The Beloved Dearly

The Beloved Dearly
by Doug Cooney Edition: Paperback
Price: $5.99
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For Crying Out Loud, August 26, 2008

Twelve-year-old Ernie had a brilliant idea, he was going to sell MacDonald's hamburgers, to the students, in his lunch room. It was working well, until the principal got ahold of him and called his father. Ernie's father told him if he ever started another business, he would be grounded.

While talking to his father about the cost of his mother's funeral, an idea popped into Ernie's head, he would go into the funeral business. Kids were always losing pets.

Ernie hired an artistic kid, named Dusty, to make the pet-size caskets. He hired Tony, the boy with the shovel, to dig the graves. Something was missing. He needed some emotion to get the mourners going. Dusty suggested a tomboy named Swimming Pool.

Ernie interviewed Swimming Pool, trying to find a soft spot. "Have you ever lost a pet?"
"No".
"Had a bad report card?"
"No."
"Had someone leave and not know if you'd ever see them again?"

Finally, a tear threatened, as Swimming Pool thought of her older brother leaving home. The day of the first funeral, Swimming Pool, wearing her red sneakers, and an awful purple dress, tried everything to bring about tears. She pinched herself, punched herself in the eye and still no tears. But, finally the tears came.

Ernie ran funerals for pets including rabbits, turtles, and an iguana, but he drew the line when it came to an earth worm. He was a hard boss, who would rather lose his business, than to give his crew a raise.

Will his dad stumble upon his funeral business? If Ernie is grounded, who will run the business? Will he be able to make his partners happy? Will the pets keep dying?
This is a fun book about friendship and smart business sense.
Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug 2 : Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)