Published August 15th 2023 by Henry Holt BYR (Macmillan)
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this graphic novel, we meet July Chen, who lives with her father. Her mother passed away when she was born. She has always been able to see ghosts, (she has "yin-yang" eyes, which can see both sides of life and death) although few people seem able to see her, but she has always kept this information from her father, who sells dumplings at a street market and seems very distracted. When it's hungry ghost month, her life becomes even more complicated, especially since her school hosts a hungry ghost festival. When she meets Will, she thinks he is a ghost, but he is a boy whose body is in the hospital. He's had a series of near fatal accidents for his whole life, and is accompanied by a small pet ghost, Floof. He seeks July's help, since she is the only one who can see him. If she can't keep him alive, he wants her to deliver a bowl of forgetting soup to his mother so that she isn't sad once he passes. Since her father is rarely home and no one notices what she does at school, July is able to plunge into investigating what is happening to Will. The two eventually find that they share a common bond, and because of their linked past, only one of them can live. They are in contact with two messengers of Hebai Wuchang who is trying to keep the balance of the worlds. Will's name keeps sliding off the registers, and July isn't there at all, since she was supposed to die at birth. Will July and her new, somewhat ghostly friend by able to negotiate with the spirits in order to both remain among the living?
Strengths: While I enjoyed Lai's Pie in the Sky, my students prefer books more along the lines of her Pawcasso. Given Lai's habit of using very bright, happy colors, it was interesting to see a ghost story in her signature style with a darker palette. There's some well developed ghost lore, and the background of July and Will's shared past gives them a compelling reason to work together. There's even a bit of a twist with July's father that I don't want to spoil. The ghosts are quite creepy, and have their own agendas that compete with July's. The idea of July being able to save Will's life is an appealing one. This had good pacing, and will be a popular choice for readers who want a solid, spooky ghost graphic novel.
Weaknesses: Point me directly to Madame Meng for a big bowl of the soup of forgetting. While the messages that "a broken heart is a heart that has loved and been loved" will make this popular with soft hearted teachers and librarians, I have different views on grief and would be completely fine with forgetting everyone. I'd have forgotten, so what would be the big deal? At least July admits that she isn't sad about her mother, since she never met her. This is a "me problem" more than a book problem.
Strengths: While I enjoyed Lai's Pie in the Sky, my students prefer books more along the lines of her Pawcasso. Given Lai's habit of using very bright, happy colors, it was interesting to see a ghost story in her signature style with a darker palette. There's some well developed ghost lore, and the background of July and Will's shared past gives them a compelling reason to work together. There's even a bit of a twist with July's father that I don't want to spoil. The ghosts are quite creepy, and have their own agendas that compete with July's. The idea of July being able to save Will's life is an appealing one. This had good pacing, and will be a popular choice for readers who want a solid, spooky ghost graphic novel.
Weaknesses: Point me directly to Madame Meng for a big bowl of the soup of forgetting. While the messages that "a broken heart is a heart that has loved and been loved" will make this popular with soft hearted teachers and librarians, I have different views on grief and would be completely fine with forgetting everyone. I'd have forgotten, so what would be the big deal? At least July admits that she isn't sad about her mother, since she never met her. This is a "me problem" more than a book problem.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked Telgemeier's Ghosts, but also reminded me a lot of Torres' and Elbert's Lola's Ghost and Fernández's ¡¡Manu!! (although that might have been because of the school uniforms!)
No comments:
Post a Comment