"Anya's Ghost"
By: Vera Brosgol
Synopsis from Amazon:
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn’t kidding about the “Forever” part . . .Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs. Or so she thinks.
My Thoughts:
"Anya's Ghost" is officially the VERY first graphic novel I have read completely. MY VERY FIRST ONE!! As most of you know, I am a teen librarian of a middle size library and am in charge of ordering materials for the teens. While I'm not personally a fan of graphic novels, they account for 20% of our circulation. Thousands of books and so its incredibly surprising to see that 20% of the circ is coming from 150 or so graphic novels. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and see what all the fuss was about.
"Anya's Ghost" is a really cute graphic novel perfect for teenage girls. There is a little cussing and they smoke cigarettes occasionally so I better put that disclaimer out there. Beyond that though, it tells the story of a teenage girl going through High School. Like most girls she feels ignored and wants the cute boy to notice her. One day grumbling about her life, she accidentally falls into a hole and wouldn';t you know it, there was a ghost!
At first when the ghost follows her home, Anya likes the situation. The ghost helps her out on tests, instructs her on how to talk to the cute boy, and even encourages her to be more outgoing. As time goes on though, the ghost seems more sinister and has plans for Anya she may not like. It's not until Anya looks up the ghost to find out more information, and when she finds out that her ghost had killed her own family, Anya becomes worried and decides its time to get rid of her once and for all.
A gorgeous graphic novel, much of the story takes place in the pictures. Facial cues are enormous and the idea of a teeny ghost in your pocket is so well done through the pictures. The conversion of the happy sweet ghost in the beginning of the book to the evil, mean ghost at the end is extraordinary and packs a punch. The story goes quickly and the drawings take you on a journey. A great graphic novel for a newbie who is interested in a quick story.
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| Image from "Anya's Ghost" Copyright of Vera Brosgol |
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| Mean girls - Makes me laugh every time! Copyright of Vera Brosgol - Image from "Anya's Ghost" |
Book Details
Publisher: First Second
Date of Publication: June 7, 2011
# of Pages: 224
I think there is some amazing artwork in graphic novels and I like looking at the been I still prefer reading regular novels.
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