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darkknightrising's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
michellehenriereads's review
4.0
This is such a different ghost story! The author's great-grandmother told her stories which led to this tale - and I'm glad she did.
The Ghost Collector is not a haunting tale in the sense of giving you chills, but a tale of how our lives might be haunted. Haunted with grieving.
Shelly has inherited her family's ability to catch ghosts in her hair and to help them along. She can catch the ghosts of animals as well as people. When her mother dies, it's only natural that Shelly would expect to have time with her mom's ghost. How do we grasp onto things to help us remember our loved ones? I've known of people who keep their parents' treasures, or photos, or stories. If you could keep the ghost of a loved one near would you? What happens when we can't have what we want - our loved one to stay? Shelly goes through this process of grieving and spins the reader into her hair for the ride.
Kids need sad books. It helps them process the hard things in their lives.
If a middle-grade book has anything that might make some parent wary, I feel like I need to mention it. There is a very passing reference to a lesbian couple. The book talks about Hannah's wife in passing while the characters are on a ghost job.
There is no violence, sexual content, or swearing.
I recommend this book and author.
The Ghost Collector is not a haunting tale in the sense of giving you chills, but a tale of how our lives might be haunted. Haunted with grieving.
Shelly has inherited her family's ability to catch ghosts in her hair and to help them along. She can catch the ghosts of animals as well as people. When her mother dies, it's only natural that Shelly would expect to have time with her mom's ghost. How do we grasp onto things to help us remember our loved ones? I've known of people who keep their parents' treasures, or photos, or stories. If you could keep the ghost of a loved one near would you? What happens when we can't have what we want - our loved one to stay? Shelly goes through this process of grieving and spins the reader into her hair for the ride.
Kids need sad books. It helps them process the hard things in their lives.
If a middle-grade book has anything that might make some parent wary, I feel like I need to mention it. There is a very passing reference to a lesbian couple. The book talks about Hannah's wife in passing while the characters are on a ghost job.
There is no violence, sexual content, or swearing.
I recommend this book and author.
flyingwargle's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
melodynbarclay's review
4.0
This middle grade novel is an excellent one for educators and parents who are interested in discussing grief with their students or children. The main character, Shelly, is a ghost collector - something that runs in her Cree family. She loses someone close to her and she begins grieving for this lost individual. Importantly, she does not stop grieving at the end of the novel. Rather, the epilogue of the novel transports readers to a time just after the main events. The author shows Shelly grieving in a different way. Additionally, the novel highlights a variety of family structures such as intergenerational families, nuclear families, and same gender families.
tainolibrary's review against another edition
4.0
A unique twist on the genre that is less hunting and more healing. I really liked the perspective Cree culture has on ghosts. It reminded me a bit of the movie Casper because of the plot being centered on one of the characters’ drive to find the ghost of a loved one. This story is bittersweet and worth the read.
beth2400's review
3.0
The fact that this was rooted in First Nations cultures was partly what drew me to this book, that and because we are getting closer to Halloween. This was an interesting book and it's alway good when middle grade books take on harder subjects like death and grief and do it in a diverse way
fallingletters's review
5.0
Brief thoughts originally published 8 January 2020 at Falling Letters.
[b: I Can Make This Promise|39087436|I Can Make This Promise|Christine Day|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554240097l/39087436._SY75_.jpg|60659968] and The Ghost Collector each feature a girl with special talent, albeit one that is more supernatural than the other. Shelley catches ghosts in her hair. She and her grandmother help them move on to where they’re supposed to be. Mostly, Shelley helps with animal ghosts. When Shelley’s mom dies suddenly, Shelley’s grandmother has to take on more work to support the two of them. She leaves Shelley to be babysat by a neighbour. But Shelley has other ideas – she needs to find her mother’s ghosts. Shelley becomes obsessed with clinging to the ghosts that she catches, rather than helping them move on. Not as dark and heavy as it might sound, nor as sensationalist as it might have been in the hands of another writer, The Ghost Collector is a moving, compassionate story about working through loss and grief.
I initially found it odd that, after Shelley’s mother’s death, Shelley’s grandmother didn’t immediately have a conversation with Shelley about the likelihood of Shelley’s mother becoming a ghost. But then I reminded myself that I’ve never suddenly and unexpectedly lost my daughter and become my grandchild’s caregiver. That conversation could easily have been missed among other priorities.
