Aggie and the Ghost

Poor Aggie was really looking forward to living all on her own, but that proves to be impossible when she discovers that her new house is haunted by a rather persistent, rule-breaking ghost. Not only does the ghost refuse to leave Aggie alone, but he also will not abide by any of her requests, defiantly choosing to haunt after dark, steal Aggie’s socks, and eat all the cheese. Even an epic game of tic-tac-toe and a pronouncement by the Man-Faced Owl can’t solve their living situation until one day the ghost is just . . . gone. And Aggie is thrilled with her new solitude, but after a few days, she realizes she might be missing something. She wanders out into the rain to let the ghost know she has one more rule—“Don’t ever visit me from time to time”—a condition the ghost does break so the two have some time together. The book makes clear, however, that these truly are only occasional visits—“though it would be nice to say they became the best of friends, they did not.” That bit of bite tempers what could have been a treacly ending, and the book as a whole successfully leans more toward weird than pedantic, eschewing a familiar friendship storyline for one that plenty of introverted youngsters will find resonant. There’s lots of potential here for beginning readers, with stealthy repetition, short but guiding sentences, and a steady, compelling pace, all elevated by snarky humor. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, share a color palette and style with Jon Klassen’s The Skull (BCCB 7/23), and the blurred, fluid textures have an almost glow-like effect that is at times eerie and other times comforting, matching the dual tones of the text. This would serve as an excellent bridge between Drago’s sweet supernatural picture books (Gustavo the Ghost, BCCB 9/20, Vlad the Fabulous Vampire, BCCB 9/23) and Klassen’s aforementioned early reader.  KQG -- BCCB * June 2025 *
A headstrong young girl finds herself in a haunted house standoff.

Aggie’s excitement about living independently quickly dissolves when she discovers that her lovely new cottage in the rainy woods comes with an unwelcome, shape-shifting, ghostly roommate. Determined to make it work, the light-skinned, short-haired Aggie establishes house rules for the ghost—“no haunting after dark,” “no stealing my socks,” “no more eating all the cheese”—but her spectral companion proves resistant to regulation. The conflict escalates to a high-stakes tic-tac-toe match, where the winner gets the house. Forsythe’s signature watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations masterfully supply both emotional depth and charm to the characters and setting. In a particularly mesmerizing double-page spread, a supernatural vortex of swirling, eye-studded ghostly forms draw the gaze toward an opening where a small, determined Aggie and her equally resolute opponent face off. Glowing pinks juxtaposed with deep indigos heighten the dramatic atmosphere. The delightfully wry ghost’s ever-changing form and expression create a humorous visual journey that will have readers hurrying to discover each new, surprising incarnation. Though the narrative occasionally feels assembled to showcase striking artwork over story flow—a minor issue that likely won’t trouble Forsythe fans—the refreshingly imperfect resolution offers young readers a nuanced ending rarely found in picture books.

A witty year-round ghost tale that delivers a wonderfully unconventional conclusion. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Kirkus * June 15, 2025 *
Pale-skinned, short-haired Aggie, who looks something like a woodland sprite in signature watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil art from Forsythe (Mina), is thrilled to move into her own forest home. But the new digs come with an unexpected resident: a one-eyed ghost who isn’t scary—just supremely present. The ghost follows Aggie everywhere, pilfering her socks, devouring her cheese, and breaking with impunity every boundary the child sets. When Aggie seeks relief and solitude in a forest rainstorm, the ghost shows up there, too— wearing her scarf (“I needed to get out of the house,” it explains). Exasperated, Aggie challenges the ghost to a furious, winner-takes-all game of tic-tac-toe, only to discover that they’ve each met their match. When the ghost unexpectedly vanishes instead of continuing its bad-roomie antics, Aggie realizes, to her surprise, that she misses its presence—just a little. How Aggie navigates their relationship is one of the many astute moments of comedy in a book that captures the dance of unlikely bonds and a way to move from a place of acceptance. Ages 4–8. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Aug.) -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW * 5/12/2025 *