- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Contemporary
Ghosts
Part of the Raina Telgemeier universeOpen the collection
A moving, magical-realistic graphic novel about sisters, cystic fibrosis, ghosts and Día de los Muertos. It is beautiful and accessible, but more emotionally sensitive than many Raina books because illness and mortality are central.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length256 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Lyrical
Tone
- Warm
- Bittersweet
- Heartwarming
- Whimsical
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Catrina and her family move to the foggy coastal town of Bahía de la Luna because the climate may help her younger sister Maya, who has cystic fibrosis. Cat is not happy about leaving her friends behind, and she becomes even more unsettled when she learns that the town is full of ghosts. Maya, by contrast, is fascinated by them, especially as Día de los Muertos approaches. Cat's fear is not just about ghosts; it is about illness, death, change and the possibility of losing someone she loves. Ghosts blends Raina Telgemeier's realistic family storytelling with a more magical atmosphere, creating a book that is visually inviting but emotionally serious. It can be comforting for some readers and too close for others, especially children affected by illness or bereavement. Its strengths are empathy, sisterhood, atmosphere and a child-friendly way into conversations about mortality and remembrance.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: illness or disability, death of character, grief, scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Illness in family
- Gentle ghost story
- Sister story
- Realistic magic
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Sensitive to death or illness
- Needs no ghosts
- Wants light comedy only
Particularly good for children who are…
- Illness in family
- Moving house
- Anxiety and worry
- Bereavement
- Mixed race or dual heritage family
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm, popular graphic novel about family, illness and the Day of the Dead — a reluctant-reader favourite that opens gentle talk about death and culture.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is Maya's cystic fibrosis underneath the ghost story — Cat moving to a foggy town for her sister's lungs, the Día de los Muertos celebrations as Cat slowly stops being scared of what the ghosts might mean. The Telgemeier where the magic is doing emotional work for a real illness.
- Secret world
- Family belonging
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The Telgemeier on illness and mortality — Cat's sister's cystic fibrosis at the centre, Día de los Muertos as the framework. Beautiful and accessible, but emotionally serious. Best for a child who can hold the weight; potentially too close for one currently dealing with family illness.
- Conversation starter
- Cultural representation
- Quick to read
- Beautiful illustrations
About the author & illustrator
Raina Telgemeier.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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