Ghosts
by Raina Telgemeier
Summary
In
August, the Allende-Delmar family is moving from southern California to
Bahia de la Luna, California for the father's new job and little
sister's health issues.
The protagonist, Catrina, Cat, is a middle school aged girl who is upset that she is having to leave all her friends and move to a small town out of the way. Cat's little sister, Maya, has cystic fibrosis, taking away her breathing capabilities and harming her digestion and nutrient intake. Maya has a stomach tube and receives fluids each night as well as taking extra vitamins. When needed, Maya also uses a breathing tube and uses other forms of breathing treatments.
Despite the fact that Maya is ill with a disease that has no cure, she is adventurous young girl with a positive attitude on life. Cat is the older and more protective sister who tends to take the blame for when Maya goes overboard.
The older house they moved into, a small read one with the ocean in the backyard, is in a town that honors ghosts and celebrates Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The holiday is celebrated on November 1st to welcome, honor, and remember the dead, especially the relatives.
Within the first day, Maya drags Cat to the backyard, down a set of steps, and to the beach. After a short sit down, Maya then guides her to an arcade on the coast. The arcade is dark and looks closed, so Maya sneaks in, overcome with coughing from the dust. Worried, Cat runs in, and they come face to face with a boy about Maya's age. He tells the sisters they are early for the ghost tour, but Cat quickly ushers Maya out and home.
On the way there and back they run into a black cat the Cat urges Maya not to touch in case of bad luck, which she needs no more of.
That evening, the family heads over to the neighbors house for dinner. Cat's father and mother, Leona, are insistent that Cat go despite not wanting to. Upon arrival, they realize the neighbors are the same family of the boy they saw at the arcade. The father and mother, Javier and Juana, are excited to have the new neighbors over, but no one where as excited as Maya is to see the arcade boy again. Carlos, the ghost tour guide, is a bit embarrassed, as is Cat about the encounter.
After the dinner, Maya asks to borrow Cat's cell phone to text Carlos. She put his number into Cat's phone, leaving her very unhappy that she was unaware, and Carlos shows up quickly after. They speak about an ofrenda, a offering table, decorated with items to honor the deceased in the family. Maya decides to make an ofrenda for her deceased grandmother, Leona's mother, who they never met. Leona's mother, abuelita, was a Mexican immigrant who insisted that Leona be as traditional as possible, yet Leona fought the traditions and wanted to be a modern American. Because of the constant struggles of traditions versus modernness, Leona and her mother were not very close, and Leona never learned Spanish.
Carlos takes them on a ghost tour for free, which turns into more of a city tour than anything else. Cat is still wary of Carlos, unimpressed by his efforts to scare Maya and her about the ghosts in the community. Carlos agrees to take them to the mission on the hill so that Maya can speak to a ghost. Maya wants to speak to a ghost because she knows her life will be shortened due to her condition. She wants to ask a ghost about the afterlife and what to expect.
The walk was long and tough for Cat, let alone Maya, but they finally made it to the mission. Cat trips and gets separated from the two for a minute then meets up with them after, surprisingly, seeing a single ghost. When Cat runs into the two, they are surrounded by ghosts. The ghosts become more "alive" when they breath and interact with humans. While the ghosts are normally shy at first, they immediately take to Maya. They prefer when mortals speak Spanish, which Carlos can, but Maya tries her hardest to communicate.
Maya drops a soda, shattering it and gasping, then is out of breath and suffering. Cat snatches her, puts her on her back, and begins to run to the hospital. She blames Carlos for the incident, but her parents blame her. Maya is hospitalized and on a breathing tube.
By September, school has started and Maya is still in the hospital. Cat has a class with Carlos which prompts him to talk to her in the halls. He asks about Maya, but nothing has changed. Cat meets a new friend in the bathroom, trying to sneak away from Carlos, and her name is Seo Young. Seo moved to the town two years ago from Irvington and enjoys it much more than Cat does. Cat is excited to talk to someone about normal things, then the ghost talk occurs, upsetting Cat once again.
Maya comes home, she is on bed rest, and is still connected to breathing tubes. The ofrenda still up, Carlos brings marigolds, the flowers of the dead, over and Cat thinks they are for her. A ghost follows Cat home one day. No matter what she did, it wouldn't go away. Cat is informed by her friends that she has opened her home to all wandering spirits now.
October comes and Cat joins her friends at a fair, mentioning how Maya would love it. When asked who Maya is, she lies and says she is an old friend from home. Cat is caught in her lie when Maya shows up at the fair. When Maya realizes that Cat never even mentioned her, she is hurt and rushes home to her room. Cat apologizes and all seems to be well after she realizes that Maya is worried that her sister might be afraid of her ghost one day.
