Title: Gustavo, The Shy Ghost
Author: Flavia Z Drago
Release Date: 7.14.2020
Review Date: 4.27.2020

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.


This was adorable. The illustrations were so beautiful and the story was sweet. Really good.

Adorable! Perfect for kids around Halloween; a charming introduction to Dia de los Muertos, as well as a look at how hard it can be to make friends when you feel shy. Great addition to the children's section.

Was unable to downloaded. Tried multiple venues; computer, phone, work laptop. Is there an option to send to kindle?

I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick Press through NetGalley.
Charming story about overcoming shyness by taking a bold step to be seen. Gustavo is too shy to interact with the other monster children. He longs to be part of the group but is afraid to speak up. He gathers his courage and invites them to a solo violin concert. No one comes but he decides to play anyway. To his surprise, they had gotten lost and his music allowed them to find him. From that point, he was visible and included for who he is. He learned that they accepted him for the quiet ghost he is.
Drago spins his story of this shy ghost so readers might see themselves. Terrific story to encourage a shy child to take a risk. The language is easy to read for lower to middle elementary level though the cursive speech bubbles may be harder for them.
Looking forward to sharing this with classes.

This book is so sweet and cute. I love the illustrations! They are so colorful! I love that it makes the ghost friendly and shy, rather then scary.

A sweet book about friendship for kids who are shy. I loved the sweet monster Illustrations and the message about overcoming your fears.

This was a cute little story. We liked it and it told of a good lesson. The Illustrations were fun and bright. It ended well and taught a good lesson.

Gustavo is a ghost. He is a very friendly, caring, and talented ghost. However, he is extremely shy and has trouble making friends. Gustavo comes up with an idea to make friends on Day of the Dead, but will his nerves make him "ghost," or will his new friends "ghost" him?
I absolutely loved the illustrations, which were colored-pencil style. The detail of the illustrations made it easy to feel immersed in the story. I especially loved the "child" versions of well-known "monsters" such as witches, pumpkin-heads, Frankenstein, and swamp monsters. The illustrations are funny as well, depicting Gustavo in various shapes and formats as he attempts to make friends, and will be fun for children and parents to look for him on the pages - as a balloon, a canvas, an umbrella, and more. The little details really make this book amazing and give it such a personal touch - the skeleton pet fish, the "Death's-Head Moths," the eye scream, and the ethnic touches of Day of the Dead and Lucha Libre.

The story itself is simple and sweet, and shows children that while it can be spooky to make new friends, it's worth the effort. It also shows that . The book also comes in Spanish, and I found myself wishing that the Spanish version and English version were included together to help children learn some more about Latinx culture. This book is perfect for little monsters during October and November, but would make a good read anytime.

NOTE: I received an ARC copy of this book on NetGalley. I received no incentive to read or review this book other than said copy of work. The review below contains my own thoughts and opinions. Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy.

[ENG]
'Making friends was terryfying'
Gustavo the Shy Ghost is a lovely book.
Scrolling through the pages we can learn with Gustavo how to make friends being ourselves. Didn't matter how shy you were, you can always improve yourself.
This book is the debut novel of an incredible artist. With cute ilustrations Flavia Drago show us a lot of monsters and colorful details about the Day of the Dead.
Definitely 4 stars.

*The E-Arc was kindly provided by Netgalley and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review*

[ESP]
'Hacer amigos era terrorífico'
"Gustavo el fantasmita tímido" es un libro adorable.
A través de las páginas podemos aprender con Gustavo a hacer amigos siendo nosotros mismos. Sin importar cuán tímido seas, siempre podés superarte a vos mismo.
Este es el libro debut de una artista increíble. Con tiernas ilustraciones, Flavia Drago nos muestra un montón de monstruos y detalles coloridos del Día de los Muertos.
Definitivamente 4*.

*Reseña completa ya disponible en 'Cosmos Literario'*

Why... were ghosts so appealing to me as a child? Even though I was a real scaredy-cat growing up (implying that I'm not still too afraid to look at wikipedia articles about supernatural sightings when I'm alone at home), there has just always been something about friendly specters like Gustavo. Perhaps it was simply my little goth genes that made me apply for this galley - and adore it of course. Gustavo is about making friends - and all kinds of friends; from swamp monsters to werewolves almost every colourful creature from folklore is there, represented in the Mexican culture around Día de los Muertos. Great job by the illustrator, I would love to see more of this!

Nothing is better than a clever Halloween themed book. Gustavo is a shy little ghost with an exceptional talent that wins friends over.

This book has extremely adorable details. The book is about the dead and one detail is fish bones instead of a fish. Now that is a perfect detail. I am obsessed with the illustrations and the writing is perfect for a beginning reader.

I will definitely be buying this one when it comes out.

The shy ghost who finally finds the friends he wanted just by being open and brave enough to be himself. I love this book. The illustrations are beautifully done. Is that colored pencil? I'm blown away. The use of this medium brings a familiarity and warmth to the overall reading experience, and it makes the generally muted palette fun and engaging. I love the details in the eye-scream sequence and Alma jumping rope. So funny. Something I've never seen before. A breath of fresh air. The story is relatable, well-paced, and so funny. Perfect comedic timing. I look forward to buying this one.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. Super fun book to read. Loved the graphics. Very nice story! 4 stars

The illustrations are lovely - loved all the little details in the background. I see myself displaying it for Dia de los Muertos at the library. We need more books about shy characters.

I absolutely loved this story and the illustrations were too cute. My niece and nephew will love this story as well and I might have read this to them over video chat very soon. I just wish I had this story as a child because I would be reading it all the time. The message in this story is something every shy person could her.

5 stars it was so lovely.
I would definitely have loved owning this one when I was younger, as a shy person. The Art was so stunning and loved the colours used.
Love the message, even though you are shy and don't talk much, , people are still are gonna want to hang out and love you.

The cover art and illustrations immediately drew me in to Gustavo, the Shy Ghost. I loved reading and learning about Gustavo and how being shy was so hard for him. I loved that his passion for music brought him closer to those he wanted to be friends with. Gustavo is a lovable ghost and has a great story to tell.
I felt there was something lacking in the story and that it didn't really come together well at the end. It ended on a happy note, but with limited "story" to the ending.

The illustrations are great. There are two albums in his room one of which Ghosts Don't Cry with the cover art like The Cure's Boys Don't Cry and the other was a Smiths album. There are classic movie monsters along with Day of the Dead art. I love all the details. Gustavo is a character you can easily identify with and want to see succeed. You will want to be Gustavo's friend too. This is a wonderful book and I look forward to sharing this.

Cute and fun story about a shy ghost named Gustavo who learns to be brave. Lovely illustrations and story. The text is a little awkward, but the story is very sweet. This would be great for younger children (age 3-5) who are shy and anxious about talking to other children.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing this ARC.

This was such a cute book about being shy and friendship! The illustrations are beautiful and tell the story so well. This is a perfect Halloween read and kids are going to love the cute story and colorful pictures!