Staff Picks: Ghosts

Anya's life is turned upside down when she falls down a well and discovers the ghost of a girl about her age at the bottom. At first this ghost seems like a innocent young woman who's life was cut short, but as Anya digs into the circumstances around this girl's death, she find out that there is more to this ghost than meets the eye.

Anyone looking for a novel that adds an interesting and mysterious supernatural element to the standard high school drama.

Discussions of death and murder

Tayla Cardillo

After losing her library job, Cel gets a job as an archivist assistant at a former asylum turned museum. The job, however, proves to be fraught with mysteries, including a vision of a previous resident-- an angry young woman with whom Cel feels a deep connection. Can Cel help her ghostly visitor before it’s too late for both of them?

Museum and library lovers who love a good spooky ghost story; readers looking for a solid portrayal of mental health

Mental health depictions; some blood; brief lead-up to scary medical treatments

Megan Rupe

Willow wants to trust her Army parents when they say this move to Hadleigh House is their final one, but after moving every two years and always having to leave friends and towns behind, she's not so sure. While she easily befriends the ghosts haunting her new home, their goofy antics make her parents start to think there's something wrong with the house. Not willing to give up on her parents' promise of never moving again, Willow soon realizes she'll have to do everything she can to keep her new home, ghosts and all.

Fans of Brenna Thummler's Sheets and Reimena Yee's Séance Tea Party; readers who like family stories, girls who stand up for what they want, and a little dash of history sprinkled in the mix.

Maddi Ranieri

Maggie is a homeschooled teen who exclusively hangs out with her brothers — oh, and the ghost who has been following her since she was a kid. Now Maggie is starting at the local high school and will have to adjust to major life changes.

Fans of Anya's Ghost, This One Summer, and Will & Whit.

Shira Pilarski

Daphne moves to L.A. with her boyfriend and in short time finds once again, she was changing herself too much to match her beau. Dumped, and currently muted by her best friend, lonely, and lost, she ends up in Rycroft Manor where she finds the unusual residents: ghosts! Each has their own distinct personality and ghost ability, and Daphne realizes she's becoming more herself the longer she hangs out with her new dead friends. But of course, things aren't that simple and easy. This is a fun and light brush with the dead, though I'm betting future volumes might get dark.

Fans of mystery series and relationship dramas that like a little dose of the supernatural in their stories.

There is one situation with a pushy dude that is going towards a sexual assault situation, but doesn't go that way. Regardless, this could be uncomfortable reading for a few pages.

Shannan Prukop

A young boy named Garth is accidentally taken to the land of ghosts by a ghost hunter named Frank Gallows where he meets a colorful cast of characters, including his deceased grandfather, as he journey's through ghostopolis looking for a way to return to the living world.

Fans of Bone and Amulet will love this supernatural adventure story.

Discussions of terminal illness and death

Tayla Cardillo

Bucky lives in a town where all the women are witches; as a boy, he has no powers and dreams of having magic of his own. When his sister goes missing, his investigations will uncover more than just his sister’s fate. And the secrets begin with the ghost girl at the bottom of the well.

Fans of spooky stories with strong settings and reflective narratives

Megan Rupe

In the first pages of this heartbreaking comic, Alfonso Jones is killed by a police officer who mistakes a coat hanger for a gun. The rest of the story is told from the perspective of his ghost, who watches his family and friends grieve and fight for justice after his death.

This book is a great recommendation for anyone who wants to explore themes related to the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Shawn's brother Will taught him 3 rules. Don't cry. Don't snitch. Get revenge. So when Will his shot, Shawn knows he must push away his emotions and get revenge. Shawn leaves his apartment, to find and shoot the man who killed his brother, but along the way he is visited from ghosts from his past who were killed by gun violence. Based on the award winning (and wildly popular) novel in verse by Jason Reynolds, The Long Way Down graphic novel uses watercolor illustration to capture this powerful story.

Fans of the original book by Jason Reynolds will appreciation this adaptation, as well as teens who appreciate stories that explore social justice.

Emily Bredberg

Lora's friends are all getting interested in celebrities, dating, makeup, and other things she associates with growing up. But Lora isn't ready, and she's afraid of losing her love of play and magic. One day she decides to throw a séance tea party, and ends up learning her old imaginary friend is in fact a ghost named Alexa! They play together, and Alexa helps her be more comfortable with talking to others and ultimately, with growing up. But Alexa is getting tired of being left behind and reconnects with an old friend that helps her realize maybe it's time to move on. Growing up is never easy, but good friends can help keep the magic alive, even after they're gone.

Fans of Snapdragon, The Okay Witch, and other gently magical stories of learning to be yourself.

Shannan Prukop

Marjorie works in her family's laundromat where she encounters Wendell, a young ghost who accidentally makes trouble for her.

Fans of graphic novels that mix tough topics with silly fun, like Jennifer L. Holm's Sunny series and Raina Telgemeier's Guts.

CW: Parent death, drowning death. Sequel (Delicates) includes discussion of suicide.

Shira Pilarski

In their beachy hometown, tween surfers Sam and Jade stumble on a mystery that involves ghosts, pirates, and hidden treasure.

Lovers of beaches and surfing, fans of Baby-Sitters Club mysteries, thoughtful tweens looking for books that discuss gentrification in a relatable way.

Shira Pilarski

Hamal is a gardener, and happens to be able to see ghosts. This works out well for Blue, who is still in love with Hamal despite having died. Hamal is happy to have Blue haunting him, as long as he doesn't cause problems at work. But as the ghosts in town start to get agitated, Blue starts to realize that maybe the way he can most help Hamal is by leaving him. A bittersweet love story full of lovely plants and sweet, sad moments.

Readers who enjoy sad love stories with soft illustrations like Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, and stories of messing up to figure yourself out, like Bloom, but with ghosts.

Shannan Prukop

Miranda Turner is juggling several things--among them acting as the superhero, The Cat, while looking for her sister’s killer. Lindy, the real Cat, was mysteriously murdered and now rides along, providing commentary and unwanted advice. As things get dangerous, can Miranda rise to the occasion and truly become a hero?

Fans of classic superhero and detective stories

Megan Rupe

Isabel was once part of a set of conjoined twins, but she loses her sister Jane during a surgery to separate them. Now Isabel is trying to make her way in the world, with Jane’s ghost questioning her every step of the way.

Readers who loved the cool pictures in Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children; readers who like Neil Gaiman's deceptively simple, yet rich narratives

Some violence and abuse, but not overly graphic

Megan Rupe

A collection of five short stories all center around eerily and unusual occurrences that take place in and around the woods. There are enough mysterious visitors, vengeful spirits, malevolent auras, doppelgangers, and body snatching monsters in this graphic novel to get you in the spooky spirit.

Anyone look for an atmospheric horror tale that is just creepy enough to make the skin on the back of your neck stand up, without keeping you up at night.

Blood, body horror

Tayla Cardillo

Racism and mob violence are pervasive in post-war Little Rock, Arkansas. In this crime noir comic, based on the realities of Little Rock in the 40's and 50's, the characters are all haunted by (figurative and literal) ghosts of their past. Bailey, a veteran, tries desperately to right a wrong from his time a war. Two brothers take opposing paths following a violent childhood, one with the mob and one leading the town's Black police force. They all come up against an erratic Chief of Detectives haunted by his own ghost, encouraging him to take desperate measures to eradicate all crime from the city.

The dark moral ambiguity of Two Dead will appeal to fans of the noir genre and true crime. Adults are the intended audience, but many high school students will also enjoy this book - especially those that are fans of his work in the March series with Rep. John Lewis.

Emily Bredberg