Many thanks to Annick Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I don’t read as many works inspired by American Indian or First Nations cultures as I’d like, so when I saw this, I jumped on it immediately. Mid-grade has been so hit or miss for me lately, because I’ve found a lot of it just ends up being too young for me. What?! I hear you say. You, who’s nearly 30, are now too old for mid-grade?! I know. Color me shocked, too. Who would’ve guessed? With this book, though, I was pleasantly surprised, because it did have the sort of depth I look for in books.

The Ghost Collector is the heartbreaking tale of a daughter waiting for her mother’s spirit to come back, and also the lively, funny story of all the other spirits she meets along the way.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I loved the idea of it, and I was surprised just how much I ended up enjoying it. I’ve been looking for some books for my own mid-grade reader, and this one ticked all the boxes for me. I would definitely recommend it for any mid-grade readers who are dealing with grief and loss themselves.

My Thoughts:

- I appreciated how this book normalizes Cree culture, rather than presenting it as “exotic” or “other.” I don’t often think authors intend to do this, but I do notice that it happens a lot. Shelly is proud of her Cree heritage, but it isn’t the defining feature about her. She’s not reduced to being “this Cree character.” Nor is she held as a sort of comparison for all these other non-Cree characters. This is certainly no dissertation about Cree culture, but there are little aspects of the culture that were slipped in that I thought would serve as a great place to start the conversation with mid-grade readers on other cultures, particularly First Nations.

- Hidden in the arguments between Shelly’s mother and grandmother over whether she should be involved in ghosts seems to be this really poignant implication about culture being passed down through the generations. Shelly’s mother grew up with ghosts, and for whatever reason, as an adult, she turned her back on that lifestyle. But Shelly’s grandmother wants to teach Shelly about the ghosts—something that’s been directly passed down through their Cree lineage and is a unique talent most people don’t have. It’s not in-your-face obvious, but I thought it was really interesting how it spoke to this generational culture divide that often happens with any sort of minority (and any sort of immigrant, even) where it’s a hard choice between assimilating to the society they live in and wanting to retain part of their culture. This is such an important topic faced by so many people in today’s world, and yet often never discussed, and while the author doesn’t go in depth on the subject, she does a great job of making it matter in even little everyday things.

- That moment when someone has to explain to the protagonist what a tape deck is, and her mother is talking about recording songs off the radio when she was young, and wow, you’ve just realized how old you are. The protagonist of this story, I am not. Not anymore! Which actually makes this almost more interesting to me, because it’s really easy to see my own daughter as the protagonist, and it makes the events of this story all the more impactful from an entirely different (and maybe slightly unexpected) angle. It was super easy for me to straddle both sides of this: from a mother, terrified of leaving her daughter behind, and as a daughter, who would have been devastated if her mother had died at that age.

- While there are certainly a lot of heavy moments in this book, it isn’t all dark, and there were so many fun personalities to enjoy. Because what’s a book without its characters? Shelley’s grandmother was definitely a highlight for me, because she was proud and stubborn but also funny and doing her best. But a lot of the characters in this book are ghosts, and I loved them just as much.

- The ghosts themselves were for sure a highlight for me in this book, because they all had such personality! Shelly meets a lot of ghosts in her travels. As you do. Some are ready to move on, and some not so much. There was just such a variety with them, and I loved meeting a whole range of ghosts and seeing their circumstances. The best part: as per the Cree worldview, humans aren’t the only creatures that become ghosts, which means plenty of encounters with formerly fuzzy critter spirits, too.

- This book hurt my feels in all the right ways, because while it is about death and grief, it’s also about life and acceptance. Though it deals with death, it doesn’t wax philosophical about grief and losing someone. Instead, the power is in the subtle ways it portrays the grieving process. It’s in the quiet moments after death, absorbing it, dying inside while you try to carry on. It’s in the way you’re forced to return to everyday life like nothing’s changed, even though everything has. It’s the image of a little girl sitting on her mother’s bed, waiting, because she’s so dang certain that her mother’s ghost will come for her. Just oof. The way this book tackles grief is so accessible, especially for mid-grade readers, in my opinion, because it doesn’t just wallow in it, but shows the little ways grief can sneak up on a person.

- While I wouldn’t say this is a typical coming of age story, necessarily, Shelly does manage to find herself, and I really enjoyed the growth. Shelly’s just trying to figure out what the heck it means to be Shelly without losing herself to grief. I’m always up for a good character arc, and I really enjoyed this one—partly because it was so stinking relatable, even at my age, and partly because of the journey Shelly takes. It’s not quite a normal means of finding one’s self. Probably because ghosts are involved. But as an adult, it’s easy to start to see the not-so-great choices, the semi-spiraling emotions, and knowing that, eventually, things are going to have to give.

