Ghoster Heights is just the CUTEST little graphic novel. It follows an 8 year old named Ona, who has just lost her mother and had to move in to her Baba's apartment. She is hesitant to make new friends, but after discovering a ghost resides in the apartment complex, she begins to recognize the people around her are all struggling with their own personal problems (their own "ghosts") and she has the ability to help. From an older tenant struggling with money problems to a younger tenant struggling with wanting to impress his father, Ona is able to see perspectives and solutions from the outside. However, as she helps others, she begins to realize that she has her own ghost haunting her. There are so many cute scenes, like the little chart she makes of all the ghosts and ways to help them, the use of the tamagotchi to communicate with the ghost, etc. The story is very heartfelt and touching and shows not only the power of helping others, but that sometimes we need to help ourselves as well.

If you like Sheets by Brenna Thummler or Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, Ghoster Heights will be perfect for you!

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

I just reviewed Ghoster Heights by Kelly Mellings. #GhosterHeights #NetGalley. Really enjoyed reading this book was a quick read great for all ages.

I absolutely loved this adorable story! I really liked that the ghosts weren't traditional ghosts. This story really reminds you to be kind because you never know what someone is going through.

The perfect cozy Halloween read, a great read for fans of the graphic novel Ghosts.
The artwork and colouring was gorgeous, perfect for this middle grade story. The characters were complex and felt real, and the story was emotional (I definitely shed a few tears!) and raw, while still being uplifting and beautiful.
If you don’t get a chance to read it for Spooky Season, it’ll also be a wonderful all-year-round read.

Although this is a book directed towards a middle grade audience, I want to give content warnings for; death of a loved one and house fires. This was only brushed over mildly in the story however might upset those who have experienced this in the past.

I like the illustrations of cute drawing.
The story is more for Grade 4 and up students since it covers many different concepts, including death, bully...

This is a Magical Realism Children's Graphic Novel. I found parts of this book a little weird, but once the book got going I got into the story. I really enjoyed the story once I got into it. The pictures were so cute, and I loved them. I think this is a cute Children's Graphic Novel that covers the loss of a loved one. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Wonderbound) or author (Lisa Larose) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Note: I have brought I copy of this book after this book.

A cute, quick read which explores grief, loss, and worry in an accessible and easy to understand way.

I especially love that as a graphic novel, this will appeal even to some of my pupils who are less keen on reading chapter books.

Definitely one to get for the classroom!

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
This story had so much going on with it yet never felt like it was attempting to put too much into it. Ona's difficulties adjusting to a new home and having to make new friends is something a lot of young children can relate to. I really liked the message to readers that everyone has things going on with them that cannot be seen by others. This could be a great way to teach empathy and not to judge others too harshly because we don't know what they are going through. I highly recommend this for classroom and school libraries!

This is a cute story. It's told well, the pacing is good and the illustrations are clear, crisp, and fit perfectly with the tone of the work. The problem I had with this is that it bit way too much that it could chew which made everything feel too easy. If the novel wanted to be a cute story about a girl who finds a ghost and has to figure out how to help it move to the next world, I think it could have been amazing. Instead, she has to figure out a lot of ghost issues. The ease with which she does this zaps any dramatic tension from showing the problems, to begin with. And you know what, if the problems had been easy, I would have forgiven them... but NO she solves, bullying, generational trauma, financial hardships, and many other deeply complex problems often with just one sentence. I was a bit affronted by this, and wouldn't want a kid to think that 1. it is their duty to try to fix such complex problems or 2. that such complex problems are so easily fixed!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death of a family member, abandonment, loss of a parent, bullying, overachiever sports parent, money anxiety, vandalism, guilt, etc.
POSITIVE GUIDE: Assisting others, empathy, inclusion, forgiveness, conflict resolution, self-help, self-improvement, friendships, community spirit, etc.

