Escabasse, Sophie. Taxi Ghost. RH Graphic, 2024. 978-0-593-56598-8. 211 p. $21.99. Grades 5-8.
Adèle is already juggling the challenges of acne, awkwardness, and her first period. As if adolescence weren’t complicated enough, she now faces an unexpected twist—she can see ghosts! Apparently, many of her family members are mediums, although not all of Adèle’s family are bestowed with this gift, like Adèle’s older sister. And not all of her family members see this gift as a blessing. Her grandmother uses several strategies to ward off ghostly visitors: she paints the house electric blue (a color believed to repel spirits), keeps a cat as a protective companion, and sprinkles salt in the corners of rooms and in entryways to block supernatural intrusions. Gran would rather spend her time protesting the gentrification of their neighborhood than talking with ghosts. Adèle, however, is intrigued by one ghost visitor in particular. His name is Jules, and he cannot rest peacefully because he has unfinished business: he needs Adèle to persuade his grandson not to sell the family home to suspicious developers. He’s part of a group of ghosts determined to resist gentrification, the same cause Gran is fighting for. With Jules and the support of a computer hacker ghost who haunts the local library, Adèle discovers how to harness her newfound abilities to make a difference in her community.
THOUGHTS: Escabasse’s novel features artwork with pops of bright color mixed with pastel hues to differentiate between the spirit and human worlds. At times it seems there is too much jam-packed into this plot, and students might find themselves confused by the Canadian-French words used in the book (for example, dépanneur for convenience store). But overall, it is a great purchase for middle grade libraries, especially for readers who enjoyed Escabasse’s Witches of Brooklyn series.
Graphic Novel
Fantasy (Magical Realism)