Late in October, Halloween day comes quick, and Maya cannot join Cat, Seo, Jae, Seo's younger brother, and the rest of the gang for trick or treating. Cat promises to give Maya chocolate, as long as she stays and rests. Maya is visibly upset and confides in her mom about wanting to go out and have fun, despite being so sick, because she knows she will not be getting better and wants to live her life to the fullest now. Cat soon rushes home, tries to watch scary movies, then retreats to her room.
Cat finally leaves the house to attend the Dia de los Muertos party at the mission, not expecting to see what she did. Ghosts. Ghosts everywhere. She meets a grandma that reminds her of her abuelita, happy to bring her some company. Carlos approaches and is tackled by a small boy, Jose. Carlos informs Cat it is his eight year old deceased uncle, and Jose has no idea how or when he passed, but he does know he is happy. After celebrating, Cat wants to see Maya and introduce her to Jose. Cat, worried she would not get to Maya in time, is quickly lifted off her feet, into the air, by the flying Jose. Carlos jumps and joins the two on the way to the Allende-Delmar house.
Upon arrival, Maya is not scared of the ghost, but inviting and excited to finally have someone to talk to and ask her questions to. Jose is honest and open, making Maya confident about the future, no matter what it holds for her and her family. Maya gives Jose a bit of her breathing tube making him go off the walls with energy. Cat felt good knowing that Carlos ended up helping more than hurting the family, as she initially thought would happen. When Carlos and Jose leave, Cat gives a kiss to both, prompting Maya to tease her about being in love.
The black cat reappears and comes into the house. The girls, sad that abuelita never came, even with her ofrenda, but they soon wake their mom when a buffet of delicious, Mexican treats are found on the table by a mysterious, anonymous cook.
The protagonist, Catrina, Cat, is a middle school aged girl who is upset that she is having to leave all her friends and move to a small town out of the way. Cat's little sister, Maya, has cystic fibrosis, taking away her breathing capabilities and harming her digestion and nutrient intake. Maya has a stomach tube and receives fluids each night as well as taking extra vitamins. When needed, Maya also uses a breathing tube and uses other forms of breathing treatments.
Despite the fact that Maya is ill with a disease that has no cure, she is adventurous young girl with a positive attitude on life. Cat is the older and more protective sister who tends to take the blame for when Maya goes overboard.
The older house they moved into, a small read one with the ocean in the backyard, is in a town that honors ghosts and celebrates Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The holiday is celebrated on November 1st to welcome, honor, and remember the dead, especially the relatives.
Within the first day, Maya drags Cat to the backyard, down a set of steps, and to the beach. After a short sit down, Maya then guides her to an arcade on the coast. The arcade is dark and looks closed, so Maya sneaks in, overcome with coughing from the dust. Worried, Cat runs in, and they come face to face with a boy about Maya's age. He tells the sisters they are early for the ghost tour, but Cat quickly ushers Maya out and home.
On the way there and back they run into a black cat the Cat urges Maya not to touch in case of bad luck, which she needs no more of.
That evening, the family heads over to the neighbors house for dinner. Cat's father and mother, Leona, are insistent that Cat go despite not wanting to. Upon arrival, they realize the neighbors are the same family of the boy they saw at the arcade. The father and mother, Javier and Juana, are excited to have the new neighbors over, but no one where as excited as Maya is to see the arcade boy again. Carlos, the ghost tour guide, is a bit embarrassed, as is Cat about the encounter.
After the dinner, Maya asks to borrow Cat's cell phone to text Carlos. She put his number into Cat's phone, leaving her very unhappy that she was unaware, and Carlos shows up quickly after. They speak about an ofrenda, a offering table, decorated with items to honor the deceased in the family. Maya decides to make an ofrenda for her deceased grandmother, Leona's mother, who they never met. Leona's mother, abuelita, was a Mexican immigrant who insisted that Leona be as traditional as possible, yet Leona fought the traditions and wanted to be a modern American. Because of the constant struggles of traditions versus modernness, Leona and her mother were not very close, and Leona never learned Spanish.
Carlos takes them on a ghost tour for free, which turns into more of a city tour than anything else. Cat is still wary of Carlos, unimpressed by his efforts to scare Maya and her about the ghosts in the community. Carlos agrees to take them to the mission on the hill so that Maya can speak to a ghost. Maya wants to speak to a ghost because she knows her life will be shortened due to her condition. She wants to ask a ghost about the afterlife and what to expect.
