Graphic Novel | Jenn's Bookshelves

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback:224 pages
Publisher:First Second (June 7, 2011)
Source: Library copy

Anya is a student at a private school. She’s not proud of her Russian heritage; her family moved to the United States when she was five and Anya’s worked quite hard to get rid of her accent. When introducing herself to others, she often Americanizes her last name, another attempt to escape her heritage. Her mother, on the other hand, wants her to embrace it; she arranged for Anya to attend this specific private school because a Russian boy of the same age was enrolled there.

One day, as Anya is walking through the park, Anya falls into a hole. She meets the ghost of a young girl who died in 1918. The girl, Emily, claims to have been murdered. She’s been hovering over her remains, unable to separate herself from the bones that remain. When Anya is rescued, Emily is able to “escape” due to one of her bones finding it’s way into Anya’s backpack.

At first, Emily is a welcome relief in a sort to Anya. She offers her the companionship she lacks, even assisting her in her school work, social life, and wardrobe. Soon, however, Emily becomes a bit obsessed with Emily’s life, living it as her own in a sense. When Anya get suspicious she does a bit of research into Emily’s past, discovering that she isn’t the person she stated she was. Anya must find a way to detach Emily from her life before things get out of hand.

Anya’s Ghost is more than just your average ghost story, it is also a coming of age tale, in a sense. Anya is a teen, insecure in her appearance and her identity. She has a curvy body and she’s desperate to fit in with the “in-crowd.” specifically one of the popular boys who seems to show an interest in her. Through Emily, and the experience she has with her, she learns to embrace her heritage, her identity, her being.

As this is a graphic novel, the illustrations are important. Brosgol does a tremendous job detailing the emotion, the “feel” of the book by using gray-scale, not just black and white, to illustrate the story.

All in all, Anya’s Ghost is a graphic novel that would appeal to fans of several genres, including mystery, horror, young adult, etc. How can you resist a book that Neil Gaiman refers to as “A Masterpiece?” Highly recommended.

Tags: graphic novel, Horror, Murders, Monsters, & Mayhem, Mystery/Suspense, Review, YA

Hardcover: 208 pages

Publisher: HarperOne (November 23, 2010)

ISBN-10: 0062024329

Source: Publisher

Santiago is a Spanish shepherd boy who sells his herd of sheep to pursue a dream of discovering treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. He leaves everything he knows behind in order to pursue his dream. He meets several people on his trek including a gypsy, a king, & an alchemist. Each give him a “message” to aid him in his journey. Throughout this journey, Santiago comes across various obstacles. Just when he’s about to give up and his spirit wanes, the messages of these individuals gives him the strength to strive forward. He eventually learns that the treasure he is seeking isn’t in a pyramid in Egypt, but within his own soul.

I read the original version of The Alchemist several years ago and it remains one of my most treasured books. The message it relays is simple and on the surface; the reader doesn’t have to delve far into the text to find it.

When I learned a graphic novel of The Alchemist was to be released, I can’t deny that I was skeptical. How would it be possible to transfer the message from a novel to a graphic format?

Daniel Sampere is the artist who rendered the graphic novel. He quite literally brought the characters to life in his drawings. I was concerned that they would be misrepresented in this format, but he has picked up the very essence of the characters.

My only complaint about the illustrations is how women are portrayed as having large busts and tiny waists. While this is a common look of women in graphic novels, I think it took away from the feel & the character of the book itself.

I don’t believe the graphic novel should be read in place of the original. While it does portray and represent the novel accurately, I believe there are key parts that the reader must invision and put to image on their own.

Ultimately, I highly recommend the graphic novel version to anyone who has read the original novel. Reading it reawakened my love of the novel and added a new perspective.