Ghosts

Citation:

Telgemeier, R. (2016). Ghosts. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Summary:

In this graphic novel, Catrina’s family moves to the coastal town of Bahia de la Luna. Catrina is unsure about the move and misses her friends back home, but knows that this move to a town with a different climate is meant to help her younger sister Maya who has cystic fibrosis. When Catrina takes the adventurous Maya out to explore the new town, they meet a strange boy named Carlos who tells them that their new home has a very active ghost population. Though Maya falls ill and must be hospitalized and rest, the skeptical Catrina eventually embraces the culture of her new town and gets to know some of the ghosts personally on Dia de los Muertos. All in all, she learns to accept change and gains an appreciation for the Mexican tradition of remembering and welcoming the spirits of the dead.

Response: This book has amazing illustrations that really bring to life the colors and emotions of the Dia de los Muertos festival. The way that Catrina and her sister learn about the festival through friends gives readers an education on the festival incorporated into the plot. Her mother is sad because she never embraced the traditions of her mother, so this book shows readers that it is never to late to try to reconnect with your cultural roots. Another interesting aspect of this book is that the younger sister, Maya, has cystic fibrosis. Readers get a glimpse into her life, although the book is mainly focused on the healthy sister Catrina. Students with chronic illness or students who have siblings with chronic illnesses may take a special interest in this novel. Other populations of readers who may relate well include those who have moved recently or often, as the main characters struggle to adjust to their new town. Written as a graphic novel, this book is of course great for readers who love visuals or for reluctant readers. There is some light incorporation of Spanish, and definitely a lot of cultural information about the Mexican festival Dia de los Muertos, so readers interested in these topics would enjoy the book. Lastly, as this is a fantasy dealing with ghosts, it is a great seasonal choice as well around Halloween time since Dia de los Muertos happens on the day after Halloween.

Other Resources:

Purchase link with recommended grades and other product details 

Trailer with illustrations from the graphic novel 

Lesson plan for creating comics and graphic novels 

Textbook Connections:
This is a quality graphic novel that does a great job using both text and illustrations to tell the story. There are a good amount of pages that have only illustrations for things that are easier to see than describe, such as setting and the visuals of the festival. Text is reserved mostly for dialogue and thought. Characterization is done through both thought/speech as well as illustrations of gestures and expressions. Telgemeier uses frame size to emphasize illustrations that carry more significance than others.

It is a good fantasy novel because the characters are believable, yet there are specific rules for how characters must interact with ghosts i.e. they must breathe onto the ghosts in order for the ghosts to speak. Though the characters are unrealistically flying with and talking to ghosts, the themes they are learning are applicable to real life including that physical death does not have to mean that someone is forgotten.