Ghosts

Cat and Maya have just moved to a new town because of Maya's cystic fibrosis.  Maya is excited by all the new adventures the town has to offer, but Cat misses her friends, and all the talk of ghosts has her a little freaked out.

When the two girls actually meet some real ghosts who accidently make Maya sick, Cat's fear only intensifies.  She is determined to have nothing to do with the Dia de Los Muertos festival.

Is it a bad idea to invite ghosts in when Maya is so sick or will meeting these spirits help Maya understand the afterlife?  Cat isn't sure.  She just knows she afraid of the ghosts and afraid of what could happen to her little sister.

Raina Telgemeier's latest graphic novel is a nice piece of storytelling with beautiful art.  The connection between the world of the living and the dead as peaceful and loving is touching, and the depiction of the sister relationship is perfect.

As for all of the cultural appropriation talk out there...I'm not really sure.  It's not my culture, so I don't really have strong feelings about it.  I do know that I am rankled when outsiders write about my religious culture and get it wrong.  I believe Telgemeier was trying to be respectful of the culture, and the story skews fantasy.  My students love Raina Telgemeier, and in my largely Hispanic school, the kids were excited to learn that Dia de Los Muertos featured in the story.