Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Reviewed by Claire P

Catrina is not happy to be moving to a new home, but she tries to push aside her selfishness for her sister Maya and live a normal life. Unfortunately for Cat, as soon as a neighbor tells them that ghosts reside in their small town, Maya leads her on a ghost hunt, endangering herself even more.

In Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, the main character Catrina, or Cat, is not happy to be moving to cold, windy, Bahía de la Luna. However, she knows that the cool, salty, air is better for her younger sister, Maya. Maya has cystic fibrosis, which is an incurable, inherited illness that makes it hard for her to breathe. When a neighbor says that ghosts live in their new town, Maya pulls Cat along with her on a ghost tour with a boy named Carlos. Maya instantly becomes friends with the ghosts, but when they use her breath for a burst of fresh air, she faints and has to be sent to the hospital at once. After that, a worried Cat tries her best to keep all the ghosts away from her house until she realizes how kind, fun, and amazing the all the ghosts can be.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book is that the main character, Cat, cares more about her sister than having fun. For example, when she has a chance to enjoy the most festive party of the year in her new town, she worries that Maya will be in danger because of the ghosts who visit. After plenty of reassurance from her sister, she finally tries to enjoy herself, but still finds her mind wandering back to the thought if Maya will be okay.

Another reason why I loved this book so much was that it has a mysterious ending. Instead of all the questions being answered like in some stories, Ghosts leaves people wondering about certain events in the story. To me, that is better because if Telgemeier answered all the questions, then I wouldn’t be able to change it. Since she left a few unfinished details though, I can make up my own ending to the story.

I would rate this book a 9/10 and recommend it to everyone who enjoys a fictional graphic novel with a dash of humor. This book is a great book that I could not put down as soon as I started reading it!

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