What YA' Reading: Hello from the other side
What’s going bump in the night? A demon? A ghost? Your conscience? Explore the otherworldly with these supernatural graphic novels.
Youth Group written by by Jordan Morris & illustrated by Bowen McCurdy
Kay isn’t exactly the type to get excited about church. Growing up in 1990s California, she’s been dealing with her dad suddenly leaving and is still figuring out how to navigate life without him. When she reluctantly agrees to check out the youth group at Stone Mission Church she expects the usual: awkward singalongs and heartfelt monologues about avoiding temptation. She finds all that and more in Meg, the pink and smiley group leader who says “fudge” instead of swearing.
What’s not usual is finding Meg and the other group leader, Cortland, in the middle of an actual exorcism. Turns out the youth group is a secret organization of demon hunters. Before Kay can even wrap her head around that reality, she is attacked and finds out demons cannot possess her because she’s what they call a “Blight.” Meg prefers to call Kay a “miracle.” Either way, she’s become both a secret weapon and a target in this war they want Kay to join.
Feeling part Buffy (TV Show), part late-'90s-teen-comedy, this book was genuinely fun. Anyone who grew up going to church will chuckle along with the over-the-top church-ified pop songs and the over-earnest group leaders. I really enjoyed the expressive and colorful art style, even when the action gets a little dark. Kay has a dry sense of humor and makes some hilarious one-liners poking fun at the “believers” she doesn’t quite relate to. But she also comes to genuinely enjoy the sincere sweetness of her new friends.
At the heart of this book is the theme of protection; protecting others, figuring out if you can count on the people who are supposed to protect you, and learning to have faith in yourself. I especially loved watching Kay figure out her newfound abilities. Some of the story moved a little quickly for me but by the end I was so ready for another story with these characters.
The Deep Dark by Lee Knox Ostertag
The tagline of this book is alarmingly, temptingly vague: “Everyone has secrets. Mags’s has teeth.”
The story drops you right into the California desert and into Magdalena (Mags) Herrera’s life. Everyone takes something from Mags: her broken parents, her sickly grandmother, the girl with a boyfriend who kisses Mags anyway – until she’s left with nothing to give herself.
And then there’s the family secret in Mags' basement. The secret she must drain herself to feed every night, or else. Mags is isolated but surviving as her life wears on around her. Everything changes when Mag’s childhood friend Nessa comes back to town carrying memories she can’t fully trust and a future she’s not sure she can see. Her secret starts forcing its way out of the dark, and Mags has to decide if the familiar is truly safer than the unknown.
This book weaves self-acceptance, family trauma and beastly horror together in a way I’ve never seen before and I found artistically brilliant. Ostertag uses color to differentiate between past and present, fear and hope. Fans who have grown up with Ostertag’s The Witch Boy or The Girl from the Sea will recognize Ostertag’s distinct art style and will find a much more layered, mature story here. I want to give you more to go on to make you want to read this book, I really do. But as commenter Elizabeth A on Goodreads said, “The less you know going in, the better.”
Ghost Roast written by Shawneé Gibbs & Shawnelle Gibbs, illustrated by Emily Cannon
What do you do when the family business is hunting ghosts and you find out they’re not all bad?
Chelsea Grant has always hidden from the embarrassment of her dad running Ghost Roast, New Orleans' own “paranormal removal expert” business. She’s sort of succeeding. Chelsea is halfway through high school, she's finally shed the “Ghost Girl” nickname, and finally done enough damage control to get in with the popular group. Then a night out with friends ends at the police station and her punishment is to work at Ghost Roast all summer long.
Chelsea is dragged along on house calls, armed with her dad’s usual DIY ghost-detecting tech: EMF meters and “roasters” to neutralize ghosts. Chelsea starts to question if there even are ghosts, when one nuzzles her leg. The ghost cat belongs to Oliver, a friendly teen ghost who doesn’t know how he died.
Chelsea and Oliver learn more about each other and her powers. They start to uncover the mysteries surrounding his passing. Chelsea can see how violent “roasting” ghosts is and wants to protect Oliver. But her dad is still on the hunt and hiding Oliver is risking his life’s work.
Despite the deathly topic, this graphic novel isn’t afraid to be colorful and funny. I related to Chelsea’s struggles between family demands and finding her own path, balancing being yourself vs. what others think. The illustrations really brought emotional moments to life, especially the meet-cute vibes of Oliver and Chelsea and Chelsea’s interactions with her parents.