Sticking Points:

- I would’ve personally liked to see more of the ghosts, since some of their arcs felt a bit incomplete. I’m the sort that likes things to feel done when it ends, but there were still questions I had about some of the ghosts and what became of them, etc. There was also a part at the end that I didn’t quiet understand why something happened, either. It’s such a little nitpicky thing, but by the time I finished the book, I still just kept wondering, like, “What ever happened to so-and-so?”

I downloaded this not realizing it was a book for children, but I read it anyway. I very much enjoyed it! I believe the targeted age would be around 10-12? I loved ghost stories when I was that age, especially ones that weren’t that scary. What’s great about this story is how it approaches a very sad and troubling topic (the passing of a parent) and handles it in a way that is approachable but not preachy or didactic. As an adult, I understood what the novel was trying to do (walk a child reader through a realistic depiction of grief) but it wouldn’t have been obvious to a child.

There’s a great set of characters – a couple of quirky ghosts, a fun grandmother turned caregiver, and a wonderful protagonist you really feel for. There were a few amusing scenes that helped lighten the tone but didn’t detract from the mood. There were also two scenes that were even a little scary but didn’t go too far.
It was great to see people of colour featured primarily in the novel, and especially the main character who was of First Nations background. I liked the Canadian aspect too, of course!

The book is a non-scary Sixth Sense and a moving tale that teaches kids about loss, acceptance and moving on. It was realistic despite the magical realism genre and the author did a fabulous job suggesting the socio-economic status of the family without bludgeoning us with it. While I, as an adult, knew it would work out in the end, a kid would likely be enthralled by what was going to happen next.

I will buy a copy to give to my daughter when she’s old enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press for the review copy of The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills. All opinions are my own.

Shelly's family is able to do something extraordinary. Not only can she, her mother, and her grandmother see ghosts, but they're able to catch them in their hair. Shelly and her grandmother capture ghosts in their hair and help them move on. Shelly's mother though has never really been a fan of spending time with ghosts and attempts to keep Shelly from helping her grandmother. Things change dramatically for Shelly when her mother dies suddenly in an accident. This causes Shelly's relationship with ghosts and death, and she begins hoarding ghosts in her bedroom as she searches for the ghost of her mother.

This book is rooted in a Cree worldview and is based on stories of Mill's great-grandmother's life. The Ghost Collector starts off light and fun. The concept of collecting ghosts in your hair and helping them move on is intriguing. I really liked that not only human ghosts were included, but also a variety of animals (mice, cats, dogs, birds, etc.). The book then takes a turn and becomes more serious as it handles the topics of death, grief, and moving forward after losing a loved one. Mills handles these topics masterfully and uniquely in a way that makes them accessible to younger readers.

I love the imagery of this book. Shelley and her grandmother use their hair to catch ghosts and release them so they can go on to the next world. Sometimes ghosts get stuck. Birds die flying into buildings, and then haunt the buildings. Rats die, and aren't sure where to go, and cause a fuss. Most ghosts that Shelley and her grandmother find are animals and just want to go home.

They do not take very ghost they see, such as the ones in the cemetery. Shelley's mother objects but lets them do it, as long as it doesn't interfere with school work.

The kids think it is all made up. But I like what Shelley says to them:
<blockquote>"It's not made up just because you don't know about it and nobody wrote about it in a book. You don't know everything."
</blockquote>

Based on Cree legends about catching ghosts, and the author's great grandmother, who, like Shelley's grandmother, helped the police find missing people who they thought were dead.

A good, but sad book about ghosts, and life and death.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

A great story for young adults, with just the right amount of 'feels.' Unique plot, even with the timeless messages of love and light and finding yourself. Definitely recommended!!

This was an interesting premise, and I like how ghosts were normalized and not seen as scary creatures.

A good novel for elementary school readers. Like all of the women and girls in her Cree family, Shelly can catch ghosts in her hair. She and her grandmother do this for a living , with her grandmother leading and Shelly apprenticing. Together they catch the ghosts of people, pets, and even insects and send them on to whatever comes next. But when Shelly's mom dies unexpectedly, her ghost doesn't show up, and Shelly becomes anxious, scouring the graveyard and asking ghosts everywhere if they've seen her. The relationships between Shelly and her grandmother and the ghosts are full of honest emotion and well written for the target audience, and I liked the #ownvoices factor in the author's use of Cree beliefs and customs..

