Graphic novel for middle grade kids. School bullies, a spoiled brother and a mother who doesn't even try to understand her. Plus creepy clowns.

The premise of this book drew me in immediately. I love the idea of ghosts becoming mentors or protectors of little kids trying to figure out their way around the world. I thought that the art style was cute and just off-putting enough to compliment the less savory scenes in the book.

Unfortunately, my praises for the story itself aren't as strong. This poor child is abused at school to the point that surely an adult should've intervened at some point. She goes home and is emotionally abused by her mother who is honestly a terrible parent. The favoritism shown to the younger brother actually really triggered my elder-sibling-trauma lol.

That would all be okay if the story built up to something that gave the reader hope that Gracie would end up okay in the end. The ghost being a passive character by design felt like a waste of a supernatural element. I know the intention of her dying because she didn't take action in her own life to then becoming the catalyst for Gracie taking action is a good narrative throughline, but the change was so subtle that I don't feel the pat on the back at the end was necessary. Yes, I'm proud of Gracie and proud of the ghost for finally standing up for themselves, but Gracie was severely bullied and ridiculed and abused by almost everyone in her life and one small heartwarming moment wasn't enough to make enduring all of that worth it.

Basically, I think that while the bones of this story are good and I appreciate the honesty and realism with which it was told, I think the narrative could've been improved to make it less depressing--especially if the target audience is intended to be youth who could be going through similar things.

I appreciate the chance to read and give my honest review of this book and will keep my eye out for anything the author writes in the future.

I can say I really enjoyed the art style in this graphic novel. I did find myself confused as to whom this work was directed toward at some points I thought it was a YA or younger audience, but then the references to pop culture from the 80's and 90's would be lost on on a younger crowd so it lost me there.

I wanted to love this book but at the end of the day it was just okay for me.

This graphic novel follows Gracie, who has a LOT going on in her life. This was much darker than I anticipated, which I didn’t mind, but I’m not entirely sure what audience this would be for. The art style is interesting and fitting with the story and I loved the concept of a ghost following her around, almost as a conscience. I appreciate the themes of bullying and being constantly overlooked, however I didn’t find the ending to be as satisfying as other novels I have read.

It has simple, relatable characters especially in terms of bullies and victims of bullying. I appreciated the themes used within the story and the karma moment at the end. The illustrations were simple yet perfectly executed.

Unrelentingly negative. TW for emotional abuse of a child, violent bullying, and harassment. How is this being marketed to children?!

3/3✨ First of all, thanks to Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this book. This book wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be a heartwarming story about a little girl and her ghost friend but it was actually very sad and dark. The little girl is mistreated by everyone except the ghost and I don’t know what the target audience is, I think it’s maybe too sad for children 🤔 it was okay.

I requested this title thinking that it would be a heartwarming story like it is advertised as. I knew there would be sad and emotional parts but man, this one hurt my heart. Gracie has a hard time at school, as was expected, but her mother is also so mean to her. I'm glad Gracie had her ghost because the poor girl could not catch a break. The ending was the most heartwarming part for me because even after they had parted her ghost still had her back.

It was a quick and easy read but I just wished Gracie had it a little easier. There was also a comment saying how Gracie wished she was a ghost too that got glossed over which I didn't love.

4/5 ⭐️

Read by my 10 year old and in their words…

This book was really hard to put down because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. Gracie’s relationship with the ghost was one of the only positive relationships she had (besides her father) which made for a unique story, unlike others I’ve read before! I loved how the book was told from the ghost’s point of view and as a flashback. It was a really neat concept and it left me feeling happy in the end. There were a few funny parts too.

This was a very bizarre book and not at all what I expected from the title. Readers will not be engaged with the writing and will find the experience quite underwhelming.

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My oldest son has recently gotten into graphic novels, so I thought this would be a great book for us to read together. Visually, the art is charming and has a nostalgic feel reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes. The story follows Gracie and her "guardian" ghost as she navigates her everyday life.

However, Gracie's life is undeniably tough. She faces bullying at school, her mother clearly favors her brother, and while her father tries to be there for her, he still falls short. The book seems to aim for a message of hope—that things will eventually get better—but this only really happens in the final chapter, and it feels abrupt. As an adult, I could piece together the underlying message, but for my 9-year-old, the connection wasn’t as clear. A more gradual buildup or small moments of positivity throughout the story might have made the resolution more impactful.

That said, we both enjoyed the artwork and the overall story. I just feel that if this book is meant to inspire kids who are struggling, there should be more than just one chapter where things improve. A stronger, more consistent sense of hope throughout the book would have made a big difference.

I liked this one! It definitely reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes in terms of tone and also a bit in the art style. The structure is a series of related vignettes - I do wish there was a little more of a throughline, but I really did like the overall theme that things are going to get better, even if they're hard right now. That's something that all tweens need to hear for sure.

I am always on the hunt for new ghost graphic novels for my lower readers who love to be scared. In Gracie's Ghost, it's the humans who are the real villains. We are in the middle of a "bad moms" renaissance in children's literature, and Gracie's mom fits right in. Watching Gracie beat down again and again as her mom removes everything she loves and invalidates all of her feelings is incredibly frustrating and sad. These actions do not have consequences. I think we are supposed to feel glad that at least Gracie has her ghost to keep her company, but the one act of revenge the ghost is able to enact doesn't counter the abuses Gracie suffers in any kind of satisfying way.

