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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was fun! Good for any ghost lovers (I’ve been in such a mood for anything that reminds me of Lockwood and Co)
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Adorable! I want this story to keep going!
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast paced, funny and informative for readers of all ages. the art is pretty and diverse.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars. Beautiful illustrations in this coming of age over a summer story. She, like most young teenagers, is very careful about the reputation she establishes while entering high school. Little does she know the very thing she is running from, is the very thing that makes a name for herself.
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reminiscent of The Ghostbusters set in modern-day New Orleans, this suspenseful story is filled with mysticism and history. Fifteen-year-old Chelsea Grant just wants to fit in with the cool kids at her highschool, but she has a pretty big secret - her father is a professional ghost exterminator, or “ghost roaster.” She appreciated his work when she was little, but as she’s maturing, the family business feels more like an embarrassment. After getting caught trespassing in a graveyard with her friends, her father comes to pick her up, and her cover is blown. When the popular girls post about Chelsea’s secret on “the ‘Gram,” her father’s business starts booming with calls. And as for Chelsea, her punishment is to work with her father and his assistant for the entire summer. As they are investigating paranormal activity for one of the city’s most prestigious families at their former sugarcane plantation, Chelsea discovers that ghosts are real. And unbeknownst to her father, Chelsea can see ghosts. Instead of “roasting” them, she wants to help them uncover a deep family secret before it’s too late.
This is one of my favorite graphic novels of the year. It was fast-paced and suspenseful while tackling the subjects of fitting in, racism, empathy, and family. This is an absolute must read for fans of ghost hunting and history.
This is one of my favorite graphic novels of the year. It was fast-paced and suspenseful while tackling the subjects of fitting in, racism, empathy, and family. This is an absolute must read for fans of ghost hunting and history.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay, for a minute there I thought we were going to have a romance between a modern-day girl and a plantation owner, and I was sweating. Chelsea's dad is basically a Ghostbuster, and she meets a swoonworthy ghost named Oliver haunting a local former plantation. There's also a formerly enslaved woman (who we learn was emancipated during her lifetime) haunting the area.
While the story mostly stays upbeat and glosses over some things, we gradually learn a lot more about Oliver and Marie that make their story the most engaging part of the book. Without offering too many spoilers, I appreciated where Ghost Roast went with the historical background. It does glaze over some pretty grim aspects of their lives, but my interpretation (as a white reader) was that the Gibbs sisters wanted to focus on the elements of the narrative that reclaim undocumented joy, and made the conscious choice to highlight those moments while still acknowledging the context in which those moments occurred.
For the most part, the story is pretty upbeat, with colorful illustrations and complex but positive relationships between the characters in the present day. The very end got me good.
Also, as a side note, I love Chelsea's character design, and how her various outfits throughout the book are complimented by changes in how she wears her hair. So many comics include static depictions of outfits and styles, and you can tell that a lot of thought went into the illustrations here, which go a long way to making her feel like a fully realized character even beyond the parts of her life that we see on the page.
While the story mostly stays upbeat and glosses over some things, we gradually learn a lot more about Oliver and Marie that make their story the most engaging part of the book. Without offering too many spoilers, I appreciated where Ghost Roast went with the historical background. It does glaze over some pretty grim aspects of their lives, but my interpretation (as a white reader) was that the Gibbs sisters wanted to focus on the elements of the narrative that reclaim undocumented joy, and made the conscious choice to highlight those moments while still acknowledging the context in which those moments occurred.
For the most part, the story is pretty upbeat, with colorful illustrations and complex but positive relationships between the characters in the present day. The very end got me good.
Also, as a side note, I love Chelsea's character design, and how her various outfits throughout the book are complimented by changes in how she wears her hair. So many comics include static depictions of outfits and styles, and you can tell that a lot of thought went into the illustrations here, which go a long way to making her feel like a fully realized character even beyond the parts of her life that we see on the page.