HEEBIE JEEBIES

A down-on-their-luck sixth grader takes a chance in this graphic novel about a haunted school and buried gold.

Sixth-grader Bluejay “Blue” Evers wouldn’t call themselves lucky. They're the child of a single mother, wear secondhand clothes, and live close to the train tracks, which makes them a target of three bullies at their school: Chad, Don, and Paloma. They trick Blue into undertaking a quest for the legendary Amberline Treasure, said to have been buried under the Amberline school by its corrupt founder, Edwin Amberline, and surrounded by ghosts: “Edwin Amberline will get you!” the bullies say. In the hopes that the treasure will change their life, Blue enlists the help of their best friend, Hersch Pepperman, to sneak into school after-hours and search for it. Their prospects look bleak at first, especially after they fall victim to another prank, but Blue and Hersch gain ground after teaming up with the school’s groundskeeper, Madison Beaker, who’s a descendant of Edwin Amberline. However, the closer Blue gets to the riches they'd always dreamed of, the greater the risk of their encountering a very real ghost and losing what’s priceless to them. Writer Erman and artist Criswell’s story shines in the charming friendship between the main characters. Blue and Hersch’s conversations about curses, video games, and socioeconomic status are amusing and authentic. In a dialogue about their friendship, Blue, after accepting Hersch’s label as his “cool sidekick,” asks why their peers don’t think they're cool, too; Hersch’s delightful response: “I guess I’m just a special little boy.” Visually, the novel’s style is reminiscent of a classic Sunday comic strip, with simple, brightly colored characters and backgrounds. The panel arrangement is easy to follow and adds visual interest to action-oriented scenes to great effect—for example, the panel lines become more geometric and jagged when Hersch fights off bullies while pretending to be his favorite video game character, Cranky the Quillhog.  

Friendship is the real treasure in this spooky and vividly illustrated adventure.