Book Review: Ghosts by Raini Telgemeier

Ghosts by Raini Telgemeier with colors by Braden Lamb

Catrina and Maya have to move north from sunny southern California because Maya has cystic fibrosis. Maya is upbeat about the change, as she is upbeat about pretty much everything. Cat is much less happy. She doesn't want the darker, damper weather or the new school or the new town. The town is Bahia de la Luna (a fictional town) with an old Spanish mission up on the hill and an abandoned pier/arcade/lighthouse area down by the bay. The girls meet Carlos, a local teen who is up on the local lore. The town is full of ghosts, he says, and the dia de los muertos is the biggest party night in town. Cat doesn't want to hear about the ghosts but Maya can't wait to meet one. Once Halloween rolls around, things start happening.

The story is very engaging and interesting. The characters are believable and likable (even the dead ones) and the plot line flows naturally. At first glance, Cat is a stereotypical teenage girl, a bit embarrassed by her younger sister and by Carlos's affection for her. But she really does love her sister and soon enough recognizes her affection for Carlos. The Mexican Day of the Dead celebration fits naturally as the town's big celebration. The ghosts also reinforce the themes of breath (the ghosts need humans to breathe on them in order to speak; Maya's cystic fibrosis makes her short of breath) and of displacement (the family move, the loss of relatives, the need to adapt to new situations).

The art is simple and expressive, capturing the lighter mood of what could have been a very dark story. The town is just enough spooky and dilapidated to justify Cat's worries but not so much that the reader expects malevolent ghosts who cause harm. The ghosts here are people who have moved on to a different part of their lives, a part that the town is more in touch with and Maya wants to experience. The ghost too are drawn simply and effectively. Cat is afraid not because the ghosts look scary but because change is scary. She learns to confront her fear and grow in the process.

Highly recommended.