This is book two of the "Kevin Kirk Chronicles." The previous volume (My Mom's a Mortician), recently reviewed here, set the stage for the further adventures of young Kevin Kirk, ever precocious but perhaps a tad too ambitious.

In the present volume, Kevin continues his adventures in his new town and his new school. Several new characters are introduced, including the oddly-named "Melonhead" (his last name is Melon), and the self-dubbed Cassiopeia, who has recently taken over their favorite local eatery, the Cow Palace, and has introduced, to the dismay of the Kirk family, tofu and other healthful alternatives. Not a good fit for the customer base, but perfectly in keeping with Cassie's rather odd demeanor.

We also meet one of Kevin's teachers, Dr. Alfred Leopold Wallace, distinguished expert in the life sciences and Kevin's nemesis. Dr. Wallace proves himself to be an eccentric, demanding and precise man who seems intent on lowering Kevin's grade point average.

An event toward the end of the book provides something of a dark side to this tale, and came as something of a surprise. I didn't object to it, since it is manifestly true that life can be dark, even for a child. Wiles uses this event, I believe, to show how character and hope can emerge from tragedy.

Funeral Home Evenings, like its predecessor, is very well written, fast moving, and filled with humorous plot twists. But it suffers from an astounding lack of context from the first book. Characters from Volume One appear out of the blue, with no indication of who they are or where they came from. Having read the books in sequence, I had no trouble following the story line. But a new reader picking up the second volume will, I think, be hopelessly at sea.

In fact, without context, readers miss some of the depth of the personal interactions. The elements of the spirit world, of an idea of the connectedness of life, is gone, albeit replaced by a good story. But as I read, and noticed references to people who had died in the first volume, and the importance of those deaths, I wondered how readers of this second volume could possibly understand the story developments.

Over the years I've read lots of series books, some of them very good. In each case, the author invested at least a few pages bringing the reader up to date, ready to tackle the next installment in the story. High on my list is Dean Hughes, who sprinkles his text with reminders of the characters' positions in the story. In at least one case, several years elapsed between my reading of some of the volumes, and I had no trouble remembering the characters and events.

In a few days I'll read the third volume. If the quality of the writing continues, I know I'll enjoy it. But this reviewer wishes that the author had considered the idea that some readers may not read the books in sequence. Some bookstores will carry the second and third volumes, for example, but not the first, if sufficient time has elapsed since its publication. Others will receive the books as gifts. There are so many reasons why folks might not read the books in sequence.

This, I think, is very important, and perhaps should have been caught by an editor at Covenant.

So, pick up the first book, and then the second. You're in for a wonderful trip through the mind of a child. I really believe you'll enjoy the ride.

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Jeff Needle
March 26, 2006