Review by Kirkus Book Review
Ghostly Ana worries about her elderly sister Lucy's isolation and resolves to find her a companion. Lucy's life has grown progressively smaller as she's aged. She doesn't go out much anymore, and she has no one with whom to share life's little pleasures: "a slice of banana cake" or a "movie…before dinner." Her sister, Ana, a floating, translucent perpetual youngster, is concerned. Lucy needs a friend. Though no adult can see Ana (including Lucy), a child named Leah can, and Ana facilitates a get-together between elder and youth. With ghostly encouragement, Lucy and Leah bond over card games and cake. As they reminisce over elegantly etched photos of Ana and Lucy's 1940s childhood, Ana knows they'll make a perfect pair. Their story is sweetly extended with endpapers that become a new photo album showcasing Lucy's expanding social circle. This tale might have been somber--one of the characters is a dead child, and Molineaux relies on a dark, tawny palette--but Ana's determination to help her sister feels so authentic that light and optimism shine through. Told in graphic novel--style panels, the sequences are extremely easy to follow, and the agreeable third-person narrative flows well alongside the speech bubbles. Vintage-style sepia drawings made from scratchy charcoal lines and digital coloring feel appropriately timeless. A handwritten typeset adds a personal touch but might hinder younger readers. Most human characters have brown skin; Leah reads Black. A tender tale of community, connection, and family.(Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