[b: I Can Make This Promise|39087436|I Can Make This Promise|Christine Day|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554240097l/39087436._SY75_.jpg|60659968] and The Ghost Collector each feature a girl with special talent, albeit one that is more supernatural than the other. Shelley catches ghosts in her hair. She and her grandmother help them move on to where they’re supposed to be. Mostly, Shelley helps with animal ghosts. When Shelley’s mom dies suddenly, Shelley’s grandmother has to take on more work to support the two of them. She leaves Shelley to be babysat by a neighbour. But Shelley has other ideas – she needs to find her mother’s ghosts. Shelley becomes obsessed with clinging to the ghosts that she catches, rather than helping them move on. Not as dark and heavy as it might sound, nor as sensationalist as it might have been in the hands of another writer, The Ghost Collector is a moving, compassionate story about working through loss and grief.
I initially found it odd that, after Shelley’s mother’s death, Shelley’s grandmother didn’t immediately have a conversation with Shelley about the likelihood of Shelley’s mother becoming a ghost. But then I reminded myself that I’ve never suddenly and unexpectedly lost my daughter and become my grandchild’s caregiver. That conversation could easily have been missed among other priorities.
unchainedreader's review against another edition
1.0
The idea behind the story was intriguing which is why I requested the advance reading copy, but it was very disappointing style-wise. It felt like I was reading a very early draft. I did not finish this.
themichellegray's review
5.0
My heart hurts after reading this debut novel - it was one of those books that came into my life at the exact moment that I needed it. What I thought was going to be a spooky middle-grade story about ghost hunting actually turned into a book about losing a parent and the grieving that comes along with it.
My dad passed away (2 weeks ago today as I write this) and my heart is still shattered. This author was able to perfectly describe most of my feelings in a way I haven't been able to articulate. In a way, its comforting to get validation and know that things I've been thinking/feeling are completely normal.
Not only that, but there were direct quotes that weirdly fit my situation in a way that left me shocked after reading. Here are a few:
"It feels like everything should be different, but it's not. Neighbors walk their dogs. Other kids walk home from school. Shelly passes people jogging who smile and wave hello. Something should be different, but it's not. The weather is overcast but not raining. People are living their lives."
"Okay feels like it's years and years away right now, so far away it might as well be the moon, might as well not exist, but the car keeps driving toward the house and Grandma keeps holding Shelly close. The world keeps moving."
"Any day now her mother's going to walk through the door and apologize for being gone for so long, the way she did when she had to pull long shifts at work. Shelly will tell her it's okay. That it doesn't matter if it took a long time, it's just nice to have her home. Only she doesn't come."
"Shelly doesn't think she's a child anymore. She's gotten older since her mom died. She can't stop growing up and getting further away from her mom."
"She wants to tell [him] he needs to stay around if he wants her to remember him. She wants to tell Grandma that memories aren't the same as a person. That they fade. One day she won't remember the sound of [his] voice... One day she won't remember her mother's face. Maybe ghosts aren't the same as living people, but they're better than nothing... She wants to keep everybody here, with her, instead of letting them leave."
"Death is something that happens to everyone, but knowing when it's going to happen, choosing when you make the transition from life to death, choosing whether or not you'll be a ghost and stick around a little longer, isn't something most people get the chance to do."
My dad passed away (2 weeks ago today as I write this) and my heart is still shattered. This author was able to perfectly describe most of my feelings in a way I haven't been able to articulate. In a way, its comforting to get validation and know that things I've been thinking/feeling are completely normal.
Not only that, but there were direct quotes that weirdly fit my situation in a way that left me shocked after reading. Here are a few:
"It feels like everything should be different, but it's not. Neighbors walk their dogs. Other kids walk home from school. Shelly passes people jogging who smile and wave hello. Something should be different, but it's not. The weather is overcast but not raining. People are living their lives."
"Okay feels like it's years and years away right now, so far away it might as well be the moon, might as well not exist, but the car keeps driving toward the house and Grandma keeps holding Shelly close. The world keeps moving."
"Any day now her mother's going to walk through the door and apologize for being gone for so long, the way she did when she had to pull long shifts at work. Shelly will tell her it's okay. That it doesn't matter if it took a long time, it's just nice to have her home. Only she doesn't come."
"Shelly doesn't think she's a child anymore. She's gotten older since her mom died. She can't stop growing up and getting further away from her mom."
"She wants to tell [him] he needs to stay around if he wants her to remember him. She wants to tell Grandma that memories aren't the same as a person. That they fade. One day she won't remember the sound of [his] voice... One day she won't remember her mother's face. Maybe ghosts aren't the same as living people, but they're better than nothing... She wants to keep everybody here, with her, instead of letting them leave."
"Death is something that happens to everyone, but knowing when it's going to happen, choosing when you make the transition from life to death, choosing whether or not you'll be a ghost and stick around a little longer, isn't something most people get the chance to do."