Browsing through the new library that recently opened in my hometown, I came across this middle grade title. The cover struck me, as I hadn’t yet come across a ghost story featuring a girl of color, so I was curious about the premise.
Summary
Celeste is afraid to swim, so she is naturally apprehensive to visit her grandparents’ lake house when they invite her and her cousins over for the summer. While there, she is surprised to learn how past prejudice against integrated pools is still an issue in the town. She soon learns that this truth affected her relatives and resulted in the drowning of her grandmother’s sister. Then, Celeste and her cousins begin to see the spirit of their great-aunt (who happens to be the spitting image of Celeste). To them, she is dangerous, but things are not as they seem…
Likes
- Genre. A ghost story. What more can I say?
- Cultural diversity. Normally, I feel like recent publications can get caught up in being “preachy” about how diversity is important in literature, but this story did not go anywhere near that. The author conveyed the reality of the history along with how it affected the present-day characters in a very informative way without sounding political.
- Tie into recent history. Many times, we get historical fiction stories of segregation set in time periods like the Civil War or WWII—which are very well-portrayed—but this one referred to a history that was more recent, which I found refreshing.
- Appropriate for audience. Racism can be a heavy topic to portray in writing, especially for younger audiences, but the author conveyed this story in an effective way that did not make the theme seem too mature for MG readers.
Dislikes
- It doesn’t have a sequel! (…Or does it?)
Application
This book inspired me to research more about recent historical eras and create more culturally diverse characters in future stories.
Conclusion
I was surprised at how much I liked this story, since I just happened to check it out on a whim. I hope to find more stories like this one!