The walk was long and tough for Cat, let alone Maya, but they finally made it to the mission. Cat trips and gets separated from the two for a minute then meets up with them after, surprisingly, seeing a single ghost. When Cat runs into the two, they are surrounded by ghosts. The ghosts become more "alive" when they breath and interact with humans. While the ghosts are normally shy at first, they immediately take to Maya. They prefer when mortals speak Spanish, which Carlos can, but Maya tries her hardest to communicate.
Maya drops a soda, shattering it and gasping, then is out of breath and suffering. Cat snatches her, puts her on her back, and begins to run to the hospital. She blames Carlos for the incident, but her parents blame her. Maya is hospitalized and on a breathing tube.
By September, school has started and Maya is still in the hospital. Cat has a class with Carlos which prompts him to talk to her in the halls. He asks about Maya, but nothing has changed. Cat meets a new friend in the bathroom, trying to sneak away from Carlos, and her name is Seo Young. Seo moved to the town two years ago from Irvington and enjoys it much more than Cat does. Cat is excited to talk to someone about normal things, then the ghost talk occurs, upsetting Cat once again.
Maya comes home, she is on bed rest, and is still connected to breathing tubes. The ofrenda still up, Carlos brings marigolds, the flowers of the dead, over and Cat thinks they are for her. A ghost follows Cat home one day. No matter what she did, it wouldn't go away. Cat is informed by her friends that she has opened her home to all wandering spirits now.
October comes and Cat joins her friends at a fair, mentioning how Maya would love it. When asked who Maya is, she lies and says she is an old friend from home. Cat is caught in her lie when Maya shows up at the fair. When Maya realizes that Cat never even mentioned her, she is hurt and rushes home to her room. Cat apologizes and all seems to be well after she realizes that Maya is worried that her sister might be afraid of her ghost one day.
Late in October, Halloween day comes quick, and Maya cannot join Cat, Seo, Jae, Seo's younger brother, and the rest of the gang for trick or treating. Cat promises to give Maya chocolate, as long as she stays and rests. Maya is visibly upset and confides in her mom about wanting to go out and have fun, despite being so sick, because she knows she will not be getting better and wants to live her life to the fullest now. Cat soon rushes home, tries to watch scary movies, then retreats to her room.
Cat finally leaves the house to attend the Dia de los Muertos party at the mission, not expecting to see what she did. Ghosts. Ghosts everywhere. She meets a grandma that reminds her of her abuelita, happy to bring her some company. Carlos approaches and is tackled by a small boy, Jose. Carlos informs Cat it is his eight year old deceased uncle, and Jose has no idea how or when he passed, but he does know he is happy. After celebrating, Cat wants to see Maya and introduce her to Jose. Cat, worried she would not get to Maya in time, is quickly lifted off her feet, into the air, by the flying Jose. Carlos jumps and joins the two on the way to the Allende-Delmar house.
Upon arrival, Maya is not scared of the ghost, but inviting and excited to finally have someone to talk to and ask her questions to. Jose is honest and open, making Maya confident about the future, no matter what it holds for her and her family. Maya gives Jose a bit of her breathing tube making him go off the walls with energy. Cat felt good knowing that Carlos ended up helping more than hurting the family, as she initially thought would happen. When Carlos and Jose leave, Cat gives a kiss to both, prompting Maya to tease her about being in love.
The black cat reappears and comes into the house. The girls, sad that abuelita never came, even with her ofrenda, but they soon wake their mom when a buffet of delicious, Mexican treats are found on the table by a mysterious, anonymous cook.
Book Trailer
On her website, Raina has a few trailers for her books. The trailer for Ghosts was made with the same drawings as the book itself.Themes
Moving, Family, Sibling Rivalry, Death, Illness, Disease, Ghosts, Afterlife, and Friendship.Similar Themed Books
Other Books by Raina Telgemeier
Raina has seven other books shown on her site along with seven other older books and anthologies. On her website, you can request signed books for purchase.Teaching Ideas
This lesson would go great during the Halloween season!
Discuss
what prior knowledge students have of the holiday. Take note of
students who give a negative connotation to it. Discuss how it is a
celebration more than a mourning.
Have
students research Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Have students
share the information they learned from the holiday. For students
struggling on what to research, offer a list of options.
Available topics could include:
- sugar skulls
- dates and times
- locations it is celebrated
- significance of the holiday
- origins
- changes from the original creation to now
- how is it celebrated in schools
- how is it celebrated in small towns versus large towns
Have students create a one page document over the information. Hang information on walls.
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