Taxi Ghost
Adèle is at an awkward age. Her skin is breaking out, she can’t drive yet, and now she’s… seeing ghosts? It turns out that some 
of the women in Adèle’s family are mediums, they have the ability to see and speak with ghosts, starting when they get their first periods. (So now Adèle has that going on, too.)
The ghosts in Adèle’s Montreal neighborhood are thrilled to have a new medium in town. Soon, Adèle finds herself chatting with an oddball ghost hacker at the library, learning about the system spirits use to hitch rides through the city, and avoiding a persistent dead gentleman she calls Mustache Ghost, who wants her help.
Eventually, she relents and agrees to let Mustache Ghost make his case. He is part of a club of spirits dedicated to preserving the city’s character, protecting it from shady developers who buy up neighborhoods to tear them down and build condos. As it happens, Adèle’s grandmother is part of a similar club, except that its members are alive. So Adèle is willing to help—but she’ll have to act fast, because a few dangerous ghosts have already decided to take matters into their own hands.
Adèle is a slightly snarky but goodhearted protagonist. Though shocked by the revelation that some women in her family can see and speak with ghosts, she gamely begins to use her abilities and learn more about the spirits all around her. Since she sometimes meets ghosts in public places, there are some humorous moments before she figures out how to speak to people that no one else can see without looking strange. (The answer, pretending to be talking on her phone)
This story presents an imaginative take on ghosts: they hate moving through snow, so they hitch rides in cars to avoid slogging around wintry Montreal on foot. They apply “ghost marks” to cars to indicate where they often go (home, work, etc.), not unlike stops on a subway route. There are different kinds of ghosts, some of whom can affect the physical world more than others… and some of whom are dangerous to other ghosts.
The story also takes an interest in some real-world topics. Adèle’s family and friends throw her a “period party,” where some women discuss how their own families and cultures handled periods when they were growing up. And concern about urban management—especially residential neighborhoods being taken over by expensive rental properties and AirBnBs – is a key element of the plot.
The art is rich with fun details, like the characters’ changing outfits, the stickers on Adèle’s laptop, and the full shelves in her grandmother’s shop. The ghosts are only slightly transparent, but easily identified because they are colors like blue, pink, and green. The characters, both living and dead, are expressive, and some have exaggerated features that make them especially distinctive. (There’s a reason for the nickname “Mustache Ghost.”)
Despite being a book full of ghosts, this story is cozy rather than scary. There is no violence, just a few scenes of very low-key peril and a couple of slightly creepy ghosts who, it turns out, just need a little help from Adèle to harmlessly pass on. There is no sexual content. The characters discuss periods and some period products, which may provide useful information to young readers.
For a girl who can talk to ghosts, Adèle feels relatable and practical. Readers will root for her while also enjoying the cozy winter setting and its quirky snow-hating ghosts. Hand it to fans of contemporary middle grade with a fantasy twist, like Molly Knox Ostertag’s The Girl from the Sea and Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts.
Taxi Ghost
By Sophie Escabasse
Penguin Random House Graphic, 2024
ISBN: 9780593565971
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation: French,
