Anya's Ghost

For the teen reader who likes a bit of a scare, Anya’s Ghost tells the story of Anya, a teenager of Russian descent who wants nothing more than to fit in at her American high school.

Ah, to be blonde and popular! While walking home through the park, Anya falls into a deep hole and discovers a set of bones. Freaky! And a ghost. Double Freaky!

The ghost seems nice enough but Anya doesn’t want to set off on some quest to find a murderer or anything. She just wants to go home, get a hot shower, and be normal.… show more.

Reader beware: This is a Young Adult graphic novel! I’m recommending it to those who are on the older side of middle grade and might enjoy reading about teenagers. Anya is chubby, unpopular, and self-conscious of her Russian-immigrant background. But her popularity gets a boost after she befriends Emily, a ghost who died centuries ago and never got to experience teenhood (or so you think). Lots of humor, suspense, and life lessons learned the hard way! 

This is a totally fresh book that’s both scary and touching. Anya is a Russian immigrant who meets a ghost named Emily who helps her cope with adolescence. But Emily becomes more and more controlling – what does she want from the living girl? When Anya decides to solve Emily’s murder, she finds out that the ghost has secrets of her own. We thought this book was cool: a coming-of-age story for a slightly older/YA audience. We also love any genre work that can take powerful social or political issues and find the horror in them—like the movies Get Out… show more.

I’m a big fan of kid’s books that acknowledge and respect how dark children’s inner and outer worlds can often be. This book tackles the pressures on kids to act older and more delinquent in order to be cool— pressures like smoking, skipping class, cheating, and bullying. When you’re a kid who’s being hurt by those around you, it’s tempting to hurt others in order to try and raise yourself in the pecking order. I love how this story shows the kinder, more fulfilling world that opens up when you decide to go against the grain and treat others with… show more.

One of my all-time faves is Anya’s Ghost. Vera Brosgol plays with a child’s loneliness and how toxic some friendships can be. Of course, this is pretty literal as Anya tries to navigate a relationship with a ghost that doesn’t exactly have the best intentions for her at heart. At its core though, this is a captivating story that—despite the supernatural elements—is something that many young people will see themselves in and be drawn to.