hollywood, dead ahead (book 5 in the 43 old cemetery road series) - excerpt

7/29/2019 Hollywood, Dead Ahead (Book 5 in the 43 Old Cemetery Road series) - Excerpt

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Kate Klise M. Sarah Klise

Illustrated by

43 Old Cemetery Road

HOLLYWOOD, DEAD AHEAD

BOOK

F IVE


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HarcourtHoughton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston New York 2013


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Text copyright 2013 by Kate Klise

Illustrations copyright 2013 by M. Sarah Klise

This is a work o ction. All the names, characters, places, organizations, and events portrayed

in this book are products of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to any organization,

event, or actual person, living or dead, is unintentional.

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,

write to Permissions, Houghton Mifin Harcourt Publishing Company,

215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

Harcourt Childrens Books is an imprint o Houghton Mifin Harcourt Publishing Company.

www.hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-0-547-85283-6

Designed by M. Sarah Klise

Manufactured in the United States of America

TK 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

45XXXXXXXX


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You grow up the day you have your rst real laughat yourself.

Ethel Barrymore


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Olive C. Spence

Ignatius

B. Grumply with illustrationsby their adopted son,Seymour Hope.

Thats the address of Spence Mansion. Its also the title of a book by . . .


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Their book is an international bestseller!

Fans all around the world

eagerly await the new chaptersof 43 Old Cemetery Road,

which arrive by mail every few months.(Thats as fast as Ignatius, Olive, and Seymour can create them.)

And Olive does her best editingin the cupola.

Seymour draws in his studioon the third foor.

Ignatius likes to write in his bedroomon the second foor.

Youshouldseethemwork.

43OldCemetery

Road

OliveC.Spenc

e,IgnatiusB.

Grumply

andSeymour

Hope


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They all meet in thedining room for meals and

to read their fan mail.

This is wheremany business discussionstake place.

And speaking of business, theres none of that.

Speaking, that is.Why not?


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Because theres a ruleat Spence Mansion.Its strictly enforced.

That way, no ones opinion gets left outbecause of age, gender, or the fact that one member

of this family (Olive) is a ghost who can communicateonly through the written word.


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That means whenever an important business decision must be made,if all three residents of Spence Mansion cant agree on what to do,

they do whatever two residents want to do.

Its because of these two rules that we can share with youthe following story,

which is still spoken aboutin hushed whispers

in Hollywood.

Theres another rule at Spence Mansion.Its also strictly enforced.


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The whole thing began withwhat else?

a letter,which has been reprinted in its entirety

on the pages that follow.


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8.


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2.

9.


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12.


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2.

13.


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3.

14.


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4.

15.


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They promise theyre not leaving

Ghastly foreverjust long enough to go to

Hollywood and become movie stars.

Thats the news from Spence Man -

sion, where Ignatius B. Grumply, Olive

C. Spence and Seymour Hope are packingtheir bags and preparing for the trip of a

lifetime after receiving an offer from Moe

Block Busters, Hollywoods most success-

ul flmmaker, to produce a movie based on

43 Old Cemetery Road. (See story below.)

I dont know how this will turn out,

said the ever-modest and often grumpy

Grumply. If it were up to me, wed stay

home and continue working on our book.

But Grumply lost the vote to Hope and

Spence.

I cannot wait to go, said Hope. If Mr.

Busters makes a movie about us, my dad

will have to let me watch it, no matter what

its rated. Right, Iggy?

Grumply was noncommittal. Well

cross that bridge when we come to it, he

The bestselling trio is

heading to Hollywood.

Moe Block Busters says that its a no-

brainer.

Ive been making movies long enough

to know a blockbuster when I see one,

said Busters in a telephone interview from

Los Angeles. And this is a sure-fre hit.

You take a terrifc story, add a cute kid and

throw in a woman who has screen legend

written all over her. Im telling you rightnow that 43 Old Cemetery Road will be

the most successful ghost movie in history.

c c

i

said. Lets just hope were back here in

time for your birthday.

Seymour Hope will turn twelve on April

13, the same day the creators of 43 Old

Cemetery Roadhave promised their read -

ers three new chapters of their bestselling

book. Judging by Grumplys sour mood, it

seems clear the trio hasnt started the next

installment.

Moe Block Busters invented the

blockbuster movie. Continued on page 2, column 1


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Its what we in the industr y call an instant

classic.

Mr. Busters said designers are already

building a replica of Spence Mansion in

Hollywood.

As much as I d lo ve to flm 43 Old

Cemetery Road in Ghastl y, itll be easier

to shoot here, said Busters. Plus, it ll be

cheaper. Youve got to keep your eye on the

bottom line if you want to make money in

this business.

PRODUCERContinued from page 1, column 2

While a mo vie based on 43 Old Cem -etery Road is flmed on a Hollywood set,

who will care for the real Spence Mansion

in Ghastly?

I will, said Hugh Briss, Ghastlys new-

est resident.

Briss, o wner of Home Sw eet Home

Repairs, has been hired b y Ignatius B .

Grumply to mak e a few repairs at Spence

Mansion.

I gave Mr. Briss a list of things Id like

done around the house, said Gr umply.

Nothing major. Just a fe w leaky faucets,

a mole problem and a minor roof repair.

Briss says he can fx anything.

Briss predicted hell have the to-do list

completed within a da y or two. I can fx

this stuf f with one hand tied behind m y

back, Briss bragged.

Asked if he w as concerned about mak-

ing repairs to a haunted house, Briss

laughed. The onl y scary thing about this

job is ho w much mone y I ll mak e. Mr .Grumply has promised me fve hundred

bucks. Thisll be a cakewalk!

Briss will not be responsible for Spence

Mansions resident dog and cats.

Ive offered to feed and walk the pets,

said M. Balm, chief librarian at the Ghastly

Public Library. The only thing I ask in re-

turn is that Seymour keep us posted on all

the news from Hollywood.

Ill write home e very chance I get,

Hope promised.

Balm suggested the boy send his letters

to the Ghastly Times. That way, everyone

can enjoy reading them, said Balm.

Threenew

chapters

hollywood, dead ahead (book 5 in the 43 old cemetery road series) - excerpt

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