Ghosts

Gr 4-8--Catrina and her family have just moved to Northern California. Bahia de la Luna is different from Cat's hometown--for one thing, everyone is obsessed with ghosts--but the sea air makes it easier for Cat's younger sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), to breathe. Carlos, a new friend and neighbor, introduces the girls to a different perspective on the spiritual world. Ghosts, he says, aren't frightening; they're the spirits of loved ones. Cat has her doubts--especially after a ghostly encounter puts Maya in the hospital--but as Day of the Dead celebrations draw closer, she starts to reconsider. Readers will relate to these realistically flawed characters. Maya is frank about her illness and optimistic despite her awareness that her prognosis is poor, while Cat struggles, feeling intensely protective of her sister, anxious about her illness, and resentful about the limitations that Maya's condition places upon the whole family. Themes such as the sibling bond, death, and culture are expertly woven throughout. As Cat comes to terms with the existence of ghosts, she also navigates her background (her father is white, while her mother is Mexican). Telgemeier employs the cheerful cartoon artwork that fans of Smile, Drama, and Sisters know and love, but her palette is more muted in places, fitting the book's somewhat serious and somber themes. VERDICT A can't-miss addition to middle grade graphic novel shelves; hand to fans of the author and newcomers alike.--Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Telgemeier's stirring graphic novel opens on moving day, as Cat's family travels from Southern California to Bahia de la Luna, a foggy village up the coast; Cat's younger sister, Maya, has cystic fibrosis and needs the sea air. While Cat is the worrier in the family, chronically ill Maya is an irrepressible optimist, her zest captured in the lyrics of her favorite song: "Let it out, let it out.... Can't hold it in, gotta shout." The village is obsessed with ghosts; their neighbor gives ghost tours, and there's an annual Dia de los Muertos celebration. What's more, the ghosts are real. Telgemeier's floaty, sea green, protoplasmic beings are just as appealing as her human characters. They worry, grieve, and make jokes, and it's in learning to interact with them that Cat and Maya start to face the possibility that Maya might die. The complex relationship between the sisters is richly drawn--each feels almost unbearable compassion for the other's weakness. "Jose," Maya tells a child ghost, "if I die, Cat will be all alone. She's terrible at making friends." In her treatment of illness and death, Telgemeier (Sisters) nudges readers toward the edge of their comfort zone, but she never leaves them alone there. The story is consistently engaging, the plot is tightly built, and--as always--Telgemeier excels at capturing facial expressions, as when Maya's oxygen tube shocks Cat's new friends, or when Cat's cool facade melts into ecstasy as she tastes her neighbors' Mexican cooking. Death means sadness and loss, Cat and Maya learn, but it doesn't mean the end of love. Ages 8-12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Sept.)

Gr 4-8--Catrina and her family have just moved to Northern California. Bahia de la Luna is different from Cat's hometown--for one thing, everyone is obsessed with ghosts--but the sea air makes it easier for Cat's younger sister, Maya, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), to breathe. Carlos, a new friend and neighbor, introduces the girls to a different perspective on the spiritual world. Ghosts, he says, aren't frightening; they're the spirits of loved ones. Cat has her doubts--especially after a ghostly encounter puts Maya in the hospital--but as Day of the Dead celebrations draw closer, she starts to reconsider. Readers will relate to these realistically flawed characters. Maya is frank about her illness and optimistic despite her awareness that her prognosis is poor, while Cat struggles, feeling intensely protective of her sister, anxious about her illness, and resentful about the limitations that Maya's condition places upon the whole family. Themes such as the sibling bond, death, and culture are expertly woven throughout. As Cat comes to terms with the existence of ghosts, she also navigates her background (her father is white, while her mother is Mexican). Telgemeier employs the cheerful cartoon artwork that fans of Smile, Drama, and Sisters know and love, but her palette is more muted in places, fitting the book's somewhat serious and somber themes. VERDICT A can't-miss addition to middle grade graphic novel shelves; hand to fans of the author and newcomers alike.--Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal