Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Yesterday I knitted with my friend/knitting mentor, made pear jam, and did mountains of laundry; I also finished Remy Lai’s Ghost Book, which is why I’m posting today instead of yesterday. (I finished it perilously close to midnight.) I actually had a different Remy Lai book checked out for a while, but when I saw that Ghost Book a)was a straight graphic novel instead of a hybrid and b)I’d likely get it around the beginning of October, I put it on hold and returned the other one. And since a)I’ve been making a concerted effort to address the graphic novel situation in my library stash and b)it’d be a shame not to read a book about ghosts the month of Halloween, well…here you have it.

To be honest with you, the beginning kind of scared me; I have multiple children who struggle with anxiety and are often deeply affected by others’ emotional struggles, and after the first few pages, I was afraid it might be more stressful than enjoyable for them. It didn’t take long, however, before I was completely captivated by both July and William, as well as by their adventure/quest. I feel like most ghost stories for middle graders tend to be culturally European, but Remy Lai was born in Indonesia and grew up in Singapore; Ghost Book is distinctly Asian in its view of the dead, and it made for a refreshing contrast. The course of the plot felt fabulously original, and I loved the conclusion–I’m hoping my children do as well. (I actually think there’s a lovely opening for a sequel, although I don’t know if Lai is planning on it. One can hope?) If you’re looking for a different kind of ghost story–one with hungry ghosts, a wandering soul, and lots and lots of dumplings–look no further this year!

In the meantime, my oldest nephew is in town for training and joined us for Sunday dinner; we’re hoping he can come today as well, although he’ll likely have homework to do afterwards. That means that once this review posts, I get to throw ribs in the crockpot. AND, based on the overnight lows later this week, we may have to pull out the garden this afternoon, so–wish me luck!