Cat and Maya's parents take them to northern California, supposed to be better for Maya's health. The little girl suffers from cystic fibrosis.
In Bahia de la Luna, their new home, they are going to discover a whole new world made of spirits and ghosts, not embarrassed by the presence of kind human beings. Carlos, the girls' next door neighbour, will then open a passage and help them meet ghosts: Cat is terrified while Maya just needs to know her sister will not forget her when she dies.
The book is deeply moving, yet quite funny as well, with the classic coming-of-age stages Cat will encounter.
My ESL students loved it and worked on their summaries for several classes! Most of them had never read a book in English.
Here are book reviews written by some of my students (they are 14 and most of them had never read a book in English before):
It's the story of a family with two sisters, Maya and Cat who are moving to Bahía de la Luna because Maya is sick. The family move into their new house and they go and see their new neighbours and have a meal there. One day Maya, Cat and a boy walk around and they see ghosts in an abandoned house. Maya arrives at her new school and meets three girls she becomes friends with. It is almost Halloween and they go to a market to buy some props. Cat and her friends make costumes and face masks for Halloween. They celebrate Halloween together.
I like the book "Ghosts" because the story touched me a lot, Maya and Cat have a very good relationship and a great bond. Throughout the story, they share adventures thanks to Carlos and meet new people. This story also shows us the difficulties of having cystic fibrosis.
It's a book suitable for kids and adults alike, the story is easy to understand and it's a comics. We are quickly absorbed by the story and we cannot help but read the rest. It's also a book with a lot of action so we don't get bored reading it. That's why I recommend this book.
Inès T.
In this book, the main character is Catrina called "Cat". The story begins when Cat and her family move to Bahia de la Luna in California. Cat and her sister, Maya, go to the beach and visit their new town. They meet Carlos in the arcade. Carlos explains that there are ghosts in the town. With the ghosts, Maya has an asthma fit because she has cystic fibrosis and goes to the hospital. At her school, Cat meets a new friend: Seo Young. Later in the book, Cat and her friends go out for Halloween. At the party, She sees a lot of ghosts, beautiful ofrendas and she hears music. She goes home with Carlos' s uncle. At the end, the girls discover an enormous dinner in the dining room.
I love this book because I love the story! I love the place, the Mexican culture. I like how in the book we speak about loss and death. In this book, the drawings are very simple but it's impossible not to love them. The book is a very good way to learn English, It's a very funny way too. I rate this book 5/5 stars because it is an original and amazing story.
I recommend the book for everybody, for all ages even though when wee see the cover we can think that it is a story for kids. I recommend it too because the drawings are beautiful and it's a super story. So you must read this book!!! Happy reading !
Maël A.