Fantasmas

Catrina and her younger sister Maya move to Bahía de la Luna, a foggy Northern California town, because the sea air may ease Maya's cystic fibrosis. Cat resents the move and the town, until a neighbor named Carlos tells her the place is full of ghosts, and that Maya is eager to meet them. As Dia de los Muertos approaches, Cat has to weigh her fear of the dead against her sister's fragile health. Raina Telgemeier tells it in full-color comics, using the holiday to talk about how families face illness and loss.

Middle-grade readers who liked Smile or Sisters will find the same warm, funny drawing here with a more serious subject. Parents and teachers can use it to open a conversation about chronic illness and about remembering the dead without dread.

Clear-cut; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?