Happy October, my friends! Today was the first day we’ve had below 90, with most of the last few weeks in the upper 90s or even over one hundred. How did I celebrate the long-awaited drop to fall temps? Lemme give you one hint:

As far as I’m concerned, pumpkin pie must occupy some kind of miracle food group because normally desserts can only be that good if they include chocolate. 😀 I wish I could share a piece with each of you! Barring that, today’s spotlight on Raina Telgemeier‘s graphic novel Ghosts comes pretty close to satisfying the same craving.

While perhaps less famous than some of her other graphic novels, this wonderful story is the perfect read for Halloween. It’s got more ghosts than you can possibly imagine, plus costumes and Halloween fun and great cultural insights into the Day of the Dead. Aaand if all that weren’t enough, Maya, the younger of the two sisters, has Cystic Fibrosis and her condition is getting worse. In fact, while it’s handled in a very understated way in the book, it becomes obvious to the reader that part of why she’s so excited to honor The Day of the Dead and learn more about it is because she’s preparing to leave this life herself.

However, her big sister Catrina is not remotely ready for Maya to be thinking down those lines, and ready to do anything she can to protect her. Then, when Maya over-exposes her lungs to cold night air without meds handy, Catrina feels to blame as Maya’s condition takes a huge step in the wrong direction. In a sad scene that’s so spot-on for families dealing with serious chronic illness in a child, the consequences of Catrina’s (and Maya’s) small mistake is hugely out of proportion for the error…and the adults can’t fix it.
As her sister pushes to bounce back from her lengthy hospital stay and the need to use oxygen once she’s out, Catrina is also adjusting to a new town and making friends. Friends who seem even more obsessed with ghosts and the towns reputation for the liveliest Day of the Dead celebration around than Maya is. In this and throughout, the various themes of the story which are succinctly summed up by the title are explored and balanced together perfectly.

Can you tell I really enjoyed this book? The combination of lively illustrations and super cute ghosts plus a positive but down-to-earth look at the complexities of two sisters and a family trying to navigate life when that includes serious childhood illness was beautifully done. Adding in the fascinating cultural revelations and the way that the girls are connecting with a culture they didn’t know well–their Grandmother immigrated from Mexico, but their mother embraced American traditions and let her mother’s heritage fade after her mom died–the book packs a powerful punch. The fact that it also manages to walk the line between too-serious and upbeat is very impressive, and it’s Maya’s indomitable and gloriously sunshiney personality that makes that possible. Cat is of course something of the opposite, and the two working through the challenges of sisterly love in and through their circumstances was utterly disarming.

But enough from me. Let’s see what Apricot-kitty thought of it:

My cat’s midnight wanderings will not be happening, but I can understand where she’s coming from. I will freely admit that up to this point I only vaguely remember learning of the Day of the Dead in high school Spanish, but now I’d love to join a party like the one Catrina gets invited to! I can only imagine how much fun a Spanish classroom would have with this story–and I’ll bet the whole school would want in on it.

Later this month I’m planning to share some of my insights from the SCBWI conference I attended in a post that’s all about writing MG mysteries, with a spotlight and giveaway of a signed mystery novel I bought from our keynote speaker–C. M. Surrisi! In the mean time, be sure to stop by Greg Pattridge’s blog for the full Marvelous Middle Grade Monday roundup, and happy reading!