#27--Lola: A Ghost Story

Bibliographic Information

Lola: A Ghost Story by J. Torres & Elbert Or. Oni Press. (2009).

Pages: 102 for hardcover

Prices: $14.95 for hardcover

Plot Summary

While Jesse’s parents love visiting the Philippines Jesse can’t stand it. Jesse’s parents may have grown up with spooky tales of the supernatural but Jesse did not. These tales, favorites among his Pilipino relatives, are made even creepier as the creatures from them start to come to life. But while Jesse can see the various ghosts and monsters no one else can. Supposedly, his grandmother Lola could see them, a point of pride to the family, but Jesse cannot ask her about it as she is dead. Scared of being labeled weird Jesse keeps his secret from his family only to be found out by his cousin Maritess. She insists that his ability is a gift he should embrace and use to save others but will Jesse believe her?

Critical Evaluation

Awash in sepia tones, Lola: A Ghost Story uses cartoon-like characters to tell a deliciously spooky story. Divided into three acts, readers not only follow Jesse’s journey to self-discovery but catch glimpses of remarkable Lola’s life. While the book may seem fluffy on the surface authors Torres & Or have actually created an eloquent tale depicting the grieving process as family members must discover how to live their lives without the revered matriarch of the family and a small, lively son and cousin who died in a tragic accident. Jesse’s grief is further complicated as the death of his relatives results in him constantly seeing his dead cousin while having no one to guide him through his terrifying visions of the undead. Unfortunately, Torres and Or leave readers on a cliffhanger leaving many questions unanswered with no sequel in sight.

Image from here.

Reader’s Annotation

When Jesse visits the Philippines for his grandmother’s funeral he must come to terms with his ability to see supernatural creatures.

About the Author

Author J. Torres has worked on a variety of books including Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and Alison Dare. He has also participated in authoring comic book figures such as Avatar, Legend of Super-Heroes, Wonder Girl, and Wonder Woman.

Elbert Or is not only a comic book illustrator but a teacher, graphic designer, copywriter, and project manager. Some of his work can be found in the Siglo anthologies as well as The More The Manyer series.

To learn more about J. Torres visit his blog here.

To learn more about Elbert Or visit his website here.

Genre

Coming of age; Graphic novel; Supernatural fiction

Readalikes

Foiled by Jane Yolen

·         Another tale about a teen thrust into the supernatural world

Prime Baby by Gene Luen Yang

·         A story of a boy who must deal with the supernatural once he discovers his baby sister is a gateway for alien communications

Tags

Cousins, Family gatherings, Funerals, Ghosts, Monsters, Only child, Philippines, Storytelling, Supernatural abilities, Tagalog

Awards Won/Lists On

2011 Booklist’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Professional Reviews

Booklist
School Library Journal

Booktalk Ideas

Picture This:

·         Go to grandmother’s funeral

·         Start seeing supernatural monsters

o   Kapre (30)

o   Undead people in church (39)

o   People on fire in airport (102)

·         What would you do?

·         Is it a blessing or a curse?

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to explain storytelling (non-bibliotherapeutic purpose) as well as the different stages of grief. It could also be used with teens struggling to identify their own talents and their place in the world.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 2^nd grade

Interest Level: 6^th grade and up

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Death of child

·         Demon-like creature

·         Drunkenness

·         Funerals

·         Ghosts

·         Graphic depiction of people on fire

·         Graphic depiction of the undead

·         Monsters

·         Name calling

Librarians can point out that while this book does contain graphic depictions of dying/undead people it focuses on exploring identity and one’s purpose in life. Additionally, these graphic images are not nearly as those found in other comic books.

Why Was This Included?

I included this because I was intrigued by the premise of a boy who is suddenly thrust into the supernatural world and must figure out how to deal with it. I also wanted to include it in my ghost presentation.