This book isn't scary enough to appeal to my scary books kids, funny enough to appeal to my funny books kids, and it is too scary and funny to appeal to my sad books kids.

Things are not going so well for Gracie; her mother never treats her fairly, she's constantly bullied at school, her teachers are dismissive, and her only ally is a ghost who's a little wrapped up in its own story.

I'd like to rate this lower because it made me feel absolutely awful as I was reading it. But at the same time, I know people who have experienced just this sort of thing, and the reminder that it does get better might be just the thing they need to read right now. The art style is suitably messy, and the dialogue feels authentic. There are glimmers of hope when Dad tries to understand and Gracie gets a few good memories to hold onto. It's not enough to make up for how bereft of goodness everyone else in the story is, but it reminds us that there are good people in the world, if you can find them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story takes place in a time when boys were valued much more than girls. The main character struggles with the unfairness of having to work hard for everything while her younger brother has opportunities handed to him. This dynamic also reflects how younger siblings are often spoiled, while the eldest carries most of the responsibilities.

She’s constantly told what girls should do, including being forced to collect creepy clown dolls that give her nightmares simply because “girls collect dolls.” Her struggles extend beyond home to school, where she faces even more challenges. Her only real friend is a ghost she talks with, trying to help her navigate life.

This story beautifully captures the frustration of gender roles and family expectations, making for a compelling and emotional read.

I wasn't particularly fond of this book. I'm not exactly sure who this was written for. It's about a girl named Gracie who has a ghost friend to help her out. Unfortunately, Gracie doesn't receive much help from anybody and spends the entire book being bullied at school and then bullied by her mom who caters to her little brother and is the very definition of "boy mom." Just about everything Gracie likes is "not for girls" and usually given to her brother. At one point Gracie says she is done and wants to be a ghost. Things just don't get better for this kid. I hated it.

I liked the artwork. It was simple and fit in well with the overall vibe of the comic.

This was difficult to read and I really didn't enjoy. Im also not sure who I would recommend this too.

A curious book. I'm not entirely sure what the audience for this book is - it looks like it might be for children, but then it's just very heartwrenching and flat out horrible at times. The blurb says it's "a heartwarming tale" and that's not the book I read. It's the story of a poor child getting bullied at school and mentally abused by her mother, and every time something positive happens you can be sure something terrible will follow it next. Her dad is nice to her, but he does almost nothing to mitigate the mother's behaviour, which makes him more or less just as bad, in my eyes. Oh and there's a little ghost lady who tries to advise the girl and help her, but she's not very effective either.

The art style is strong, kind of a love it or hate it style, and I'm afraid I didn't like it very much.

This poor main character!!! She is run over and bullied by all the adults and kids in her life. She is clearly being gaslit by her mother at every turn. I wanted to scream at the adults and kids alike in this book. The poor thing doesn't stand a chance and there is really no character development by the end. She is still just a sad people pleasing little girl getting knocked down at every chance. I believe the representation of her experience is very important and unfortunately realistic, however I would have like to see the ghost help her a bit more. Also this book is great for a middle grade age minus the mention of "sex partners" and use of the slang "tits". Unfortunately, with my experience as a children's librarian I know these inclusions would be a problem with some parents for this age group, as everything else is handled in an age appropriate way.

"Gracie's Ghost" by Dawn Brown was a decent read. The short chapters made it a quick and easy read, and the story itself was engaging, though it didn’t fully hook me. I personally would have preferred a less depressing story with a more traditional happy ending. However, I can see how the ending might feel satisfying from a child's perspective. Overall, I’d give it 3 stars.

A book that is slightly too unfriendly to the reader, so I shall be the pleasant one and save you getting to about page 40 and finding it is set in the early 1980s. It features a girl and a ghost who – almost the same length of way in – we find was a woman. What we're not told by then either is what has paired the two together – why is this girl the only one who can see and converse with the ghost? We get a sense of why the ghost is with the girl, but not the other way round. Nor do we really get told why the mother is a complete bitch, either – even if her sexism is perhaps an indicator of the first issue I brought up.

Either way, this is a few issues of comics, split up into stories of just a few pages each, showing a lot of girl issues – the younger brother that is automatically gifted everything the heroine earns, bullying, the clown doll collection she's forced to gather and the ineffectiveness of the ghost in protecting her from it… She lives in an awkward cardboard fort, too, which is the most obvious sign that she really is her own girl, living apart from all the peers that dislike her and that she dislikes in turn.

Ultimately the book is about just that – the isolation a girl feels as a tweenager, and the many reasons that combine to cause it. But while this could have been a great way to show it and to perhaps talk about it in clever, different ways, it is mostly a collection of episodes where the creator is clearly working through her own back story, with a too-abrupt ending tagged on. The girl doesn't have enough charm and sympathy for us to really rate her, the ghost isn't clever enough and lacks agency, and the whole just doesn't feel as rounded and successful as it might have been. At its better moments the ghost and child couple are well worth spending time with, but not amounting to a hill of beans is the phrase that comes to mind – ultimately, neither the ghost nor the book does.