Brogsol, V. (2011). Anya’s ghost. New York, NY: First Second. ISBN 978-1-59643-552-0; paperback; $15.99.
Can you imagine falling down a huge hole to find a skeleton and its accompanying ghost? That’s exactly what happens to Anya, and at first she is majorly freaked out. But when she is rescued, the ghost follows her home and they become friends. The ghost, whose name is Emily, helps Anya cheat on her biology test and conspires to get the school hotty to talk to Anya. Anya can’t believe her good luck. She has always been a bit of a misfit because of her Russian heritage, mediocre grades, and wide hips, and now all of a sudden she’s hanging with the popular kids. But when Emily’s personality shifts and she starts taking over Anya’s life, things turn south. Emily claims she was murdered, but something about her story doesn’t ring true. How did Emily really end up in that hole? And will Anya ever be able to reclaim control of her own life?
The drawings in this graphic novel are simple and cartoon-like, tinged with purple ink. But maybe because they’re so simple, they manage to convey a wide range of complex facial expressions; you can always tell what the characters are thinking and feeling. The images also show Emily’s personality transformation without words. You can see how her hair is short at the beginning, and then gets longer and longer as she becomes meaner. The dialogue and images come together to make this a really a funny graphic novel that feels relatable and true. It’s also a pretty quick read, so check it out!
Awards won: 2011 Cybils Literary Award, 2012 Harvey Award, 2012 Eisner Award, 2011 Kirkus Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal Best Fiction Books of 2011, Horn Book Best Fiction Books of 2011
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