Ona and her Dad move in with Baba, (her grandma). It's a big change, and her Dad will be working long hours. But living with Baba and meeting new kids pales when compared to the ghosts that Goesher Heights is known for, and why they call it Ghoster Heights.

When is a ghost not a ghost? Ona's ghost friend disappears, and while she searches for it, she sees and hears the "ghosts" of resident's anxieties, guilt, and fears. It seems that the only way to find her friend is to help people she barely knows to "erase" or deal with their own issues. When she does, the biggest, scariest ghost has a problem similar to her own.

Ona's (Ukrainian) Baba and mischievous cats learn to love a shy little girl and help her find her way when ghosts seem to appear everywhere. As Ona uses creativity and empathy to help others, she gains courage to face what she and her Dad are going through.

This was a bit of a mystery along with insight into the life of a little girl going through a lot of changes. I especially appreciated the translations of Ukrainian terms her Baba used, but I wish the text had mentioned the nationality.

4/5

Thanks to Wonderbound and NetGalley for the temporary ebook preview, any review is voluntary and completely my own opinion.

#GhosterHeights #NetGalley
#WonderboundPublishing
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#KellyMellings #KellyMellingsAuth
#CoreyLansdell #CoreyLansdellAuth
#LisaLaRose #LisaLaRoseIllus
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#OnaAndHaunty

This graphic novel is about a young girl and her father who have just moved to a new city to live with her Ukrainian grandmother Baba, in an apartment complex called Goesher Heights. Shortly after she arrives, she finds out why the residents have nicknamed the place “Ghoster” Heights, as somehow her new digital pet seems to be allowing her to talk to spirits herself! This leads Ona to meet Haunty, a friendly ghost who seems to need her help.

As Ona begins meeting her new neighbors, she starts to see more and more ghosts. But unlike Haunty, they appear to be directly connected to the people living around her. Are these actual ghosts or just the grief, doubts, and troubles that haunt the living? And will helping those around her, will she find a way to put her own traumas in the past?

3.75 rounded up to 4 Stars.

I did really enjoy this story overall, and I found the metaphors within to be relatable enough for late elementary - middle-grade readers to grasp. I would recommend this title for those coming to terms with grief and loss.

DNF - Due to the method of downloading, I wasn't able to read this book. I admit I should have checked prior to requesting; reading via the NetGalley Shelf is excruciating for my eyes so I didn't even try. I'll revisit this book upon publication & see if I can get a copy from the library :)
The cover art is superb though & truly, the reason I was drawn to the book.

Please help the book be made available at Aldiko app. I m facing issues with downloading otherwise. Thank you.

A sweet middle-grade graphic novel that covers some deep themes.

After losing all their possessions, Eight-year-old Ona and her father have been forced to move in with her paternal grandmother, whom she calls Baba – Ukrainian for grandma. One day, while rescuing one of grandma’s many cats from the boiler room of the building, Ona bumps into a ghost. Surprisingly, the ghost uses her virtual pet device to communicate with her and seems quite friendly. However, Ona soon discovers that her new friend “Haunty” isn’t the only spook in the building. There are many ghosts haunting the residents, and Ona has to figure out how to get rid of them.

I didn’t expect to be so surprised by what I assumed to be an ordinary ghost story. The depth in which it explored human emotions is quite unexpected for a middle-grade graphic novel. Of course, this direction was to my advantage as I enjoyed the themes of grief and of ‘letting go’ and how these were incorporated. If you pick this book wanting a scary horror story, you might be disappointed. There are a couple of “scary” scenes, but nothing major, and I doubt even those scenes would traumatise children because they are resolved so well.

Ona is a strong lead character, while Haunty is charming in its limited appearances. Baba also is a well-sketched and complicated character, who loves her son and her granddaughter but also wants her quality time and is very opinionated. Her recipe for ‘Perogi’ is included at the end of the book.

The illustrations are quite simple yet effective. I loved the portrayal of the various ghosts. The bright colours work wonderfully for the plot.

