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Hannah’s Winter
written by Kierin Meehan
(Kane/ Miller, 2009; originally published by Penguin Group, Australia, 2001)

 
While her larger-than-life horticulturalist mother travels around Japan on … Continue reading ... →

I thought I’d counted very carefully, honest guv’nor, but somehow one extra ghost snuck in there – I’m not sure which one – and I’ve ended up with a ‘Reader’s 10′. (If you’re not sure what a Reader’s 10 is, you’ll need to look at Janet Wong’s Top 10: Multicultural Poetry Picks (2002-2012)). So here’s a list of my favorite ghost encounters – they cover a range of age-groups and genres. Some of the ghosts are friendly, some make you ponder, and some are just plain terrifying…

~ The Young Inferno by John Agard, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura – I’ve blogged about this modern take on Dante’s Inferno for a teen audience here and here.  It sends shivers down my spine every time I read it.

~ Takeshita Demons by Cristy Burne – Miku has just moved from Japan to the UK and it soon becomes clear that several yokai demons have followed her there.  When her little brother is kidnapped, her empty, snow-bound secondary school unexpectedly becomes a battle-ground… this will have you on the edge of your seat!

~ Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott – I read this earlier this year on a very choppy ferry crossing and was so riveted that I remained oblivious to the scene of sea-sick desolation around me – yes, I loved it.  Read my review here.

~ Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara – it was love at first sight here with both the illustrations and the sweet story of a witch and her cat who move into a new house that’s full of ghosts.  Imagine putting ghosts through the washer and hanging them up as curtains!

~ Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan – Hannah meets more than she bargained for when she goes to stay with Japanese family friends for the winter – and readers might just have to sleep with the light on after being carried along through the pages into the small wee hours!

~ Just In Case by Yuyi Morales – in this gorgeous sequel to the equally funny and delightful Just A Minute, the ghost of Zelmiro “helps” Señor Calavera to find twenty-two (Spanish Alphabet) presents for Grandma Beetle’s birthday – and tricks him into giving her what she wants most…

~ Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley – there are many ghosts in this tour de force combining spoken and written text, graphic narrative, and music that blends Australian Aboriginal song and movements from the Latin Requiem: both in the lost memories of the stolen generation, and at the end of a young man’s physical and psychological journeys to come to terms with his family’s past.

~ Home of the Brave by Allen Say – a man’s kayaking excursion suddenly brings him into a bewildering, dreamlike encounter with the ghosts of Japanese-American children incarcerated during the Second World War, and jolts him into insight of his own family history.

~ The Barefoot Book of Giants, Ghosts and Goblins retold by John Matthews, illustrated by Giovanni Manna – as might be expected from a Barefoot anthology, this is a beautifully presented and the nine stories from all over the world make great read-alouds. Most notable among the ghosts is the love-sick Cheyenne “Ghost with Two Faces”.

~ The Secret Keepers by Paul Yee – I have to admit, I had real difficulty deciding which one of Paul Yee’s ghost stories to choose for this list… They are all compelling books that are impossible to put down so I’ve gone for The Secret Keepers for purely personal reasons because I was there at the launch and heard Paul reciting the opening.

~ The Ghost Fox by Laurence Yep – a small boy has to use his wits to save his mother from the evil Ghost Fox intent on stealing her soul.  Vivid descriptions and attention to detail; plkenty of tension and some humor too.  Favorite quote: (Fox speaking to servant) “Fool, you don’t celebrate a great victory with turnips.”

And P.S. If you haven’t yet seen our fabulous 10th Anniversary Giveaway, announced yesterday, go here right now!

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan. Kane/Miller. 2009. Originally published in Australia. Review copy supplied by publisher. Middle Grade.

The Plot: Hannah, 12, is staying with friends of her mother in Kanazawa, Japan. It's supposed to be an opportunity for Hannah to polish her Japanese language skills. Instead, it turns into an adventure to help a ghost.

The Good: Japan and Hannah's Japanese family are never portrayed as the "exotic other."

Hannah's parents, and Hannah, had lived in Japan when Hannah was a toddler; Hannah continued studying Japanese back home in Australia. Her mother, a horticulturist and writer, is visiting Japan to write about gardens so believes this is the perfect opportunity for Hannah to improve her Japanese skills. Meehan studied and taught Japanese and lived in Japan; her love and respect for Japan, it's culture, history, and language shines through.

When Hannah is at a local festival, her reaction is open, enthusiastic: "wonderful smells wafted past." Not exotic, not different, not strange -- just, simply, wonderful. Meehan also avoids stereotypes in describing the physical appearance of the family Hannah will be staying with. Miki, the 13 year old girl, "had an oval face and a long nose and her grandmother's wicked black eyes." As for Aunt Yukiyo, "[t]he first thing that struck me [about Aunt Yukiyo] was that she looked like a movie star. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, pale skin, jet-black hair. People who look like Snow White and not like a garden gnome are so lucky." (Hannah thinks of herself as a garden gnome).

What else?

Meehan's description of people captures personality in a handful of words; here is Hannah, talking about her mother: "But if it's logical my mother won't do it. She's opposed to logic and common sense. If there were street marches protesting against logic, she'd be at the front of the crowd carrying the biggest banner."

Hannah and Miki find a mysterious verse in a box of old toys and soon after, a ghost starts to haunt the family. This is a great middle grade story; Hannah and Miki are 12 and 13, so at just the right age for younger kids who want to read up. The story is mysterious and also logical; and the girls (along with a neighborhood boy) have to take action, decode things, figure it out. There is some help from the grown ups; but there is just enough autonomy.

Having finished this, I really want to visit Japan and especially Kanazawa. Books are going to make me go broke; not from buying them, but from all the places I want to visit (and food I want to eat) after reading them. There are some delicious doughnuts described in this book. Yum.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy