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evaosterlee's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
starlit_horizon's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
ashleyaewert's review
3.0
Found this one to be really surprising. Though there wasn’t a lot of action in the overall story, love, loss and moving on we’re strong themes. I was hoping for Shellys mom to come back as a ghost. I think that would have made the book more interesting.
kennabrooke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
booksanddachshunds's review
emotional
fast-paced
3.5
I loved the idea of catching ghosts into their hair; a new but lovely concept.
I can see this book being one to learn about grief, as we go through Shelly’s journey through grief and letting her own ghosts go- literally as figuratively- the ending made me tear up.
I can see this book being one to learn about grief, as we go through Shelly’s journey through grief and letting her own ghosts go- literally as figuratively- the ending made me tear up.
jeanettesonya's review
5.0
Tears. Sometimes, I'm never sure with books about loss for kids whether they're actually as deeply sad as I feel like they are or if it's my adult lens that affects my view. I found the ending to be incredibly deeply sad, maybe because it's the only part in which I actually saw the character's grief.
Beautiful beautiful book.
Beautiful beautiful book.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
I love the imagery of this book. Shelley and her grandmother use their hair to catch ghosts and release them so they can go on to the next world. Sometimes ghosts get stuck. Birds die flying into buildings, and then haunt the buildings. Rats die, and aren't sure where to go, and cause a fuss. Most ghosts that Shelley and her grandmother find are animals and just want to go home.
They do not take very ghost they see, such as the ones in the cemetery. Shelley's mother objects but lets them do it, as long as it doesn't interfere with school work.
The kids think it is all made up. But I like what Shelley says to them:
Based on Cree legends about catching ghosts, and the author's great grandmother, who, like Shelley's grandmother, helped the police find missing people who they thought were dead.
A good, but sad book about ghosts, and life and death.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
They do not take very ghost they see, such as the ones in the cemetery. Shelley's mother objects but lets them do it, as long as it doesn't interfere with school work.
The kids think it is all made up. But I like what Shelley says to them:
"It's not made up just because you don't know about it and nobody wrote about it in a book. You don't know everything."
Based on Cree legends about catching ghosts, and the author's great grandmother, who, like Shelley's grandmother, helped the police find missing people who they thought were dead.
A good, but sad book about ghosts, and life and death.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
thedizzyreader's review
5.0
Shelly loves ghosts. She loves learning from her Cree Grandmother how to catch ghosts in their hair and help spirits move on. She's never been too concerned with where the spirits move on to - until Shelly's mother suddenly dies, and Shelly's relationship with the dead drastically changes.
This is NOT your typical middle grade ghost story! There's one scary moment with an angry ghost in a hotel elevator, but otherwise the story is a moving exploration of grief, loss and love. Plus it's an #ownvoices novel written by a librarian - does it get any better?!
This is NOT your typical middle grade ghost story! There's one scary moment with an angry ghost in a hotel elevator, but otherwise the story is a moving exploration of grief, loss and love. Plus it's an #ownvoices novel written by a librarian - does it get any better?!
phyrre's review against another edition
5.0
You can read my full review on my blog, The Writerly Way, here.
Many thanks to Annick Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I don’t read as many works inspired by American Indian or First Nations cultures as I’d like, so when I saw this, I jumped on it immediately. Mid-grade has been so hit or miss for me lately, because I’ve found a lot of it just ends up being too young for me. What?! I hear you say. You, who’s nearly 30, are now too old for mid-grade?! I know. Color me shocked, too. Who would’ve guessed? With this book, though, I was pleasantly surprised, because it did have the sort of depth I look for in books.
The Ghost Collector is the heartbreaking tale of a daughter waiting for her mother’s spirit to come back, and also the lively, funny story of all the other spirits she meets along the way.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I loved the idea of it, and I was surprised just how much I ended up enjoying it. I’ve been looking for some books for my own mid-grade reader, and this one ticked all the boxes for me. I would definitely recommend it for any mid-grade readers who are dealing with grief and loss themselves.
My Thoughts:
- I appreciated how this book normalizes Cree culture, rather than presenting it as “exotic” or “other.” I don’t often think authors intend to do this, but I do notice that it happens a lot. Shelly is proud of her Cree heritage, but it isn’t the defining feature about her. She’s not reduced to being “this Cree character.” Nor is she held as a sort of comparison for all these other non-Cree characters. This is certainly no dissertation about Cree culture, but there are little aspects of the culture that were slipped in that I thought would serve as a great place to start the conversation with mid-grade readers on other cultures, particularly First Nations.
- Hidden in the arguments between Shelly’s mother and grandmother over whether she should be involved in ghosts seems to be this really poignant implication about culture being passed down through the generations. Shelly’s mother grew up with ghosts, and for whatever reason, as an adult, she turned her back on that lifestyle. But Shelly’s grandmother wants to teach Shelly about the ghosts—something that’s been directly passed down through their Cree lineage and is a unique talent most people don’t have. It’s not in-your-face obvious, but I thought it was really interesting how it spoke to this generational culture divide that often happens with any sort of minority (and any sort of immigrant, even) where it’s a hard choice between assimilating to the society they live in and wanting to retain part of their culture. This is such an important topic faced by so many people in today’s world, and yet often never discussed, and while the author doesn’t go in depth on the subject, she does a great job of making it matter in even little everyday things.
- That moment when someone has to explain to the protagonist what a tape deck is, and her mother is talking about recording songs off the radio when she was young, and wow, you’ve just realized how old you are. The protagonist of this story, I am not. Not anymore! Which actually makes this almost more interesting to me, because it’s really easy to see my own daughter as the protagonist, and it makes the events of this story all the more impactful from an entirely different (and maybe slightly unexpected) angle. It was super easy for me to straddle both sides of this: from a mother, terrified of leaving her daughter behind, and as a daughter, who would have been devastated if her mother had died at that age.
- While there are certainly a lot of heavy moments in this book, it isn’t all dark, and there were so many fun personalities to enjoy. Because what’s a book without its characters? Shelley’s grandmother was definitely a highlight for me, because she was proud and stubborn but also funny and doing her best. But a lot of the characters in this book are ghosts, and I loved them just as much.
- The ghosts themselves were for sure a highlight for me in this book, because they all had such personality! Shelly meets a lot of ghosts in her travels. As you do. Some are ready to move on, and some not so much. There was just such a variety with them, and I loved meeting a whole range of ghosts and seeing their circumstances. The best part: as per the Cree worldview, humans aren’t the only creatures that become ghosts, which means plenty of encounters with formerly fuzzy critter spirits, too.
- This book hurt my feels in all the right ways, because while it is about death and grief, it’s also about life and acceptance. Though it deals with death, it doesn’t wax philosophical about grief and losing someone. Instead, the power is in the subtle ways it portrays the grieving process. It’s in the quiet moments after death, absorbing it, dying inside while you try to carry on. It’s in the way you’re forced to return to everyday life like nothing’s changed, even though everything has. It’s the image of a little girl sitting on her mother’s bed, waiting, because she’s so dang certain that her mother’s ghost will come for her. Just oof. The way this book tackles grief is so accessible, especially for mid-grade readers, in my opinion, because it doesn’t just wallow in it, but shows the little ways grief can sneak up on a person.
- While I wouldn’t say this is a typical coming of age story, necessarily, Shelly does manage to find herself, and I really enjoyed the growth. Shelly’s just trying to figure out what the heck it means to be Shelly without losing herself to grief. I’m always up for a good character arc, and I really enjoyed this one—partly because it was so stinking relatable, even at my age, and partly because of the journey Shelly takes. It’s not quite a normal means of finding one’s self. Probably because ghosts are involved. But as an adult, it’s easy to start to see the not-so-great choices, the semi-spiraling emotions, and knowing that, eventually, things are going to have to give.
Sticking Points:
- I would’ve personally liked to see more of the ghosts, since some of their arcs felt a bit incomplete. I’m the sort that likes things to feel done when it ends, but there were still questions I had about some of the ghosts and what became of them, etc. There was also a part at the end that I didn’t quiet understand why something happened, either. It’s such a little nitpicky thing, but by the time I finished the book, I still just kept wondering, like, “What ever happened to so-and-so?”
Many thanks to Annick Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I don’t read as many works inspired by American Indian or First Nations cultures as I’d like, so when I saw this, I jumped on it immediately. Mid-grade has been so hit or miss for me lately, because I’ve found a lot of it just ends up being too young for me. What?! I hear you say. You, who’s nearly 30, are now too old for mid-grade?! I know. Color me shocked, too. Who would’ve guessed? With this book, though, I was pleasantly surprised, because it did have the sort of depth I look for in books.
The Ghost Collector is the heartbreaking tale of a daughter waiting for her mother’s spirit to come back, and also the lively, funny story of all the other spirits she meets along the way.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but I loved the idea of it, and I was surprised just how much I ended up enjoying it. I’ve been looking for some books for my own mid-grade reader, and this one ticked all the boxes for me. I would definitely recommend it for any mid-grade readers who are dealing with grief and loss themselves.
