When Adele enters “womanhood,” she discovers that in addition to her monthly cycle, she has the family gift, or burden, depending on one’s perspective. She sees ghosts! Others in the family also share the ability to be a medium. Gram, who despises the gift, has painted her house an electric blue to ward off the ghosts and to avoid their invasive requests to tap into her power. She insists that ghosts are not welcome in her home and advises Adele to adopt her viewpoint. About the family gift, Gram tells Adele, “We have the power to stand in the middle, you see. Halfway between the dead and the living. We can be a bridge between two worlds” (26).
Adele is unsure how to feel about her ability until she meets fifteen-year-old Ambroise in the spirituality section at the library, where she has gone to discover information about being a medium. She befriends the ghost, and soon the pair are fast friends. When Adele encounters Jules Auboncoeur, an elderly ghost who begs for her help, Adele gets caught up in a ghost war of sorts to save the city of Montreal.
Such is the plot of Sophie Escabasse’s graphic novel targeted for tween readers, Taxi Ghost. Readers will likely enjoy Escabasse’s illustrations and simple storyline about growing up as part of a sisterhood. Escabasse includes a bit of history about Montreal as well as a clever moral that reminds us that “the world won’t change with considerations but with actions” (195).
- Donna