steals dead bodies from their graves, and an evil, greedy group of people running this scam - which includes trusted doctors, and … a nun. One character’s parentage is hidden because her mom is a white prostitute (yep, in a children’s book) and her dad was black, so they tell everyone she’s an orphan.
Speaking of nuns, this book should definitely be labeled as “religious fiction” because about halfway through, there is a not subtle switch to a not subtle message about religion and god. Suddenly, everyone starts praying, and that’s basically how most of the conflicts get resolved. I have no problem with religious novels, but that should be upfront in the description , and not ignored.
The protagonist is supposedly a 12-year-old boy who is unwittingly and unwillingly dragged into a life of crime, digging up dead bodies to be used as medical school cadavers. He’s out all night, and goes to school in the day, and helps his mom and a local inventor, and creates his own ventures and … too much. And, he gets beat up, tortured, and buried alive.
There’s a whole muddy plot line about people agreeing to sell their bodies so that their remaining loved ones get paid out, but apparently the “colored folks,” “ (yes, there a a lot of overt racism … don’t care if the author was trying to make it “authentic” to the time period… most of the rest isn’t so why choose this one aspect?) orphans,” and other “unwanted” people aren’t eligible. Then there’s a spate of pregnant women whose babies all die. Oh, and all the people are clearly being poisoned by the doctor but only a child (is she a child?) realizes it but doesn’t tell anyone.
I won’t belabor the point, but the whole plot is a mess, it’s offensive in many ways, overly religious, and completely unsuitable for children.
The voice narration is just as jumbled with a variety of what is, I guess, supposed to be various accents, races, sexes, and ages. Most are exaggerated beyond recognition, and sometimes the jargon and attempt at dialect is either improperly used or ill-fitting for a character. The children’s voices are a joke and truly sound cartoonish.
Unless you’re looking for a religious storyline about child abuse and grotesque behavior (which, by the way, goes completely unpunished - to the point that the perpetrators don’t even get arrested or jailed … except the one who apparently burns, unnoticed in his bed), this is not the book for you.

The book was very well written and kept you interested right until the end. I also really liked the narrator, he did a great job of bringing the different characters to life and making each character unique. My main problem with the book is the category it’s been put under. It is too dark and graphic for ages 9-12. I would not feel comfortable recommending this book to that age range. Maybe a teenager who likes dark novels but no younger then that. The fact that it’s classified as 9-12 however also makes it hard to recommend to teens because the category makes it seem like a kids book to them.

Cap is a 12 year old boy who gets swept into the grave robbing business by his father, when they are struggling to pay the bills. Instead of looking for jewelry and things, which is illegal, the man who hired them wants the bodies. Cap struggles with guilt about digging up his neighbor's loved ones, but then a miraculous thing happens. The bodies that Cap touches start coming back to life. He wonders if he has a gift or what other explanation there could be for the resurrections.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did a great job portraying the various voices.

I found the plot interesting and and it moved at a good pace. I think middle schoolers (and teens and adults) will find this to be a good read.

5 Stars - narrator
3. Stars - story

The Grave Digger audiobook is narrated by Mark Sanderlin. He does an excellent job bringing the listener into the story. His voice is clear and emotional where appropriate. It works perfectly for the younger characters and the adults. My granddaughter and I enjoyed the listening experience.

The story is a mixed bag for us. This is children’s fiction for middle school; however, I caution parents of skittish children. There are parts of this story that might not be suitable for the younger middle school, or children susceptible to nightmares.

Cap Cooper is roped into a grave digging job with his father. Medical schools pay big for bodies to train doctors. Cap doesn’t like the job but understands that his pregnant mother is having health problems and the medical bills are getting unmanageable. His first night on the job Cap appears to have a supernatural gift. He touched the girl and brought her back to life.

Cap believes his gift is a result of his own unusual birth story. He wants to know more about how a person can be dead then brought back to life. This quest takes Cap down a dark path where he discovers evil in people he knows and admires.

The story has good and not so good parts. The beginning moves at a fast pace that drops the reader/listener into the story quickly. About forty percent in my granddaughter commented, “if she were reading, she would skip these boring pages.” I agreed with her.

The last twenty-five percent, the pace picks up again. Cap gets into a situation that might cause bad dreams for children not used to scary stories. We found the tension building moving us to the edge of our seats.

Overall, this is an okay story that will work for older middle and high schoolers. Cap Cooper is a good character. He is smart, courageous, and likes to invent gadgets. He saves the story. The secondary characters are a mixed bag. The bad guys are evil. Some adults didn’t add to the story as much as they made a political statement. We were put off when a few characters judged Cap unfairly.

Also. we aren’t sure what the author wants from this story. Is this a teenage romantic suspense or horror mystery? Is it a historical novel or a statement on politics and life of the 1870s in middle America? There were too many sub plots that were underdeveloped and made the story jumpy. At the end, we had a conversation that my granddaughter and me enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen to this audiobook.

To be honest I had a difficult time listening to this audiobook. The narrator did an amazing job. The narrator is probably the reason why I finished this book. Other than that the story was slow. It took a long time to even realize what the plot of the book was. The book also has some darker themes like murder and prostitution so I would not recommended this book for young children.