My Thoughts:
- I appreciated how this book normalizes Cree culture, rather than presenting it as “exotic” or “other.” I don’t often think authors intend to do this, but I do notice that it happens a lot. Shelly is proud of her Cree heritage, but it isn’t the defining feature about her. She’s not reduced to being “this Cree character.” Nor is she held as a sort of comparison for all these other non-Cree characters. This is certainly no dissertation about Cree culture, but there are little aspects of the culture that were slipped in that I thought would serve as a great place to start the conversation with mid-grade readers on other cultures, particularly First Nations.
- Hidden in the arguments between Shelly’s mother and grandmother over whether she should be involved in ghosts seems to be this really poignant implication about culture being passed down through the generations. Shelly’s mother grew up with ghosts, and for whatever reason, as an adult, she turned her back on that lifestyle. But Shelly’s grandmother wants to teach Shelly about the ghosts—something that’s been directly passed down through their Cree lineage and is a unique talent most people don’t have. It’s not in-your-face obvious, but I thought it was really interesting how it spoke to this generational culture divide that often happens with any sort of minority (and any sort of immigrant, even) where it’s a hard choice between assimilating to the society they live in and wanting to retain part of their culture. This is such an important topic faced by so many people in today’s world, and yet often never discussed, and while the author doesn’t go in depth on the subject, she does a great job of making it matter in even little everyday things.
- That moment when someone has to explain to the protagonist what a tape deck is, and her mother is talking about recording songs off the radio when she was young, and wow, you’ve just realized how old you are. The protagonist of this story, I am not. Not anymore! Which actually makes this almost more interesting to me, because it’s really easy to see my own daughter as the protagonist, and it makes the events of this story all the more impactful from an entirely different (and maybe slightly unexpected) angle. It was super easy for me to straddle both sides of this: from a mother, terrified of leaving her daughter behind, and as a daughter, who would have been devastated if her mother had died at that age.
- While there are certainly a lot of heavy moments in this book, it isn’t all dark, and there were so many fun personalities to enjoy. Because what’s a book without its characters? Shelley’s grandmother was definitely a highlight for me, because she was proud and stubborn but also funny and doing her best. But a lot of the characters in this book are ghosts, and I loved them just as much.
- The ghosts themselves were for sure a highlight for me in this book, because they all had such personality! Shelly meets a lot of ghosts in her travels. As you do. Some are ready to move on, and some not so much. There was just such a variety with them, and I loved meeting a whole range of ghosts and seeing their circumstances. The best part: as per the Cree worldview, humans aren’t the only creatures that become ghosts, which means plenty of encounters with formerly fuzzy critter spirits, too.
- This book hurt my feels in all the right ways, because while it is about death and grief, it’s also about life and acceptance. Though it deals with death, it doesn’t wax philosophical about grief and losing someone. Instead, the power is in the subtle ways it portrays the grieving process. It’s in the quiet moments after death, absorbing it, dying inside while you try to carry on. It’s in the way you’re forced to return to everyday life like nothing’s changed, even though everything has. It’s the image of a little girl sitting on her mother’s bed, waiting, because she’s so dang certain that her mother’s ghost will come for her. Just oof. The way this book tackles grief is so accessible, especially for mid-grade readers, in my opinion, because it doesn’t just wallow in it, but shows the little ways grief can sneak up on a person.
- While I wouldn’t say this is a typical coming of age story, necessarily, Shelly does manage to find herself, and I really enjoyed the growth. Shelly’s just trying to figure out what the heck it means to be Shelly without losing herself to grief. I’m always up for a good character arc, and I really enjoyed this one—partly because it was so stinking relatable, even at my age, and partly because of the journey Shelly takes. It’s not quite a normal means of finding one’s self. Probably because ghosts are involved. But as an adult, it’s easy to start to see the not-so-great choices, the semi-spiraling emotions, and knowing that, eventually, things are going to have to give.
Sticking Points:
- I would’ve personally liked to see more of the ghosts, since some of their arcs felt a bit incomplete. I’m the sort that likes things to feel done when it ends, but there were still questions I had about some of the ghosts and what became of them, etc. There was also a part at the end that I didn’t quiet understand why something happened, either. It’s such a little nitpicky thing, but by the time I finished the book, I still just kept wondering, like, “What ever happened to so-and-so?”