She walks around town and looks for the dead in dark corners and forgotten places. She snatched ghosts from alleyways and buildings and takes them home to hide in her room. She rescues them.’

This is a book about a girl who not only sees ghosts but catches them and sets them free so that they can go ahead to the afterlife, whatever outcome that is. That is a gift passed down in her family and she learns it from her grandmother who is known for her expertise ghost catching. To make this even better they catch the ghosts by letting down their own hair and letting them get caught in their follicles. It’s such a simple, innovative strategy. The Rapunzels of Ghost Hunting.

This novel was gorgeous to put it bluntly. I’m a ghost lover and I won’t hide it and Allison Mills did a fantastic job at weaving a story about the paranormal and making it heartbreaking and human. The story is about Shelly and her grandmother who catch ghosts, Shelly’s grandmother is teaching Shelly the basics of ghost catching and Shelly’s life has pretty much been all about ghosts (IMPORTANT RULE: DO NOT BRING GHOSTS BACK HOME) when tragedy strikes at home and Shelly’s own mother dies. The tide turns and so does Shelly’s attitude towards ghosts and death.


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I loved everything about this and this has roots in Cree folklore which I am not familiar with but it is so interesting and lovely and I’m happy that this book showcases it.

The characters were all fascinating especially Shelly and her grandmother. There are so many great lessons to take away from this especially of course regarding loss and death. But also life itself and what we can glean from it in the short time we have here on earth.

This is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019. I’m still feeling the losses of my grandmothers so I think this read hit me maybe 20 times harder because I was sobbing like no other but it is also really really good.

Sidenote: It was so bizarre and funny to see both my first name AND middle name used in this book. First time this has EVER happened while reading haha. Amanda and Estelle for anybody curious.


“That’s worth getting remembered.”

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Annick Press Ltd. for this ARC. All opinions are my own. Check out more haunted reviews on my blog: https://aelilyreads.home.blog/

Shelly and her grandmother catch ghosts. In their hair.

Just like all the women in their family, they can see souls who haven’t transitioned yet; it’s their job to help the ghosts along their journey.

When Shelly’s mom dies suddenly, Shelly’s relationship to ghosts—and death—changes. Instead of helping spirits move on, Shelly starts hoarding them.

But no matter how many ghost cats, dogs, or people she hides in her room, Shelly can’t ignore the one ghost that’s missing. Why hasn’t her mom’s ghost come home yet?- Goodreads

This book is heavy but the good kind of heavy. Although the summary states that Shelly is going to lose her mother, I wasn't expecting it to happen. The author did a fantastic job of making you feel invested in Shelly's world that you feel the pain as Shelly feels it. And again although the summary kind of tells you what happens next, you are not exactly expecting it. I felt so bad. Everything in me felt so bad for Shelly and how now her whole world is these ghosts and wondering where is her mother. 

Shelly doesn't have much of a personality but that doesn't mean she is growing. Because that is what we are reading; a turning point in her life that helps her grow. The best word to describe Shelly is inquisitive. She wants to learn and another important thing to note is she lives for ghosts, her grandmother and her mother. She wants nothing more than to be a ghost hunter to help ghost go on and to make her grandmother proud. 

When her mother dies, everything changes. What I loved about this book was how it was written. It was so easy to get into this read, to get into this world, to see it and feel it. The words just flows so smoothly and it isn't only easy to read for children but as an adult reading about a child and how they handle and overcome grief this was great. 

The pace of the novel was fantastic and I loved the fact that the story is only told in Shelly's point of view and there isn't a best friend influencing her emotions but instead its her learning about herself. I believe adding other voices to this story would have made this book lost its luster and Shelly's voice would have been lost. 

The ghosts, because I am sure you are wondering, are and aren't the focal point of the story. They are important and push a lot of the story. However, they are the foundation that help lift the story but they aren't the main point. 

Overall, 

A great read about grief that I would recommend for a child that understands what is going on and for an adult, any adult. 

4 Pickles

A glorious story, simultaneously heartwarming and heartwrenching, about 3 generations of an indigenous Canadian family (Cree) living an embittering life in a city. Grandma and granddaughter Shelley see and communicate with ghosts, helping them to move on. Shelley's mother wants no part of that. But unexpected tragedy impels Shelley to use her gift overtime, collecting ghosts to herself to ease their loneliness--and hers. THE GHOST COLLECTOR is a truly beautiful novel.