In Sophie Escabasse's delightfully entertaining and strikingly illustrated middle-grade graphic novel Taxi Ghost, Adèle is anticipating a low-key winter break when she inherits the "family gift." Adèle's grandmother, who sees it less as a gift and more as a curse, explains to her, "People like us... have the power to stand in the middle"--they are mediums, "a bridge between two worlds." As Adèle comes to terms with the startling fact that her first period brought with it the ability to see and hear ghosts, she embraces her newfound talents and discovers a whole new side of Montreal, complete with ghost-watching cats, soul eaters, and Ambroise, a computer-hacking spirit. The ghosts Adèle encounters in her Mile End neighborhood are losing their homes due to gentrification and they believe Adèle can use her voice--and physical body--to stop the new builds.
Escabasse (Witches of Brooklyn) creates a rib-tickling universe in this standalone title. Apparitions hate snow and leave ghost marks on the cars of the living so they can tell which ones end up in which neighborhoods: "Every car is a ghost's taxi, really." The artist uses thickly lined panels that are often broken by speech bubbles, objects, and characters, allowing her art--much like her ghosts--to refuse physical boundaries. Ghost characters are all translucent and monochromatic while the living are opaque and colorful, and Escabasse makes both groups sympathetic beings through an emphasis on their emotions: the rage of Adèle's grandmother, Adèle's own shock and wonder, and the teenage melodrama of Ambroise. Be sure to catch this ride full of humor, suspense, and beautiful art; it will be a thrill. --Jen Forbus, freelancer