GHOSTS by Raina Telgemeier
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Cat is not happy about having to move from beautiful, sunny Southern California to cold, rainy, miserable Bahia de la Luna. But the weather will be better for her little sister Maya’s health. Despite her illness and difficulty breathing, Maya is always cheerful and doesn’t seem to mind leaving all her friends behind. In fact, she almost immediately makes a new friend: a boy Cat’s age who just happens to lead the town ghost tours. Cat is less than thrilled. She hates ghost stories. But things get far worse when the ghosts turn out to be real. Spirits of the dead hang around in Bahia de la Luna awaiting the Day of the Dead festival, and their presence will force Cat to confront her sister’s mortality.
With an infusion of folk fantasy, this graphic novel tackles the topic of a terminally ill sibling with a realistic range of emotions–from resentment to fear to sadness. This novel will appeal more to realistic fiction fans than ghost story aficionados, though it has elements of both genres.
Susan the Librarian 