Why I am not going higher with my rating is that the book leaves certain things unexplained. The events in Ona’s past don’t come out clearly, and I am still confused about what happened to her mum. Many characters have a mini back-story of sorts, but this is tricky to get from the panels. The younger of the MG crowd might have trouble processing these. Some of the “ghosts” are present in locations where they don’t make sense.
All in all, loved the idea, liked the implementation. Definitely a nice graphic novel that offers thought-provoking content. If you go with the flow without asking too many “Whys”, you’ll enjoy it. The lesson it offers is worth more than the minor plot gaps it contains.

4 stars.

My thanks to Independent Publishers Group, WONDERBOUND, and NetGalley for the DRC of “Ghoster Heights”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Review to come somewhere in October (it is a bit full at the moment) on blog/goodreads/etc..

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

What I had expected, a cute maybe spooky story about girl and a ghost and the spooky new building she lives in. I was totally hyped and excited because that is what I need and want right now. What I got was a depressing read about ghosts, problems, issues, loss, mourning, and distress. I thought I would be reading a book that would make me laugh, or scare me lightly, something to distract me from things, but instead I was just crying. This sounds negative, but yeah, I just had a whole different set of expectations. If I had known that this book would be so sad I wouldn't have read it right now. I would have, well... read it later. Yes, I should have read the blurb, though reading the blurb now, I am still not sure if I would have seen it was this depressing. 

In this book we follow a little girl called Ona. She is 8-year old and lost most of her everything. As the story goes on we learn more and more on what happened and why she is now living with her dad at her Baba's apartment. My heart broke each time we learned something new. Something more startling. I did love her friendship with Haunty (which is an adorable name). I loved the tamagotchi (are those still around, wow?). I was happy when she finally stood up to that bully. It was great to see her walk through the building to find stuff for that sale thingie and how she learned about all the residents. I loved how in the end she faced her own grief and trauma and got out stronger. 

I loved her baba who wasn't always sure how to handle things, but was there for her son and grandchild when they needed her. She was there to offer a shoulder, a hug, maybe some yummy food. Yes, I have to be honest and say I wasn't sure about the baba at first. She was just a bit, how do I word it, as if she wasn't too happy with them around. But she turned out to be fantastic. A real help. I also absolutely loved her cats. They were so fun and full of personality. I loved how they were there for Ona. 

[spoiler]I still have questions on what actually happened that night. I mean, we know what happened, but how it happened. Given the note at the hospital I am guessing mom has issues? But it is just so unclear and I would have liked just a tad more on that to get a more clear image. [/spoiler]

While I loved that Ona went to find out what everyone's ghosts were about and tried to help them all out, I did think that maybe she should have sought help. I mean, she is 8 years old, is still mourning and still recovering and still has a lot of things to organise to get everything right, and yet here she is, solving the problems of the whole building. And it just felt too much. I don't know about you, but if I was 8 years old and had to work through a shitload of things? I would probably just burn and crash from doing all this. I wouldn't be able to carry it all. 

So yeah, I think I was just not in the right head space for this one. The last 9-10 months haven't been the easiest for me and I just feel very not OK so many times. So reading about this book featuring grief, bullying, people in distress, mental health, and lots of sadness, it just wasn't for me. It was a good book. Really. But just not for me. Not now. Maybe one day I will less like I am burning out and more like me again and I will read it again.

This is a graphic novel about a little girl who makes friends with a ghost, and discovers that her grandmother’s apartment complex where she is now living, seems to have an abundance of ghosts, that are not all of dead people. Instead, they are the fears of the living.

Rather deep book for an early middle grade level book, so kind of cool.

There are hints that she and her father may have lost their house in a fire, but we are never clear if that alone made them move in with the grandmother.

There are subtle ways to show that people are hurting from over eager helicopter parents, and other worries of kids.

Well done.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

adorable story about a little girl and her friend - a ghost. this book beautifully explores the theme of grief.