TORY AND ME AND THE SPIRIT OF TRUE LOVE

Cousins Emily and Tory, 11, are fast friends, unlike in temperament but similar in their yearning for romance. With boys their own age? They flirt with the possibilities, but what really captures their imaginations—and reveals the secrets of true love- -is a romance from their grandparents' heyday. It all begins with the death of their great-aunt, whose body is flown home for burial and who, it seems, was estranged from the rest of the family. Emily and Tory are determined to find out why. Though family members drop hints, they're insufficient to solve the mystery; but a delightfully scary midnight cemetery caper leads to the truth. To Emily's surprise, it comes from the grumpy great-uncle who came for his wife's funeral and then stayed on. Ordinary as summer adventures go, but full of humorous, smartly paced dialogue, and the events leave the girls both wiser and sadder. The story also makes a good vehicle for viewing love and loss, simply but thoughtfully—a good choice for children who have recently grappled with a first family death. (Fiction. 8-12)