GHOST BOOK

A girl helps the wandering soul of a boy escape death.

“Twelve years ago, the girl lived. The boy lived. One should have died.” July Chen might as well be invisible, as she’s usually forgotten by everyone around her. Using her ability to see ghosts, July tries to summon one in hopes of making friends. In addition to calling a hungry ghost, July meets the wandering soul of William Xiao, a boy whose physical body lies in a coma. William has experienced multiple near-death incidents, and he collects information on the underworld in the notebook he calls his Ghost Book. Using the Ghost Book, July helps William evade hungry ghosts and underworld underlings who are trying to claim his soul. While trying to find a way to get to the underworld and back to save William, the friends discover an unfortunate secret truth about their intertwined lives. This full-color graphic novel skillfully balances dark, humorous, and heartwarming elements. Themes of friendship, kindness, sacrifice, and being remembered, both in life and in death, are prominent throughout. July and William’s adventure exquisitely captures Chinese mythology, traditions, and beliefs surrounding the afterlife, like burning joss paper offerings during Hungry Ghost Month. The clean and expressive illustrations complement the story, being a bit eerie and scary but leavened with humor and lightness.

A delightful balance of spooky, sweet, and funny.