There’s no time like October to take a moment and recognize all the ghostly spirits present in children’s literature this year. Is it more than usual? Let’s take a look!
There’s good ole Rose in THE CATS OF SILVER CRESCENT. Elsby does her best to avoid meeting her, but as we learn.. ghosts can’t be stopped. Rose is a complicated character because you’re not really sure whose side she is on… ever.
Then as mentioned last week and above- we have the mom that is present as a young child in THE COLOR OF SOUND. I really love the dynamic of mother meeting daughter here, and think this should actually be a larger plot point to the book.
And of course FERRIS, where the ghost is possibly there to usher Charise to the Great Beyond? While typing this I feel the need to give FERRIS a reread so that I can properly remember the ghost and all the plot points and character development…
I guess technically Ridge is not a ghost in THE FIRST STATE OF BEING. But really with him being from the future and in danger of fading away and everything I feel like you could make an argument that he is. And his character literally makes that title. Speaking of can you call Kwame’s grandmother a ghost in KWAME CRASHES THE UNDERWORLD? And you can argue that Mr. N finds the ghost of himself in THE FRINDLE FILES? Or can objects be ghosts? OLIVETTI? TELEPHONE OF THE TREE? OK, OK, OK, I’m getting ahead of myself here and will stick to ghosts that are clearly presented as ghosts!
I was SHOCKED to see the ghost in THE NIGHT WAR, mainly because I was expecting a straightforward historical fiction title from Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I also thought the ghost’s character was too overdramatic and over-the-top and we could have had plenty of plot and drama with Miri, her friends, the nuns, and the soldiers.
Of course I can’t make a ghost post without mentioning NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu, a title that received a lot of love at the beginning of the year but to be honest has not resonated with me a lot. I would love to hear other’s thoughts on this title.
I even get to mention a non-fiction title I suggested, SPIRIT SLEUTHS by Gail Jarrow where we learn about magicians exposing ghosts hoaxes. Nothing like taking a look at everything from the scientific side. I thought Jarrow did an excellent job of displaying all the facts in this title- but of course it ruins the fun of believing in ghosts.
What do you think about all the ghosts present in this years titles? Do they add to or take away from the plot? Which ghost character is the most memorable to you? Let me know in the comments.