Ghosts
Raina Telgemeier, if you don’t know her name, you should, and
you will once you have a classroom of your own.
She is a New York Times bestselling author of Smile, and Sisters, and Drama.
She has also rewritten four of the famous Babysitter’s Club books into graphic novels, which are icons of my
childhood. My daughter has read them all and anxiously awaits her next graphic novel.
In this book, Ghosts, we
are reminded of breath and the breath
of life. Cat and Maya are Multiracial,
Hispanic girls who moved to a new town in California- on the ocean- for Maya’s health. Maya has cystic fibrosis and breathing is a
daily struggle. The plot builds up the
importance of Dia de Los Muertos, The
Day of the Dead, and how the spirits are honored in this well-known California
ghost town.
The girls befriend their neighbor, Carlos, who is known as
the “ghost guy” – giving ghost tours and who himself is friends with many
spirits who are centuries old.
So back to the theme of breath. . . Maya of course struggles
to breath due to her illness. Cat is
anxious and often must be reminded to stop and breath to relax and calm her
nerves. Ghosts, have no breath and gather in this windy town on the ocean to take in the wind gusts. So when
the first meet Maya, they innocently take her breath—causing her to become
quite sick and hospitalized.
This book is a positive reminder about life, death, and the
afterlife. It provides some comfort in
knowing that those who pass are remembered, and Maya, whose life expectancy is
unknown, bravely accepts her fate despite her sister’s fears.
This is a quick read.
I read it in just about an hour.
I always appreciate children’s literature that exposes children to new
cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking.
This book shared an interracial marriage, a mom who regrets her teenage
years when lost family traditions
from her broken relationship with her mother, and their deceased grandmother, whose spirit is present and
intertwined throughout the book.
And, it made me consider making a move to California. Seriously, who wouldn't want to wake up to this view every day :)
Dr. Kingsley
It is interesting you bring this author up. I have never heard of her before and if I have I do not remember, but I have read the Babysitter's Club books before and really enjoyed them. So, now hearing how awesome of a writer she is I will have to check out the rewritten books she has made of them. The way you described this book has me wanting to go check it out right now! What a wonderful way to share positive outlooks on the afterlife and accepting the things that happen through a childrens book, which doesn't seem depressing. I think this book would be great to read and I also like the fact that this book adds in different cultures and traditions throughout it to have a broader view. But, that view does look beautiful! I think I am in need of a vacation there!
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