October's Book of the Month--Aggie and the Ghost

October Book of the Month is AGGIE AND THE GHOST, written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe, also the creator of POKO AND THE DRUM, and MINA.

In AGGIE AND THE GHOST, diminutive Aggie is “very excited to live on her own.” Until, alas, she finds that her new house is haunted by an ever-present ghost. She’s not upset for the usual reasons; no, rather than being scared, Aggie is grumpy because she’s “never alone.” So she lays down some rules, including no nighttime haunting (a time when Aggie reads in bed), no sock stealing, and the ghost must “stop eating all the cheese.”

The ghost listens but does not follow the rules. So Aggie goes for a walk to be alone. Except she’s still not. The ghost follows her. But after the ghost explains that “there are too many rules in the house,” the two engage in negotiations in which tic-tac-toe, other forest ghosts, the Man-Faced Owl, and a wonderful, closeup spread convey the bumpy ride these two not-friends have in settling their differences. Which they do, though (in an unusual twist for a picture book) while Aggie and the ghost are “both very happy,” they are not, indeed, “the best of friends."

Most excellent for Halloween, but a terrific read for any time of year, Forsythe’s watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil art is stunning as usual, and readers should adore poor Aggie, who really, really wants some privacy, as well as this equally lovable, but definitely more social, ghost.

--Lynn