I, in the Shadows

Gr 9 Up–Siblings Reece and Drew Tarpin can see ghosts and help them pass on to the afterlife before they can turn into husks that are dangerous to the living people around them. Reece is much better at this than Drew, but now Reece is states away at college, while Drew is facing her senior year in a different high school after moving to a new house with her dad and stepmom—a house that happens to be haunted the ghost of a teenage boy who died the year before. Liam can’t remember how he died and doesn’t know what he left unresolved that could be keeping him from passing on. But when Liam and Drew figure out that Drew is crushing on the same girl that Liam was in love with, they make a deal. Liam will help Drew get Hannah to notice her, and Drew will help Liam figure out what’s keeping him there. Liam and his friends illustrate the spectrum of grief after a tragedy, and Drew’s actions feel authentic for a teen faced with helping strangers process their deaths while still struggling to work through trauma of her own. On its surface, this is a ghost story, but through that lens, Bovalino (My Throat an Open Grave) powerfully explores the emotional impact of unexpected loss on those left behind. She does a great job using a ghost story to discuss real-life heavy topics honestly, without the emotions becoming overwhelming. The main characters cue as white.