I Am the Ghost in Your House

Gr 9 Up–Pie and her mother are invisible and go through the world unseen. They travel the country by train, secretly spend nights in stranger’s homes, and steal to survive. When Pie’s mom lets her choose where to travel next for her 17th birthday, she asks to return to Pittsburgh, desperate for a connection with a girl named Tess, whose house they stayed in last time they were in the city. But when her mom goes from being invisible to completely disappearing and Pie’s existence is revealed to Tess’s friend Denise, Pie starts to push back against the rules that have defined her life. This book explores themes of friendship, love, and what it means to be truly seen. Alternating between the present and memories from Pie’s past, Romasco-Moore crafts a unique story that develops nuance as it unfolds. The rules surrounding Pie’s invisibility feel clunky and overemphasized at times, but the intriguing premise and Pie’s emotional growth throughout the narrative will keep readers engaged. The majority of characters are queer. Pie has “taupe, tan, olive” skin, Denise is Black, and Tess is cued white.