From the award-winning creator of Pawcasso comes a strikingly illustrated, contemporary fantasy graphic novel about a girl who befriends a boy ghost stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead. This is an instant classic, perfect for fans of Spirited Away, Coco and Ghost.
Twelve years ago, the boy and the girl lived. But one was supposed to die…
July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it’s Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world.
When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first-ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth – for William to live, July must die.
Inspired by Chinese mythology, this resoundingly hopeful tale about friendship, sacrifice, and the unseen world of ghosts is a dazzling heir to beloved Studio Ghibli classics.
Ghost Book is a thrilling, vibrant and refreshing fantasy graphic novel that’s fast-paced, action-packed and moving. The opening sets the scene with the inciting incident of Ox Head and Horseface falling short of the mission that the King of the Underworld has set them on, when they collect one soul at the local hospital instead of two. A baby girl and boy both live, where one should have died.
From here we skip to the present day, to Hungry Ghost Month as we get to know July and her all-seeing yin-yang eyes as she commences her friendship with William, a ghost boy, who also sees her.
After discovering that his body is still alive even though he’s trapped in the ghost world, July is determined to help him to get back to his body while being pursued by the Hungry Ghosts. Will they succeed?
Filled with wonderful references to Chinese mythology, Ghost Book is a liberating and unsentimental meditation on what it means to live, what it is to die and what grief is: ‘A broken heart is a heart that has been loved’.
July is a fantastic protagonist, who shows that her journey is a wonderful adventure and a heartening friendship story – and it will certainly leave you ready for some dumplings! Ghost Book will both break your heart and mend it. It’s certainly the perfect way to instigate some meaningful conversations with the children in your life, aged 8+.
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